Tag Archives: Parenting and Family Issues

Spinning Out of Control

Life doesn’t stop because someone in the family is terminally ill

One of the difficult realities that people living with a terminal illness must deal with is the fact that life goes on much as it did before. Despite the “new normals” of doctor’s appointments and lab tests and physical changes … Continue reading

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How to help Children deal with Grief? An Interview with Astrid Reichenbach

The Child Life Specialist opens up about supporting, counseling, and listening to children who face illness and end-of-life

Astrid Reichenbach, MA, CCLS, MFTI, is a certified Child Life Specialist working at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. She provides support for children at the hospital, whether they are long-term patients, one-time visitors, or the relative of another … Continue reading

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Dragon Mothers: How to Parent a Dying Child

Emily Rapp’s “Notes from a Dragon Mom” distinguishes between directing the future and loving the present

Emily Rapp is a self-proclaimed Dragon Mom. Her baby son, Ronan, is almost certainly going to die before he turns three. He was born with Tay-Sachs, a genetic disease for which there is no cure. Such a horrible fact has … Continue reading

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What is the Dougy Center? An Interview with Donna Schuurman

The Dougy Center's Executive Director talks about child and youth peer support, expression, and "post-traumatic growth"

For nearly 30 years, The Dougy Center in Portland, OR has provided peer support groups for grieving children, teenagers, young adults and their families. Today, the peer support program they pioneered has served as a model for at least 500 … Continue reading

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What’s a Center for Grief? An interview with Cindy Ainsworth and Stephanie Demos

Directors at Kara grief center discuss their support programs and the "healing door"

Kara (the gothic root for “care”) is a volunteer-driven nonprofit organization and renowned grief center, providing powerful, free grief support services to the San Francisco Bay Area from their Palo Alto home since 1976.  Truly, the breadth, success, and compassion … Continue reading

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