CHILDREN'S SERVICES
INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS
The loss of a loved one impacts the entire family. Grief might be expressed differently in each family member. Giving each family member time and space to work through loss is an important part of readjusting to life without the special person.
Grief counseling can give children and teens a safe place to process the loss, a sympathetic adult to express complex feelings with, and a way to learn how to develop the social and emotional skills to handle this crisis and any that may occur in the future.
Each member of the family may be in a different developmental stage with a different perspective on loss. The Austin Center for Grief and Loss offers families a variety of counseling techniques to meet the needs of every member of the family.
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
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Solution-Focused Therapy
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Group Therapy
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Grief Camps
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Art Therapy
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Sand Tray Therapy
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Play Therapy
PLAY THERAPY
Children grieve differently than adults. In the Playroom, children get to express themselves in their native language, play. Children can work through their feelings using materials like the doll house, puppets, dress up clothes, art materials, foam swords, or balls. In the playroom, therapists can help children feel safe enough to reenact events in their lives through play. This reenactment is a way to process and gain a feeling of control over distressing or traumatic memories.
Sand Tray Therapy
Children, teens, and adults can use the sand tray to tell their stories, describe their inner world, and process their emotions without even saying a word.
Camp Red Bird
Camp Red Bird is a bereavement summer day camp for children ages 6- 12 that have experienced the death of a parent, sibling, or primary caregiver. It is a safe place where kids can laugh, cry, play, create, remember the person who died, learn that it is okay to grieve, and to understand that they are not alone.
Camp Red Bird engages children in therapeutic activities that incorporate art, crafts, nature-based experiences, yoga, and movement to help process feelings of grief. Children who attend camp learn to develop healthy coping skills in a safe and supportive environment.
Camp Red Bird
2025
$100
Dates To Be Announced
FAMILY SERVICES
Family Therapy
Navigating life after loss is difficult. Family therapy can help families adapt to this new normal and create a shared vision for their future.
Filial Play Therapy Training
Filial Play Therapy teaches parents how to facilitate healing play with their child. This 10 week training allows parents and caregivers to learn the what, why, and how of practicing therapeutic presence, unconditional warm regard, and deep listening skills.
Teen therapy
For some families, teens can feel hard to reach and difficult to communicate with. Grief can complicate this further. Having a therapist to talk to, make a sand tray with, or do expressive arts with, can help a teen navigate feelings of grief.
Parenting through the Developmental ages – mentoring for parents and their children of all ages.
As every parent knows, each stage as a child grows offers its own set of joys and challenges. That chatty eight-year-old becomes a sullen twelve-year-old in the blink of an eye. Grief can make this even more challenging. The Austin Center for Grief and Loss can help! Our trained clinicians can help guide you through these ages and stages with love and understanding.
SCHOOL CONTRACT SERVICES
Sometimes even the experts need a little help. Often adults find talking to kids about death difficult and they aren’t sure how to support grieving children.
ACGL can provide training, education, and other support for schools and other organizations. Our staff can design workshops, presentations, and other media to meet the needs of your school or organization. Please contact us for more information.
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Developmental Stages of Grief – What to expect when children are grieving and how to help
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Supporting Grieving Students
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Early Childhood
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Middle Childhood
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Pre-teens
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Teens
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Supporting Grieving Staff Members
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Supporting Grieving Parents/Caregivers
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Supporting the Community after a Tragedy
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Becoming a Grief-Informed Educator