School-based Grief Support Services

The Christi Center works with area school districts to identify campuses with students who are grieving, and offers both individual counseling and peer support groups.

Many children and youth struggle after a loss, especially with feeling different from their peers. Their parents or guardians may lack access to transportation or other resources needed to bring their child to a support group. Through our school-based support program, The Christi Center offers school-based grief support services for kids and teens.

The Christi Center works with area school districts to identify campuses with students who are grieving, and offers both individual counseling and peer support groups.

School Groups

School peer support groups provide a safe place for kids and teens to share their thoughts and feelings with other youth who are also grieving after the death of a family member or close friend. Students are identified by school personnel and are invited to participate.

  • Typically consist of 6-12 students
  • Most frequently offered to middle and high school students
  • Takes place once a week for 8-10 weeks during the school day, usually rotates so that students don’t miss the same class
  • Led by highly trained and supervised master’s level interns
  • Available to any school in the Austin Independent School District, and may be available to campuses in the great Austin metro area

Individual Services

Our innovative “School Grief Support Network” program was developed to address the gap in services for children who’ve experienced a loss. The Christi Center pairs one of our trained “Cadre Counselor” volunteers or masters-level counseling or social work interns with a grieving child. The counselor utilizes a developed curriculum of activities that the counselor and child can work on together to remember the loved one who died and build positive coping skills in the child.

  • Typically offered to elementary students who may not have a peer group within their school
  • Pairs a child with one of the following:
    • Cadre Counselor--a retired school professional who has been trained to work with grieving children
    • Trained and supervised master’s level interns
    • Licensed clinical or master-level social worker
  • The counselor and child work through activities to explore the loss and develop positive coping skills.
  • Takes place once a week for 6-8 sessions during the school day

 

Interested individuals fill out the form below

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