About Us
The New Song Center for Grieving Children was founded in 1989 by volunteers. The mission is two-fold: providing nurturing support for grieving children, teens, young adults and their families, and offering comprehensive grief education to volunteers, professionals and the community.
New Song’s trained volunteers facilitate support groups under the direction of professional staff. The center, funded through donations, is a program of not-for-profit Hospice of the Valley. It is the only grief support group program in Maricopa County that focuses on children.
The successful resolution of grief experienced early in life is vital to becoming a fulfilled, well-adjusted adult. Children’s expression of grief often is different from adults; it is more likely to be exhibited in behavior than words. Within age-specific grief support groups, a safe place is created in which children are supported through developmentally appropriate activities including art, play and journaling. Adults attend their own support groups, where they learn how to help children and teens process grief in a healthy manner and how to help themselves cope with loss.