HOW does it work?

The first step in receiving support is to contact program director Naomi Skop Richter at: 646-884-9464 or plsp@ncjwny.org

Naomi will do a brief intake then promptly match each bereaved family (or parent, as the case may be) with a telephone counselor who can provide personalized calls on your schedule. Male and female volunteers are available and each parent is eligible for three, hour-long sessions generally scheduled on consecutive weeks. Couples who wish to be counseled together can also receive support from another couple.

Following telephone support, New York metro area families can also join in person support groups which meet at a location on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Held approximately four times a year, the support groups bring a small group of bereaved parents together for evening meetings held once a week for six weeks. The meetings, for the same group of parents each time, are run by two professionally trained volunteers who have themselves experienced a loss and cover topics such as:

• Coping with grief
• The response of family, friends, clergy and the medical community to the loss
• The impact the loss might have on a couple’s relationship
• Dealing with anger, jealousy and guilt
• Rituals of remembrance
• Facing another pregnancy

These support groups are an invaluable opportunity to connect with others who understand what you’re going through and provide sanctuary for speaking honestly about your feelings, fears and experiences. The friendships forged under these circumstances can often last for years.