Hearts and Hope, Inc.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is Hearts and Hope’s program really effective? Do the youth who go through Hearts and Hope’s support groups end up better off than other kids who have had losses?
2. What is your target population?
3. What are the credentials of Hearts and Hope, Inc. and its staff?
4. Are there any other centers like Hearts and Hope, Inc. in Palm Beach County?
5. Do you all collaborate with any other organizations?
6. What do the services at Hearts and Hope, Inc. cost participants?
7. Why do children and their caregivers only come to group twice per month?
8. Does the house get used during the day? 

1)      Is Hearts and Hope’s program really effective? Do the youth who go through Hearts and Hope’s support groups end up better off than other kids who have had losses?

It is a widely accepted fact that children who are bereaved are a vulnerable population. Because children have not fully developed their coping skills, they are at risk of developing psychological and behavioral dysfunctions as well as other social difficulties. If left unattended, grief in children can lead to depression, psychiatric problems and possible suicide as adults (Ayyash-Abdo, 2001). Years of research has shown that children who receive group counseling within one year of a significant loss in their lives demonstrate a statistically significant decrease in overall negative emotions than children who receive no counseling. In addition to a decrease in negative emotions, there is also a decrease in depression and behavioral disturbances (Tonkins and Lambert, 1996).

At Hearts and Hope, we have seen this research in action with every child we serve. At the time of intake and discharge, we provide surveys for both the child and primary caregiver to complete. Overwhelmingly the children we serve show significant improvements in their overall behavior and coping. For example, upon in-take to our 2008 school group for grieving children, only three of the 31 children could identify three coping skills. After completing the Hearts and Hope program, all 31 children could identify coping skills to utilize when experiencing grief. Of the teens (ages 13-17) discharged from Hearts and Hope in 2007-2008, nine out of 11 stated that they felt either “much better” or “a little better” since attending our program. All ten children discharged from the “Kids Club” group (ages 10-12) affirmed that the activities at Hearts and Hope and participation in the program were either helpful or very helpful.   

The group context is especially helpful for children as they lean that their peers have similar thoughts and feelings – they are not alone. As new children come into group and start the grieving process, children who have been in the group model age-appropriate grieving and help newer members begin their healing journey. The children learn how to safely explore and express their grief while engaged in activities that use their own familiar language of creativity and play.

2)     What is your target population?

Hearts and Hope’s services are provided to all children and caregivers regardless of race, gender or ability to pay. In 2008-2009 our on-site support group services reached 233 children and adults. The make-up of the program participants included:

Race

Economic Status – based on 2007 Florida/Palm Beach County income limit guidelines

·         23% below federal poverty level

·         46% at or near poverty line

·         12.5% middle income

·         17.5% upper income

·         1% unknown

Cause of Death

·         49.5% sudden loss (e.g. heart attack, aneurism, etc.)

·         22% cancer

·         11% motor vehicle accident

·         6.5% anticipated loss (e.g. extended illness)

·         8% homicide

·         3% suicide

During the same period, Hearts and Hope reached 527 children and adults through its education and outreach services and an additional 27 children in it school-based support group services. 

3)     What are the credentials of Hearts and Hope, Inc. and its staff?

Hearts and Hope, Inc. is built on a national model for grief support centers and is designed after The Dougy Center (Portland, Oregon) and the WARM Place (Fort Worth, Texas). Our center is a member of the National Alliance for Grieving Children and the Association for Death Education and Counseling. 

To be certified in The Dougy Center Model, a model that has been successfully implemented since 1982 throughout the United States and in many other countries, Hearts and Hope staff had to receive extensive training to gain understanding about the following topics:

·         Building and implementing a Dougy Center model program, including networking, policies, procedures and staffing issues;

·         Servicing families, placing children in groups, using community resources and referral sources;

·         Recruiting, screening, training, placing and supervising volunteers in their work with grieving children and families;

·         Designing a center that fits the unique needs of the local community;

·         Gaining understanding of the unique qualities of grieving children, teens and adults, and learning how to work with each group;

·         Developing support group facilitation skills including reflection, awareness, reflective play, active listening, conversation skills and more.

Beyond our organization’s overall capacity, our staff is uniquely qualified to meet the needs of the children and families we serve. All program personnel hold master’s degrees in social work and other related fields. Two staff members are fully licensed and all others are license eligible. Our staff is highly trained in the field of death, dying and bereavement and participates in national conferences with affiliates from around the country to maintain certification and to stay on the cutting edge in our field.    Additionally, members of our staff are certified in Thanatology, two have Trauma Specialist certification, and another is a Board Certified Registered Art Therapist.  

4)      Are there any other centers like Hearts and Hope, Inc. in Palm Beach County?

No – Hearts and Hope, Inc. is truly unique! We are the only organization in Palm Beach County based on a national model of service entirely dedicated to serving individuals and families who have experienced the death of a loved one. To that end, all of our program staff is specially trained in counseling in the fields of death and dying. While other local organizations may offer support groups, Hearts and Hope is also the only organization that structures the support groups as open ended/long-term. The families work closely with the staff to continuously make observations and obtain feedback to evaluate the determine when the right time is for the family unit to graduate from the support groups.

5)      Do you all collaborate with any other organizations?

Hearts and Hope is pleased to partner with a number of individuals as well as local and national organizations that enhance the services we offer. Hearts and Hope receives referrals from local clinicians, hospitals, Hospices, Center for Family Services, the School District, private schools, and past program participants. With those same partners, Hearts and Hope engages in dialog, trainings and education for the benefit of all community members who may experience loss. 

In order to engage fully in our field, members of our staff are members and board members for National Alliance for Grieving Children and Palm Beach County Coalition for Children. Hearts and Hope participates in community meetings in Lake Worth and West Palm Beach that are coordinated by Children’s Services Council. Staff members also participate in conferences held by national grief counseling organizations to share with and learn from others around the country who work in our field. 

To assist in the training of young social workers and mental health professionals obtaining bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Hearts and Hope offers internship opportunities to students at Barry University, Palm Beach Atlantic University and Florida Atlantic University. 

6)      What do the services at Hearts and Hope, Inc. cost participants?

Grief support services are provided at no cost to the participant. In addition, we offer other free services to the community including seminars, crisis intervention, preventative interventions in schools and other social service agencies, and in-school support services. Each year, we provide grief support services valued at over $650,000 to our clients. This includes the time our four program staff members devote to the development and execution of programming and over 200 hours of in-kind volunteer service. For one child and one caregiver (a “family”), the approximate cost of services they receive in a year’s period (the average length of stay) is $6,195. This includes not only support group sessions but also the initial one-on-one assessment with clinicians, group special activities (such as Memory Night and Family Fun Day), and follow-up support.

7)      Why do children and their caregivers only come to group twice per month?

The national model on which Hearts and Hope is based recommends that children and their caregivers come to group only twice per month. This number of visits is a manageable time commitment and it also prevents grief overload. If our program required more visits in a month, we may set our families up to fail with excessive absenteeism. While our program only requires visits two times per month within group, individuals and families are always welcome to see our program staff in between sessions when needed.

8)      Does the house get used during the day?

Yes! The daytime is an important and busy time for staff at Hearts and Hope.

Program staff uses the day time to support new families who have experienced the death of a loved one, or those who are seeking services for their friends or family. Staff provides telephone and face to face in-office support, education, information and resources to meet the needs of these individuals and families. Currently Hearts and Hope receives requests for grief services for approximately 34 children each month. In response to the need for our services, the first step is for individual and family assessments to take place. Each assessment, which occurs during the day, takes approximately eight hours of staff time to fully process.  Program staff processes three assessments per week on average. 

To better serve existing children and caregivers, programs staff spends the daytime reviewing case files and maintaining all necessary forms and documentation to support a family’s participation. Program staff coordinates the support groups by preparing evening group activities and resources for the staff, volunteers and participants.

The daytime is important for the development and execution of Hearts and Hope’s educational programs. School groups and other groups of children come to Hearts and Hope for field trips to learn about grief, our services and to participate in our preventative outreach program. Program staff creates educational presentations and trainings to provide throughout the year, as well as other presentations for community networking event. Hearts and Hope also has an internship program in which students seeking bachelor’s or master’s degrees in the field of social work are trained by our staff throughout the day. These students, as well as other community professionals, use our resource library, which contains books, DVDs and articles on loan.