OUR HOUSE Grief Support FAQs

OUR HOUSE Grief Support Center groups form after the death of someone close and are specific to the age of the griever, the length of time since the death, and the relationship to the person who died. Each group consists of five to twelve members and meets every other week at our centers in West Los Angeles and Woodland Hills as well as our Limited Virtual Program.

Currently, our In-House groups are for those grieving a:

• Partner or Spouse
• Teen or Adult Child
• Parent
• Sibling
• Someone Close (i.e., friend, co-worker, other family member)

Please note that the types of groups meeting at each of our three locations differ. We can provide you with more detailed information when you call, including grief support referrals for people whose needs fall outside the range of our services.

Our adult groups for English speakers meet in person at our West Los Angeles and Woodland Hills. We also offer a Limited Virtual Program for people who are unable to meet in person. Additionally, we offer groups in Spanish at our three locations and throughout the community for adults who have experienced the death of someone close.

• Please note that our services are currently only available in Southern California. If our services are not a match for your current grief support needs, here are some suggestions for referrals:
  Use the following link to find grief support services in your area: https://www.dougy.org/grief-support-programs/
• Contact the Palliative Care social worker and/or the chaplain at your local hospital and ask them for referrals to local grief support groups
• Contact a local mortuary or hospice, they often have referrals for local grief support
• If you are interested in therapy, please use the following link where you can search for therapists by location and specialty in addition to countless other search criteria: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us
  

Yes, we offer groups in Spanish at our three locations and throughout the community for adults who have experienced the death of someone close. For more information, please click here to read in Spanish.

OUR HOUSE grief support groups are run by volunteers and the focus of groups is providing support that is specific to grief. If other issues arise in group, conversations will be redirected to the topic of grief or the relationship they had with their person. Group participants support one another through the bonds of shared grief experiences. In a grief support group with OUR HOUSE, different activities, including specific discussion prompts, writing and other creative expressions will be used to help participants fully express their grief while reminiscing, sharing memories, and finding ways to maintain a connection with their person.

Proveemos grupos de apoyo al duelo después de la muerte de alguien cercano. Cada grupo está formado por 4-6 miembros y se reúnen cada dos semanas durante 14 semanas.

Nuestros grupos de apoyo al duelo en español se ofrecen dentro de los 3 años después de la muerte de alguien cercano.

Nuestros grupos en español para adultos se llevan a cabo en nuestras tres ubicaciones principales: Oeste de Los Ángeles, Woodland Hills, y Mid-City/Koreatown al igual que en nuestras ubicaciones satélites alrededor del condado de LA.

Nuestros grupos se llevan a cabo de lunes a jueves por las noches ya sea de 6:30-8pm o de 7-8:30pm dependiendo de la ubicación. Ocasionalmente tenemos un grupo que se reúne durante el día en viernes.

OUR HOUSE Grief Support Center offers three services for children and teens:

• Family Support Program groups meet at our West Los Angeles and Woodland Hills centers every other week for children ages 4-18 who have experienced the death of a parent or caregiver. Groups are organized by the age of the child.
• Free ten-week grief support groups meet at public elementary, middle, and high school campuses throughout Greater Los Angeles during the school day for children who have experienced the death of a family member or close friend in the last three years.
• Camp Erin is free overnight bereavement camp weekends that take place three times each summer for children, ages 6-17, who are grieving the death of someone close in the last three years.
  

• Children and teens can join a Family Support Program group between three months to two years following the death of a parent or caregiver.
• School-based groups are offered to children approximately two months to three years after the death of a family member or close friend.
• Camp Erin is offered to children and teens who have experienced the death of a significant family member or close friend. The death must have occurred at least three months before and within three years of the start date of the camp session they wish to attend.
  

• Family Support Program groups for children and teens meet at our West Los Angeles and Woodland Hills centers on Thursday evenings, every other week.
• School-based groups meet at public schools in LA County during the school day. Click here to see a current list of participating schools. This list may vary annually.
• Camp Erin, which is located at Camp Bob Waldorf in Glendale, CA.
  

Any child or teen ages 6-17 who has experienced the human death of someone significant/close to them. The death must have occurred at least 3 months before, and within 4 years of the camp session date they wish to attend.

As long as an 18 year-old will still be enrolled in (not graduated from) high school at the time they attend camp, they are eligible to apply for camp.

The referral process is the same as the application process. The first step would be to review the Camper Eligibility Checklist and complete an application for the Prospective Camper. For more information, please see the answer to “What happens after I submit my child/teen’s application?”