Welcome to Suncoast Kid’s Place!

The Suncoast Kid’s Place provides support for children, teens and their families following the death of a loved one through peer support groups and education. Our goal is to offer support in a safe place where children, teens and families can share their experience as they move through their grief process.

About Us

After extensive research, the internationally known Dougy Center of Portland, Oregon, was selected as the model for the Suncoast Kid’s Place.

We are part of The Dougy Centers National Children's Grief Network.

Suncoast Kid’s Place is A Community Service of Van Dyke Church.

Our Mission

The mission of the Center is to provide support for children/teens from 3-18 years of age and their families, who have experienced the death of a parent, primary caretaker, brother, sister or teen friend, because of illness, accident, suicide or homicide…as an expression of the ongoing ministry of Jesus Christ.

Why is Suncoast Kids Place important?

Most children will have experienced the death of a loved one by the end of high school, some much sooner. The Center recognizes that children's grief is unique, and that grief ignored, can cause difficulties later in life: physically, emotionally and behaviorally. Unresolved grief in children and teens can cause depression, violence, truancy, eating disorders, alcoholism, drug abuse, anxiety and suicide.

Research shows that the death of a parent may be THE most traumatic single event to affect the well-being and health of a developing child and adult depression, schizophrenia, drug problems and alcohol use may be linked to childhood bereavement. Often it takes years for these behaviors to surface. The Suncoast Kids Place helps provide support so that families may continue their lives with hope, confidence and strength.

Guiding Principles

The Suncoast Kid’s Place is founded on the belief that every child deserves the opportunity to grieve in a supportive and understanding environment. However, our society fails to understand or support the needs of a child and family in grief.

Based on these beliefs, the six principles of the Suncoast Kid’s Place are:

•    Grief is a natural reaction to the loss of a loved one for children as well as adults

•    Within each individual is the capacity to heal

•    The duration and intensity of grief are unique for each individual

•    Caring and acceptance assist in the healing process

•    Play is children’s “work” and they work through grief best through support and play oriented activities.

•    Grieving impacts individuals physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Suncoast Kid’s Place is committed to providing support for all of these components of the grief process.

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Copyright © 2008 Suncoast Kid's Place
Last modified: 07/09/08