The Caring House: A Safe Place for Children to Navigate Grief

The Caring House is on a mission to help children ages 4-18 and their families cope with the death of a loved one and share their grief with others. Here’s an inside look at the heart of this organization!

1. What is The Caring House all about? What’s the big mission that drives your work?

Our mission is to provide compassionate grief support to children, teens and families who have experienced a death. The Caring House has trained staff for individual and peer support services, and we understand that every family’s needs are unique. We are here to offer a safe space for healing, as well as tailored support to help navigate difficult conversations and emotions. We also support all of the Madison County, Madison City and Huntsville City Schools with grief groups and crisis support. Additionally, we work with local hospice agencies when they have a family with children affected by a death.

It can be challenging for caregivers and support people to know what to do, what to say, or how best to help a child who is grieving.

2. Let’s talk impact! What are some of the biggest ways The Caring House has made a difference in the community? Any stories that stand out?

The Caring House is often called to help parents navigate telling their child that a death has occurred. These conversations are critical, and most families express feeling ill-prepared for those tough conversations. We help provide age-appropriate language and a variety of ideas for parents to use in supporting their children. We recognize the value of supportive connections within the family and work to help bridge communication gaps that often occur. We often see kids at their first appointment who struggle to talk about their loss and may have unhelpful coping skills. Several sessions later, they are often in a very different place and can express their thoughts, emotions, and are able to begin talking about the death.

3. Who do you serve, and what’s something people might not realize about the needs in our community?

We serve any family in the north Alabama area- children from 4-18 years old and their parents/caregivers. We are the only not-for-profit grief facility for children in Madison County; our services are paid for through the Huntsville Hospital Foundation and are free to all families.

4. What is the most rewarding part of your work at The Caring House?

To see and experience the healing process with a family as they walk through some of the most tragic moments of their lives. We view this work as on honor and a privilege to navigate their grief journey along them.

It can be helpful when children are able to gather with peers grieving similar situations.

5. For anyone reading this and thinking, “Wow, I want to be a part of this!”—what’s the best way to get involved? (Volunteering, donations, sharing the mission, etc.)

All of the above! We can always use donations (monetary or items found on our My Registry page). We cannot do this work at this scale without our volunteers, and we always want the community to know about The Caring House and share our services with others who may need the support.

Sometimes children find it easier to talk to a furry friend about their loss. Canines for Coping are one of the many tools The Caring House utilizes in a child’s grief journey.

6. If you could tell the world ONE thing about The Caring House, what would it be?

Sometimes, families are very nervous when they first come to The Caring House, however they quickly realize that a lot of therapeutic activities happen through play, and our approach is non-threatening! Parents are often impressed that their children want to come back again and again.