Bereavement Program | Overview
We are deeply sorry for the loss that has brought you to this page, whether it is a recent loss, a loss from some time ago, or a potential impending loss.
On this website, you will find information about Boston Children's Hospital’s Bereavement Program Offerings, community-based resources, grief education tip sheets, and other resources, including ways to reach out to the Boston Children's Hospital Bereavement Program Team. This information is located as a drop down menu on the left hand side of the page.
We often hear from parents and caregivers that grief begins at the time their child is diagnosed with a serious illness. We call this “anticipatory grief,” or loss that begins in advance of the end of life. Anticipatory grief is an expected process for many parents, and the palliative care team may be able to support your child and family through their serious illness. To learn more about the Pediatric Advanced Care Team at Boston Children’s Hospital, please visit this page.
If you have experienced a death loss or will in the coming weeks, months, and years, we hope your family’s relationship with Boston Children’s Hospital may become a source of support in your grief.
Our services
- Informational seminars about grief
- Grief groups and programming
- Expressive arts workshops, including grief yoga and journaling
- An annual spring Memorial Service
- An annual fall Keeping Connections Family Conference
- Bereavement mailings and grief resources
About us
The mission of Boston Children’s Hospital Bereavement Program is to provide comprehensive and sensitive bereavement care throughout the Boston Children’s Hospital community, because all families deserve access to a set standard of supportive bereavement care extending from the hospital institution that cared for their child.
Located within the Hale Family Center for Families, the Boston Children’s Hospital Bereavement Program clinicians are experts in providing bereavement care and partner with hospital teams, such as PACT, to facilitate many of the program offerings to the Boston Children's community. The program provides outreach, individualized bereavement resources, and grief support, including facilitation of bereavement groups, workshops, and events aimed to help families navigate their grief experience following the loss of a child.
Who we serve
The Bereavement Program at Boston Children’s Hospital serves our community of bereaved parents and family members following the death of a child who was treated at Boston Children’s Hospital and/or at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. This includes families of Boston Children’s Hospital patients who have died either inpatient or in the community (at home, in hospice, or at their local hospital), as well as pediatric patients at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) and patients followed by the Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT).
If you have experienced an unexpected death of a child, the Boston Children’s Hospital’s Robert’s Program on Sudden Unexpected Death in Pediatrics (SUDP) may be an additional resource available to you.
Our program offerings are available to Boston Children's families at any time following the death of a child who was treated at our hospital. For more information about our program, please reach out to SoYun Kwan at bereavement.program@childrens.harvard.edu.
Meet our team
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SoYun Kwan, LICSWSoYun has been a clinical social worker at Boston Children’s Hospital since 2005. She currently manages the Bereavement Program, facilitating and coordinating groups, workshops, and other events designed to support bereaved Boston Children's Hospital and Dana-Farber families. |
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Ellie Frechette, LICSW, APHSW-CEllie Frechette is one of the inpatient clinical social workers on the Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT), who specializes in supporting bereaved parents/caregivers and siblings. Ellie facilitates and runs many of the programs offered through the bereavement program, including support groups, educational sessions, and expressive arts workshops. |
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