“We have come an incredibly long way in a very short time, and I want to thank you for helping us along on this journey.”
Children’s Peer Groups
Valerie's House programs give children ages 5 to 18 years-old and their families a safe place to share, grieve, and grow.
Valerie's House provides open-ended peer support groups and activities for children to heal after a significant loss in their life. Valerie's House is not a formal counseling center. It is a community and a platform for individuals to come together, share, and mentor each other through their grief.
Groups meet in our cozy locations twice a month from approximately 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm. After some free playtime, children break into age-appropriate groups.
Younger children heal and speak about their pain often with "play therapy," as often their little hearts cannot find the words to express such trauma.
Teenagers meet and spend time discussing their feelings, struggles, healing, and how they move through school and life with their loss. Being together with those who have suffered a loss is powerful and helps tremendously.
Activities are wide and varied. Valerie's House heavily relies on the use of art and music to help our youth identify, express, and process their grief. For example, in one activity, children create a unique bead bracelet. Each color bead represents a part of their grief story and their emotions attached to that story.
Groups meeting at Valerie’s House in Fort Myers, Naples, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, and Pensacola include:
Elementary, Middles, and Teens groups
Spanish-speaking groups
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren After Loss
Life Without Mom for Dads and Children
Sibling Loss group
Young Adult group
JOIN OUR FAMILY TODAY
We have programs available in Fort Myers, Naples, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, and Pensacola. If you have experienced a death or know someone who has, click the link below to connect with Valerie's House.
Professional Referrals
Therapists, Agencies, and Social Service Offices
To refer a child to Valerie's House grief support programs, please click the button below and complete our referral form. All information is kept confidential.
Valerie's House is modeled after the nationally-recognized and acclaimed Dougy Center for Grieving Children & Families. Programs at Valerie's House include open-ended peer support groups and activities to help children to heal after a significant loss in their life. While it is not a formal counseling center, Valerie's House provides a community and a platform for individuals to come together, share and mentor one another through grief, and create supportive bonds they can take into their futures.
