Yorktown Family Services - Growing With Grief Program

12/11/2025

💙 Meet another member of our Growing With Grief team.

As we get ready to welcome you to our Winter Gathering Family Event tonight, we’re introducing you to the caring counsellors who support our participants.

Today, meet Rachel — one of our Grief Counsellors at .

Rachel enjoys writing music, dancing, nature walks, bike rides and quiet moments at home with her husband and their cat, Chloe. After the death of her mom, Rachel felt called to support others who are navigating life after loss. That calling led her from teaching into grief focused work, and she joined the Growing With Grief team in May.

Now an expressive arts therapy student, Rachel is dedicated to helping children and families make sense of the big feelings that come with grief. She believes in the power of creativity, play, movement and presence to help express what can be hard to put into words. She is so excited to continue meeting families in the GWG community.

We look forward to welcoming everyone who registered for our Winter Gathering tonight.

To learn more about our grief programs for children, youth and families please visit: https://www.yorktownfamilyservices.com/programs/grief-and-bereavement/

Yorktown Family Services - Growing With Grief Program

12/11/2025

💙 Meet another member of our Growing With Grief team.

As we get ready to welcome you to our Winter Gathering Family Event on December 11, we’re introducing you to the caring counsellors who support our participants.

Today, meet Danielle — one of our Grief Counsellors at .

Danielle loves live music, reading and anything creative. She feels most at home in nature, especially by the water or under a starry sky. You can also find her hanging out with her cat and enjoying her favourite snacks. 🐈✨

Danielle knows what it’s like to be a child surrounded by family members who are at the end of life. It can be confusing when you sense big changes but the adults around you aren’t explaining what’s happening. As a grief counsellor, she brings creativity to each session and makes sure every child knows that all questions are welcome.

Danielle loves helping children and youth explore the “big things” together — wondering, learning and gathering information so they don’t have to navigate grief alone. Her hope is to support clients in finding meaningful ways to live and grow with their grief. 💙

We look forward to welcoming our Winter event tomorrow!

To learn more about our grief programs for children, youth and families, visit yorktownfamilyservices.com/programs/grief-and-bereavement/

Yorktown Family Services - Growing With Grief Program

12/09/2025

💙 Meet another member of our Growing With Grief team.

With our Winter Gathering Family Event on December 11, we’re continuing to introduce the caring counsellors who will be supporting our participants.

Today, meet Chantal — one of our Grief Counsellors at .

Chantal is a lover of all things creative, animals and the wonders of nature. You can usually find her collecting rocks on a beach, wandering through a forest or keeping an eye out for the next meteor shower.

Chantal’s own experience with grief began after the death of her mom. She remembers feeling sensations she had never felt before and thinking something was wrong with her body — until she learned that what she was experiencing was grief. Through art and creative expression, she began to understand and name those feelings.

Chantal hopes to help every client tap into their own inner resources and external supports as they meet their grief. Her goal is to guide children with curiosity, compassion and the tools they need to navigate their emotions in meaningful ways. 💙

We’re excited to welcome you to our event on December 11.

To learn more about our grief programs for children, youth and families, visit yorktownfamilyservices.com/programs/grief-and-bereavement/

Yorktown Family Services - Growing With Grief Program

12/09/2025

❄️ The holiday season can feel especially heavy for those navigating loss. As routines slow down, feelings of sadness, longing or reflection often become stronger, and no one should have to navigate that alone.

We invite families to join us for our Growing With Grief Winter Gathering on Thursday, December 11th from 5:30–7:30 PM in the West End of Toronto.

This free, all-ages event offers a gentle space to connect with others, take part in arts-based activities, share memories if you choose, and pause to reflect during a season that can bring up so much. Dinner will be provided. 💙

📅 Please register by December 5th
To sign up or learn more, contact:
Chantal — ChantalF@yorktownfamilyservices.com or
Rachel — RachelC@yorktownfamilyservices.com

Let’s gather, honour our loved ones and make room for healing this holiday. 🕊️

12/09/2025

💙 Get to know the friendly grief counsellors at ! Each counsellor brings their own experience, warmth and passion for supporting young people through grief. Today, we’re introducing you to Preston.

Preston finds it hard to sit still. He loves running, playing frisbee and chasing his little kids. He’s known as the silly one in his family — always trying to make people laugh and feel at ease.

Preston also knows the heavy and confusing experience of losing someone suddenly. He hopes every client learns to meet their big (and little) grief feelings with curiosity, and to feel empowered using their own strengths to move toward their goals.

We’re grateful to have Preston supporting families in our Growing With Grief program, including at our Winter Gathering on December 11. 💙

To stay up to date with our grief program and our Littles, Middles, Youth and Family offerings visit yorktownfamilyservices.com/programs/grief-and-bereavement/

Yorktown Family Services - Growing With Grief Program

11/26/2025

💙 November is , a time to recognize that grief affects all of us, especially children.

At , we believe grief should never be faced alone. Through our Growing With Grief program, children, youth and caregivers can find a safe space to share their stories, honour their loved ones and begin healing together.

Read our latest blog to learn more about the program and how Home Depot Caledonia’s generosity helped create meaningful spaces for families to heal, connect and remember together. 💙 https://www.yorktownfamilyservices.com/blogposts/growing-with-grief-healing-together-through-connection-and-creativity/

11/26/2025

11/26/2025

11/26/2025

Today is Children’s Grief Awareness Day. The Growing with Grief program at Yorktown Family Services advocates and raises awareness for the needs of grieving children, youth, and families.

Grief is an experience that requires witnessing and acknowledgment. Human beings are wired for connection and we are not meant to grieve in isolation.

Today we emphasize that Grief is not a problem to be fixed. It is a normal response to loss, and is meant to be felt and expressed.

It can be helpful to find people who you can be yourself around, and who can be witness to your grief. That could be a friend, family member, teacher, coach, religious leader, therapist, or peer support group.

No matter where you are at on your grief journey, we know that being among supportive people and forming meaningful connections is important to adapting to loss and integrating it into the fabric of our lives. We invite you to connect with us and join our community Family Events or grief support groups.

Learn more about Growing with Grief by visiting: https://www.yorktownfamilyservices.com/programs/grief-and-bereavement/

Please consider a donation to the Growing with Grief program so that we can continue to reduce barriers to provide critical grief support so that no child or youth grieves alone.

11/26/2025

💙 November is Children’s Grief Awareness Month — a reminder that children grieve too, just in different ways.

Supporting a grieving child starts with listening, patience, and helping them feel safe to express what they’re feeling. Sometimes, it’s about small gestures, sharing memories, creating space for tears, or simply being there in silence.

At , our Growing With Grief program helps children, youth and caregivers navigate loss through connection, creativity and care. No child should have to face grief alone. 💙

Learn more about our Growing with Grief program at yorktownfamilyservices.com/programs.

11/26/2025