No child, teen, parent or grandparent should ever grieve alone.
NB COPES stands for “Connecting Others, Providing Education & Support” , the foundation for the development of the programs under the very first Child and Family Grief Center in Atlantic Canada.
NB COPES Vision was built from knowledge, compassion and community need.
The NB COPES board recognized that there were significant gaps in our province related to grief support for children and their families. Community members and therapists expressed concern that children were not getting adequate support both during end of life and after the loss of a parent or sibling. Their concerns are consistent with the literature and the known disenfranchisement of childrens’ grief. From 2015-2020, two of our board members developed capacity for a family-centered bereavement program being delivered in NB by the Camp Kerry Society located in BC (www.campkerrsociety.org) . With this experience, the board members saw the need to develop NB COPES with the overarching goal of a center of excellence that would allow children, families, therapists and researchers come together with a common vision.
Board of Directors:
Our members have a background in grief/loss theory and practices, healthcare, research and business....but, most importantly, the passion to make this vision a reality.
Pam Pastirik Chairperson, Diana Dupont, Vice-Chairperson, Dr. Rob Moir (Treasurer), Jaclyn McColgan (Secretary), Dr. Robin Williams (Director), Dr. Tracy Carr (Director), Shirley Albert (Director)
If you have come to this page, you are a stakeholder in our mission:
You are families touched by the loss of a pregnancy, a child, a parent or a sibling.
You are families and friends that want to know how to best support grieving families.
You are professionals that work in this area of mental health or healthcare delivery with grieving families and you want to learn more and/or share your knowledge.
You are researchers who believe that the best practices are evidence-based and want to contribute to the development of knowledge to support this innovative center.
At NB COPES we believe that we are always stronger together. We recognize grief is an isolating experience and that providing a compassionate community approach is critical to supporting families and helping them cope after a loss. We value inclusivity and recognize that many losses are disenfranchised and are not fully recognized by society. We believe in excellence and advocate for evidence-based practices and increased study of grief support and policy grounded in peer-reviewed research. We believe in creativity and approaches that children and families respond to such as Art, Music, Recreation and Play.
We embrace a model that values Connecting Others who are grieving, Providing Education for families/professionals and providing evidenced-based Support through the development programs that are responsive to the needs of our populations.
Please feel free to message us any time if you have suggestions on how to help achieve our mission. We will be planning opportunities in the near future to get input from both community members and professionals
Thank you for joining us on our mission to ensure that “no child, teen, parent or grandparent grieves alone.”
Sincerely,
NB COPES Board of Directors
