who we are and why we’re here…

Grief can be a lonely journey, especially for teens…  But by challenging the stigma, breaking the silence, and providing an open and welcoming place for grieving teens to land, hearts are free to find healing and hope once again.

Lost & Found is a teen specific grief support group which uses a community-based peer-to-peer support model to create a safe space for teens to openly share and honestly express their personal grief experiences.  Using adult-facilitated discussion and activities, teens can continue to process and move through their grief by sharing in authentic and insightful peer-to-peer conversation, activities and support.

Many times, the journey of loss requires utilizing family support programs which teach coping and communication strategies, or counseling which offers trained support for acute or post-traumatic stress or anxiety stemming from the death of a loved one.  The peer-to-peer model is an alternate and/or additional resource used by many nationally recognized grief specific organizations.  The goal of this group is to fill the gaps left by traditional individual therapies with peer-to-peer interaction and support.

Group leadership will draw inspiration and ideas from groups such as (but not limited to) Centering Corporation, The Collective for Hope/Grief’s Journey and The Dougy Center for Grieving Children and Families, and from leading grief experts such as Alan Wolfelt.  For example, topics and activities may be drawn from Alan Wolfelt’s books The Understanding Your Grief Support Group Guide, Healing Your Grieving Heart - for Teens, and Healing a Teen’s Grieving Heart – 100 Practical Ideas for Families, Friends and Caregivers.

Lost & Found will welcome and support conversations regarding God and faith, but the main purpose and function of the group is not to focus on faith or salvation.  We very much hope and pray each teen opens their hearts and spirits to how placing God at the center of their lives is the best thing they could ever do, but the group will not focus on or purposely steer conversations to topics of faith.  However, facilitators will encourage and support, and never discourage, conversations of faith and how God is present and working during their grief journeys.  This is different from most grief support groups, which tend to be secular in nature, and therefore not supportive of faith-based conversations or topics.

Meet our facilitators:

Nancy Schultz is a stay-home-mom whose passion and heart for helping grieving teens comes from the experience of having one at home. After the death of her son, Mason, she has walked along side her teenage son and witnessed the unique and difficult challenges of his grief. His often lonely and internal journey inspired her to want to fill the gap of teen grief support in ways which truly connects with teens and helps them engage in their healing process. She has completed The Collective for Hope’s Grief Facilitator Training, participated in the family program with her family and co-facilitated the teens group.  She is committed to finding teens who need this group and loving them through the process!

Scott Graves…