Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas

Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas (CBCST) was founded on May 20, 1997, as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. Recognizing the permanent impact loss can have on young people, the CBCST was established to help children and families grieving the death of a loved one. The CBCST’s story began with one free peer support group serving 19 families. As the demand for our services has grown over the years, they have responded by adding, adapting, and enhancing their programs to fully meet the needs of children and families living with grief. Today the CBCST serves thousands of children, caregivers, and community members every year through ongoing support groups, individual and family counseling, and professional education and training programs.

Programs:

The grief support program offered by the Center is designed to help children from every social and economic circumstance develop the relationships and coping skills necessary to heal after the loss of a loved one.

Services include:
Peer-support groups for children and adults. The Center offers different support groups, each designed to meet the special needs caused by the type of loss, e.g. death after a long illness versus death due to suicide.
Individual and family counseling for children and caregivers provided by the Center’s licensed professional counselors and available to every family that contacts the Center.
Grief camps, offered three times per year for children who are unable to attend regularly scheduled peer support groups due to lack of transportation or parent work schedule.
Wonders & Worries, a special program for families of patients who have received a serious/life-threatening diagnosis.

Mission

Children’s Bereavement Center’s mission is to foster healing for grieving children and youth, their families and the community.

Children’s Bereavement Center –
Main Location

205 W. Olmos Drive
San Antonio, TX 78212
210-736-4847

Children’s Bereavement Center –
Rio Grande Valley

Valley Baptist Medical Arts Pavilion
2101 Pease Street, Ste. 2D
Harlingen, TX 78550
(956) 368-4065

What Programs Are Offered At The Children’s Bereavement Center?

Grief Counseling Services

The Children's Bereavement Center of South Texas (CBCST) provides individual and family counseling,specializing in play therapy for children, sand play for all ages, and expressive art therapy for all ages. The CBCST believes that each person's journey through grief is unique and therefore deserving of a distinctive approach to healing. Their goal is to help children, adolescents and their caregivers understand the depth of their grief, stabilize and preserve family relationships, and develop healthy coping skills after the death of a loved one.

From this philosophy, they offer private therapy sessions, for both the individual and family members, who are experiencing or anticipating the death of a loved one. Their homelike facility accentuates the healing process as clients receive psychotherapy and choose expressive art modalities such as art, music, poetry, dance/movement, drama, writing in a tranquil and supportive environment.

Grief Support Groups

Their peer support group programs bring together youth and families with similar death loss experiences to help normalize feelings, share experiences, and grieve the death of a parent, sibling or close family member. Peer support programs are open-ended and are offered at no cost to families. Each group meets twice per month in the center's beautiful home-like setting, which provides a safe, nurturing environment conducive to healing. Children who attend groups engage in therapeutic activities such as: play therapy, narrative therapy, art, poetry, journaling, music, meditation, guided imagery, dance/movement and recreational activities to help process feelings of grief.

Grief Camps

Grief Camps are a great resource to help normalize individual reactions to grief by allowing children to interact with peers who have suffered similar loss. Grief camps engage children in therapeutic activities that incorporate art, writing, music and movement to help process feelings of grief. Children who attend grief camps learn to develop healthy coping skills while restoring a sense of normalcy with peers and surviving family members. The Center currently offers two different camp experiences for children, Camp Heroes and Hermann Sons Life Camp.

Upcoming Events

18th Annual Hearts in Harmony Gala

Date: Thursday, February 28, 2019
Time: 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Location: Witte Museum – Mays Family Center

Tour of the Heart

Date: Friday, March 01, 2019 – Every month on the first Friday until December 6, 2019
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 12:00p.m.
Location: Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas

The Big Give 2019

Date: Thursday, March 28, 2019
Time: 12:00 a.m. – 11:59 p.m.
Location: Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas

If you are interested in supporting Children’s Bereavement Center please contact 210.736-4847