Resource Center

About this resource: Below are toolkits from the Dougy Center on grief, death and dying, and are tailored for kids, teens, families, caregivers and helping professionals. Click the titles to discover each toolkit. Links to each toolkit are also available at the bottom of this page. Toolkits are available in Spanish. Individual toolkits are also searchable separately on the Death, Dying and End of Life's library. 

About the organization: The Dougy Center's mission is to provide grief support in a safe place where children, teens, young adults, and their families can share their experiences before and after a death. They provide support and training locally, nationally, and internationally to individuals and organizations seeking to assist children who are grieving.

Description of toolkits:

(1) Kids Resources

When you're grieving, everything can feel upside down. Sometimes it can help to talk, write, draw, or act out your feelings. Get some pencils, markers, or crayons and find a spot you feel comfortable. If you need help, want a hug/high-five, have questions, or just want to talk about it with someone, be sure to ask one of your adults.

The Dougy Center offers kids 0-5 and 6-12 age appropriate toolkits on poems, activities, videos, articles, podcasts and tipsheets related to death, dying and grief. Topics are sorted by type of death and the person who died. Spanish toolkits are also available. 

Tags: Spanish, grief, loss, kids 0-5, kids 6-12, serious illness, accident, COVID-19, violent death, suicide, self-care, remembering the death of a loved one, support after mass tragedy, BIPOC resources, LGBTQ+ resources, neurodivergence

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(2) Teen Resources

One thing we’ve learned from other teens who have had someone die is grief usually does what it wants — it doesn’t follow any rules or keep to a schedule. There’s no recipe and there isn’t a right or wrong way to grieve. What matters most is figuring out what really helps you deal with all that comes with grief and what doesn’t help at all. It’s totally up to you.

The Dougy Center offers teens (ages 13-18) a toolkit on poems, activities, videos, articles, podcasts and tipsheets related to death, dying and grief. Topics are sorted by type of death and the person who died. Spanish toolkits are also available.

Tags: teens, teen loss, death of a friend, grief journal, suicide,serious illness, vioent death, supporting a friend, spanish

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(3) Young Adult Resources

Whether it was a parent, sibling, partner/ spouse, grandparent, close friend, or other family member, we’re glad you found your way to these tip sheets. This information comes directly from the grieving young adults we’ve worked with in our peer support groups. Even though grief is different for everyone, it can be helpful to hear what it’s been like for others who “get it” on some level. We compiled a list of the parts of grief that can be surprising, especially if you’ve never had someone close to you die. The list is far from complete, and there are likely 101 other elements that could come up for you.

The Dougy Center offers young adults (ages 19-40) a toolkit on poems, activities, videos, articles, podcasts and tipsheets related to death, dying and grief. Topics are sorted by type of death and the person who died. Spanish toolkits are also available.

Tags: young adults, young adult loss, emotions of grief, grief and death podcast, suicide death, violent death, serious illness, self-care, spanish

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(4) For Parents & Caregivers

Helping a child or teen who is grieving can be overwhelming for a parent or adult caregiver. This resource is for parents and caregivers who are looking for ways in which to support children in their lives who are struggling with grief. The toolkit includes poems, activities, videos, articles, podcasts and tipsheets related to death, dying and grief. Topics are sorted by the type of death and the person who died. Spanish toolkits are also available.

Tags: caregivers, parent tips, grief, serious death, sibling loss, death of a parent, COVID-19 and grief, suicide death, violent death, serious illness, self-care, spanish

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(5) Advanced Serious Illness

Pathways helps families when a family member is living with an advanced serious illness. The Dougy Center offers this population a toolkit on poems, activities, videos, articles, podcasts and tipsheets related to death, dying and grief. Topics are sorted out by the type of death and the person who died. Topics include issues on hospice and palliative care,  family connections, legacy building, cancer, Alzheimer's, and other serious illnesses.  Spanish toolkits are also available.

Tags: grief, death and dying, serious illness and death, family ties, school tipsheets, parents & caregivers, terminal illness, end of life care, hospice and palliative care, cancer, Alzheimer's, legacy, spanish

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(6) Resources for Family & Friends

From the Dougy Center's "Grief Out Loud" podcast episode, "No Apology Needed": "Most of us don’t know what to say or do, so we go turn to what we’ve heard others say in a similar situation, “I’m sorry for your loss.” While there’s nothing wrong with those words, especially when said with authenticity and full presence, it’s helpful to know how that phrase affects those who are grieving and what you can say instead." 

The Dougy Center offers resources for family, friends, and caring community members who are supporting kids and families who are grieving. The toolkit includes poems, activities, videos, articles, podcasts and tipsheets related to death, dying and grief. Topics are sorted out by the type of death and the person who died.  Spanish toolkits are also available.

Tags: Community care, grief support, grief, memorializing the death of a loved one, gun violence, LGBTQ+ resources, loss of a coworker, healthcare worker death, bill of rights, grief and holidays, anxiety and grief, spanish

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(7) School Personnel

As a teacher, school counselor, support staff, or administrator, it’s likely you’ll work with a student grieving the death of a family member or friend. Supporting anyone in grief can be intimidating, and especially so when it’s a child or teen. Drawn from the insights of grieving students, the Dougy Center has compiled these tips for supporting students after a death. 

This toolkit offers school personnel a toolkit on poems, activities, videos, articles, podcasts and tipsheets related to death, dying and grief. Topics are sorted out by type of death and the person who died. Spanish toolkits are also available.

Tags: grief support, death, grief, school personnel, teachers, school administrators, school counselors, COVID-19 and grief, suicide, serious illness, violent death, activities for kids & teens, spanish

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(8) Youngest Grievers (0-6)

The Dougy Center partners with KinderCare Learning Companies to create and distribute resources for children from birth through preschool age. This toolkit includes interactive, age appropriate activities for children ages 0-6 related to death, dying and grief. Topics are sorted out by type of death and the person who died. Spanish toolkits are also available.

Tags: grief, death, youngest grievers, parents and caregivers, spanish

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(9) Counselors & Helping Professionals

The Dougy Center offers resources for counselors and helping professionals looking to support students and families who are grieving. The toolkit includes poems, activities, videos, articles, podcasts and tipsheets related to death, dying and grief. Topics are sorted out by type of death and the person who died. Spanish toolkits are also available.

Tags: counselors, helping professionals, grief, death, COVID-19, spanish

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(10) Other Caring Community Professionals

Find grief-informed resources made for religious, community, and business leaders. The Dougy Center offers leaders and other helping professionals a toolkit on poems, activities, videos, articles, podcasts and tipsheets related to death, dying and grief. Topics are sorted out by the type of death and the person who died. Spanish toolkits are also available.

Tags: community leaders, community care, death, grief, spanish

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(11) After A Death from Covid-19

The Dougy Center offers individuals facing a death from COVID-19 a toolkit on poems, activities, videos, articles, podcasts and tipsheets related to death, dying and grief. Topics are specifically sorted by resources related to COVID-19. Spanish toolkits are also available.

Tags: COVID-19 death, COVID-19 loss, COVID-19 grief, pandemic, community loss, commuity care, grief, death, spanish, community and population health

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(12) After a Suicide Death

The Dougy Center offers poems, activities, videos, articles, podcasts and tipsheets related to death, dying and grief for individuals facing a death from suicide. Topics are specifically sorted by resources related to suicide death. Spanish toolkits are also available.

Tags: suicide, death by suicide, grief from suicide, grief, loss, suicide of a spouse, teen suicide, violent death, kids and funerals, spanish

(13) After a Violent Death

The Dougy Center offers poems, activities, videos, articles, podcasts and tipsheets related to death, dying and grief for individuals facing loss after a violent death. Topics are specifically sorted by resources related to violent death. Spanish toolkits are also available.

Tags: grief, loss, fear and death, gun violence, violent death, unexpected death, mental health and grief, spanish

(14) Youth In Foster Care

Youth experience numerous losses when they are in foster care. The Dougy Center has developed resources to support youth in foster care and the people in their lives who are caring for them. Use the filters on this page to narrow down our extensive library of support resources.

Tags: foster care, teen grief, grief, loss, death, bill of rights for youth in foste care who are grieving, tips for teens in foster care, grief and the foster care system, spanish