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If you are a mental health provider, social worker, psychologist, nurse, physician, spiritual leader/counselor, school counselor, or other licensed professional who would like to learn how to help those suffering from the traumatic death of a loved one, consider applying for our intensive certification and training program, the Compassionate Bereavement Care® Training & Certification Program. This selective program provides ongoing resources and a network of highly trained providers around the world specializing in traumatic grief.
If you are a mental health provider, social worker, psychologist, nurse, physician, spiritual leader/counselor, school counselor, or other licensed professional who wishes to learn how to truly help those suffering from the traumatic death of a loved one, here are some resources and ideas that may help support the important work you do:
The Compassionate Bereavement Care® Training & Certification Program is taught by Dr. Joanne Cacciatore. Since 2014, the CBC Program has trained more than 600 providers worldwide from multiple fields and from communities across the U.S. and in 14 countries. The selective and intensive 4 day course is specifically designed for providers in fields such as medical, mental health, clergy, social work, counseling, and other professions who work closely with individuals suffering from traumatic grief.
Still an issue today, the MISS Foundation has long opposed the change in the APA's DSM-5 removal of the bereavement exclusion that makes it easier for a vulnerable population like the traumatically bereaved to be diagnosed with a serious mental health disorder as early as two weeks following the loss.
The MISS Foundation is a 501(C)3 international nonprofit, now in its 25th year, serving traumatically bereaved individuals in their darkest hours. Our services include, among other things, grief support packets, online forums, support groups, a HOPE mentor program, counseling, an annual retreat, a carefarm program, a respite center, a provider training program, and more.
Dr. Cacciatore is a tenured professor and researcher at Arizona State University. Her areas of research and practice focus on traumatic death and grief, carefarming and ecotherapy, and mediation and mindfulness-based approaches. Her research has been published extensively with peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals such as The Lancet, Social Work and Healthcare, and Death Studies, among others.
Visit Research Articles
Articles for Providers
Here, we have included relevant articles for bereaved families and for others who want to help after someone loses a child.
Grieving for Adults
This informational brochure is intended for parents who have lost a child. It also has information about MISS Foundation services that are available.
Read Full Resource
Help Grieving Children
This brochure provides important information on how to help grieving children in need of compassionate support after a significant loss such as the loss of a parent, sibling, grandparent or close friend.
Advice for Funeral Directors and Clergy: A Bereaved Parent's Perspective
This is an article written by one of our bereaved moms that helps guide funeral directors and clergy on what is helpful –and what is not helpful– when dealing with memorial services for a child.
Being Effectively Present: An Invitation to Caregivers
Learn how to effectively and compassionately communicate with grieving family members you are trying to help.
Funerals – What You Need to Know
This article outlines the unimaginable task of saying goodbye to your child, determining burial options and planning a funeral or memorial service.
Insights for Crisis Responders When a Child Dies
Knowing what to say and what to do to help those in crisis takes empathy, understanding and a willingness to learn about grief.
Rituals To Cope During The Holidays
This article features excerpts from Dr. Joanne Cacciatore and Dr. Melissa Flint's research on bereaved families coping during the holidays through rituals to remember or honor your beloved, like through lighting candles, planting trees and through kindness projects.
Caring for Families Experiencing Stillbirth
View the pages below for the International and collaborative statement, co-contributors include Dr. Joanne Cacciatore and the MISS Foundation:
Here, we have included relevant videos for bereaved families and for others who want to help after someone loses a child.
Permanent Mark
from MISS Foundation
A beautiful video tribute by Edwin's dad in memory of MISS Foundation children.
Compassionate Bereavement Care - 2017
The Compassionate Bereavement Care Certification Program
Hear firsthand from providers who attended the CBC Program led by Dr. Cacciatore about their experience in our 4-day intensive workshop that trains providers from all fields to offer the most compassionate care when working with those suffering from trauma and loss. (2017)
A Part of Us
Touching video remembering children who have died through their mom or dad's memorial tattoo.
MISSing Trailer
Trailer – "MISSing"
A 55-second trailer to the MISSing video (Who is the MISS Foundation?)
Remembering — A Father's Day Tribute
Many loving fathers from around the world who are remembering and deeply missing their children each Father's Day (and every day) contributed to this special project, coordinated by Kyndrid's dad, Erik.
MISSing Our Children — A Mother's Day Tribute
This 13-minute video combines grief and love for the countless moms without their beloved children on Mother's Day. It's a gentle reminder of how much they are missed today and every day.
Dr. Joanne Cacciatore of ASU receives the Hon Kachina Award
Making a Difference After Tragedy
Dr. Cacciatore and MISS volunteers explain why being a part of a supportive community is so important after a tragic loss like the death of a child.
Who is the MISS Foundation?
Bereaved parents talk openly about losing their children and how they found support, and eventually meaning, within the MISS Foundation community after suffering the most unimaginable and traumatic loss. Many of our bereaved parents become MISS volunteers and help others who tragically now walk a similar path.
WARNING Making a difference for a grieving mother
News story- MISSing Angels State Advocacy Efforts
MISS Foundation early advocacy efforts with Dr. Cacciatore helping to get the first law in AZ passed that allowed parents of stillborn babies to receive a certificate acknowledging the birth of their stillborn baby, not just the death. Today 43 states have MISSing Angels Certificate of Birth statutes.
IKPD from the MISS Foundation Our Phoenix group
News Story – Kindness Projects Honor Children who have Died
The MISS Foundation's Phoenix Support Group takes part in International Kindness Project Day on July 27th offering random acts of kindness in memory of their children at a Peoria AZ gas station. The bereaved parents handed out kindness cards with free drinks and other acts of kindness on this special day.
Zami
Zami, a Memorial Story
An audio, poetic story about losing a child by Zami Tinashe Hyemingway.
MISS Foundation-From Helplessness to Hope
From Helplessness to Hope
Bereaved parents share their experiences of how the MISS Foundation and its programs have helped them in their darkest hours.
Stillbirth and Child Death May upset some viewers
News Story – Silent Birth
(Early history) News segment featuring the issue of increasing numbers of stillbirth deaths with unknown causes and how a grassroots movement to find answers led to congressional appropriations for research in this area.
MISS Foundation-Missing Angels Bill PSA
MISSing Angels PSA
Here, we have included relevant audio files for bereaved families and for others who want to help after someone loses a child.
Medicalizing Grief
https://www.missfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/BBC-Medicalizing_Grief_FINAL.mp3
NPR – Dr. Cacciatore – Interfaith
https://www.missfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/NPR-Bradley-Hagerty-with-Dr-Cacciatore.mp3
Stillborn Sadness
https://www.missfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Stillborn-sadness.mp3
NPR – Brian Hagerty with Dr. Cacciatore
https://www.missfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/NPR-Cacciatore-Interfaith.mp3
Please take a look back at some of our favorite MISS Foundation feature articles on grief, compassion, kindness projects, and past events in our communities.
Please review some of our archived newsletters for more information that may assist you in your work.
Archive of Previous Issues
All archived issues are in PDF format. Right mouse click (or ctrl+click if on MAC) to "save link as" or "save file as" to download your copies today. These are older newsletters but we wanted to share them because many of the feature articles are still pertinent.
July-August
November – December
July – August
April – May
February – March
January – February
March – April
May – June
Become a Certified Provider
Are you a medical or mental health provider looking to specialize in the area of traumatic grief? Do you want to truly be a solace to parents who have lost babies and children, or to others who have experienced traumatic losses? Obtain your certification in a four-day intensive training program located in beautiful Sedona, Arizona at one of our upcoming trainings.
Compassionate Bereavement Care Certification® is brought to you by the Center for Loss and Trauma in partnership with the MISS Foundation and the Elisabeth Kubler-Ross Family Trust.
Learn About Our Compassionate Bereavement Care Certification®
Selah Carefarm Retreat
Pause, Reflect, Discover Meaning
Fully Inhabited Grief: A contemplative retreat for traumatic bereavement in breathtaking Sedona, Arizona
All of our retreats through May 2022 are fully booked. Click the link below to register as part of the waitlist for our December, March or May retreats.
Come, rest, breathe, just be…
Our beloved dead remain a part of us always. That means grief remains a part of us, and so does love.
– Joanne Cacciatore
OUR SERVICES AND WHO WE SERVE
For the grieving, we offer support through educational resources, mentors, forums, retreats, carefarm program, counseling, support groups, kindness walks, retreats and more. We provide key resources for community members, families, supporters and others helping someone experiencing traumatic grief. We offer researchers key insight into grief studies on trauma and loss, carefarming, green therapy, mindfulness and more. We offer providers specialized training and resources to improve their skills working compassionately with traumatized individuals. We provide grassroots advocacy support on important issues affecting our grieving families. We provide a sacred place for grieving individuals to connect with rescue animals who have also experienced the deepest suffering.
RADIO MISS - Audio Segments