Blog

The weather is increasingly warmer and many turn their minds towards summer plans. It can be a difficult season as individuals and families...

Greetings COPE Community - I want to tell you a short story. Of spirit and inner peace. Once upon a time, there was an expansive and majestic park....

How to Talk about Your Grief Feelings May is mental health awareness month, a time when we like to talk about the fact that we need to discuss...

Linda at Chico’s I could have shipped the dresses back to Chico’s. I had the slip and the free shipping label. The dresses, bolder colors than I...

Joshua Quinn Faithfull On March 26, 2017, our beloved, Joshua Quinn Faithfull had his life tragically cut short. Josh always lived life as if each...

From Chuck & Gail Lacks Kenneth Michael Lacks 4/29/1964 – 9/18/1995 Wish you were here today, even for just a little while so I could say happy...

On April 8, 2016, my brother and I went to Opening Day (Let’s Go Mets). We took a bunch of pictures and two days later, on April 10th, I posted one...

The start of spring is considered a time of renewal and revitalization as mindsets reflect the changes happening in nature. New blooms, warming...

I lost my older brother. I’m not sure those words will ever feel real to me but I know they are. During my sibling group the other night, I realized...

Joshua Quinn Faithfull On March 26, 2017, Joshua Quinn Faithfull, my soul mate & beloved son had his life tragically cut short from a malignant...

Recommendations for Books on Grief, Trauma, and Meaning Recently I was asked for recommendations for books on grief, trauma, and how to find meaning...

The "Second Anniversaries" I often hear grieving individuals talk about the difficulty of entering a new year. For the newly bereaved, it is the...

I think Rob Delaney has been a sensitive, thoughtful, and influential figure relating to grief and loss since he lost his son a few years ago....

2023. For some of you, this is the start of the first new year you’re living with the loss of your loved one. For others, this may be your twentieth...

A new year often comes with resolutions with the goal of doing or being “better.”  For 2023, we hope that instead you all resolve to treat...

My son His name is Preston Roy Heikkinen “Roy Boy” we lost him July 8, 2021 horrifically. He was the best boy in the whole world. He was the best...

Greetings - After a fulfilling Thanksgiving weekend with family and an amazingly impactful #GivingTuesday COPE fundraising drive, I find myself...

I was recently scrolling instagram when I saw a quote from therapist and New York Times best-selling author Nedra Glover Tawwab...

From COPE Co-President Jen Schwartz “Time moved in two directions because every step into the future carried a memory of the past…he had accumulated...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o9izucp3K8

COPE HEALING TIPS FOR HOLIDAYS The end of each year, especially the holiday season, is often difficult for grievers. There is a focus on spending...

Adam Rabinovitch is the Executive Director of COPE and he joins me for this episode. Previous to COPE, he was Executive Director of GOAL. This...

Seasons exist no matter where in the world you live.  Some people, like those who live in South Florida, are usually only aware of a new season...

Healing Tip of the Month - Janet Zimmerman, LCSW-R This month I’d like to share some strategies for coping with grief that were developed by Donald...

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Bridges from a loss My son Adam took his own life 13 years ago. Adam was a loving, caring soul that always helped whoever he could. Immediately...

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Greetings, I hope this summer brings you the calm, energy, and renewal that you may be seeking (I know I always am). As I often try to sit and...

In my professional education, clinical training, and personal practice of yoga, meditation or even my childbirth experiences, I have learned and...

This month will be six years since my family and I lost my older brother, LB.  July 3rd is the day he died and July 6th is the day we said our...

July is Bereaved Parents Awareness month. On the heels of Mental Health Awareness Month, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Memorial Day, it can...

A lot of people are wondering if we will ever experience the world the way we did before COVID-19 disrupted it.  If I am being honest, I...

The death of a child and the risk of cardiovascular diseases I was in the middle of getting my doctorate 14 years ago when my son, Steven, 29, was...

LI News Radio – Non-profit voice with COPE Foundation & Family and Children’s Association

COPE is proud to be featured in Newsday with our partner at Pinelawn (subscription may be required).   You can access a digital copy online at:...

Greetings COPE community - As the saying goes, hope springs eternal. This isn’t always the easiest sentiment for grieving families to relate to or...

Click here to read: Your Brain on Grief, Your Heart on Healing “Grief is a heart-wrenchingly painful problem for the brain to solve… to live in the...

Waves in an Ocean of Grief When considering what to write this month I found myself continuing to encounter examples of the constant presence of...

I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to say this month. Mother’s Day is like the elephant in the room that couldn’t or shouldn’t be ignored, but I...

Jennifer Webb is the newest member of the COPE board and is excited about her new role! Jennifer is a Long Island native and is a career...

Mental Health Awareness Month: Facilitator Spotlight We were halfway through April when I realized it was no longer March. As for much of the...

From COPE Clinical Director Amy Olshever, PhD, LCSW Have you had the experience of making it through your day only to find that you are triggered by...

The COPE Foundation was inspired by a dream.    In 1992, Lilly's 20-year-old daughter, Michelle, lost her life tragically in a car accident....

Prolonged Grief Disorder The newest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V TR) includes a new diagnosis known...

“When I die Give what’s left of me away To children And old men that wait to die. And if you need to cry, Cry for your brother Walking the street...

My mini-me, Elizabeth Raisa Fenton, or Lizzie, as she was affectionately called throughout her childhood, was diagnosed with Stage IV...

The night of July 2, 2016, my brother and I were texting about the Mets (like every year, we had high hopes for them). Our conversation came to an...

The Legacies Our Loved Ones Leave Behind Over the past two months, I attended the funerals and shivas for the mothers of two friends. I did not know...

Grief Stole My Love of Reading. Here’s How I Got It Back. I want to tell a story about a love lost and found again. In 2017, I moved across the...

My Daughter Robin My beautiful daughter and best friend left us January 11 four years ago!  I miss her very much, especially on special...

My precious Eddie.   8/19/78 - 12/11/18   Eddie was an angel, never being angry at anyone for anything.  Hit by a car, at 12 years...

Grief and Valentine’s Day I read somewhere recently that in French “I miss you” is “Tu me manques,” which literally translates to “You are missing...

The iconic and often-quoted honey-loving Disney bear Winnie the Pooh has been credited as saying “How lucky am I to have something that makes saying...

Check out this podcast on PsychCentral titled "Grieving the Loss of a Child (First Hand Experience)" Episode Description Disney Channel star Cameron...

Check out this piece titled "The Loss of a Child Takes a Physical Toll on the Heart" Grieving parents were at high risk of a heart attack in the...

The new year comes with the dreaded month of Michelle’s passing. It’s now 30 years since her fatal car accident. Years ago I started a group on FB...

My Daughter Robin   My daughter Robin passed away January 11, 2018.  She is missed so much by everyone who knew her and whose life...

The concept of a new year and new beginnings has almost always been lost on me.  I feel the same way about birthdays.  I remember when I...

As we enter a new year, exiting one that for many was filled with challenges, disappointments, and many losses, we also look back on the moments we...

As Covid Deaths Rise, Lingering Grief Gets a New Name Prolonged grief disorder was recently added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental...

To our COPE families, I am sure that many of you have had your fill of COPE email over the last few days. For all nonprofits, end of year appeals...

My Daughter     Marissa Leann Gammon-Buckley  05/04/1999 - 12/08/2018   - Reannun Buckley

My Dream for COPE   “I’m okay, Mommy” were words I desperately needed to hear after the sudden and tragic loss of my daughter, Michelle. I...

I am now a resident of Colorado.  The last thing I did before I left New York was go to the cemetery to say goodbye to my son, Steven, at his...

Gratitude Practice As we move past Thanksgiving into the winter holidays and the new year, this is often a challenging time for grieving...

President's Message from Sandra R. Wolkoff, PhD., LCSW-R   I am nearing the end of my three years as board president of the COPE Foundation....

I lost my dad suddenly in June 2015, when I was a Junior in high school. I was in disbelief. I remember feeling overwhelmingly sad, angry, guilty,...

Reflections on Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and Planning for National Children’s Grief Awareness Month Grief impacts the entire...

Adam has dedicated himself to a lifetime of service, prompted by the early passing of his toddler sister when Adam himself was a young boy. Today,...

How are the children doing? Parents and friends alike wonder how families will survive after a death. Join Dr’s Gloria and Heidi Horsley and their...

My goal as board president is to assure the sustainability of COPE and support our essential programs and our talented and compassionate staff. I...

From Katharine Heaton   The other night I spent a moment with my sister in a dream and it bothered me more than anything. She’d never want me...

Grounding Exercise Bereaved individuals often have “grief-bursts,” or a sudden onset of feelings of sadness or sorrow usually triggered by a...

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, COPE’s top priority has remained the health and safety of our employees and the responsibility we have to our...

We are nearing the end of a difficult summer season. This year, many of us lived through record breaking heat, dangerous storms and floods, and...

"Identifying and Supporting Your Individual Grieving Style"   It has become a commonly accepted idea that there exists a number of different...

“However you survived is brilliant.” I always liked this sentiment. We’re all survivors of one thing or another. As a father who...

May brings Mother’s Day so I googled “who started Mother’s Day” and learned that a woman, Anna Jarvis, daughter of Ann Reeves Jarvis, started...

Please join us online Tuesday April 27th at 6 pm Eastern for a special workshop “How Long Does Grief Last?” with Mark Henricks Presented in...

From Karen and Jim Hom   Brian Hom   As we reflect on the loss of our son, Brian James Hom we cannot seem to grasp the reality that time...

Jen Schwartz graduated Long Island University at CW Post in 2007 with a Master's Degree in School and Mental Health Counseling and holds a...

I recently came across a grief exercise I did many years ago which helped me trust in my intuition and its potential to guide me.   The...

My thoughts go out to all of you during the Passover and Easter holidays.  Wishing everyone peace and continued good health.  Lilly  ...

I am writing this while listening to the morning news, not on Long Island, but in Denver, Colorado, about thirty minutes south of Boulder. While the...

Thanks to COPE Facilitator Marilyn Kohn LMSW for this month's healing tip.   March 11th 2020 was the beginning of a most difficult year when...

Thank you for very much your incredibly generous gift to COPE in the amount of $10,000 received today in connection with the design and...

Welcome to March! The vernal equinox is on the 20th, which marks the beginning of spring and by the 21st, the days get longer. Ok, maybe by a few...

Thanks to COPE's facilitator Diane McNamara, LCSW-R for this month's Healing Tip   Riding the roller coaster of grief   The grieving...

For many of us February is synonymous with Valentine’s Day, a day celebrating love. Love is the other side of grief. It’s because we love so deeply...

It is hard for me to avoid reading or watching the news. Yes, I know that it’s not always the best thing for my sanity, and yet I can’t stop, or...

The voice heard in my silence -  The pandemic we are all facing is challenging but allows for some rare opportunities of self discovery. I have...

Dear COPE families, For as long as my daughter is gone, the New Year has been associated with January, the month that Michelle passed. One thing I...

Happy New Year!  Doesn’t it seem odd to say that? Perhaps the best we can say about 2021 is that is not 2020. With the rest of humanity, we,...

So many families at COPE have lost children and siblings, and the holidays are always so difficult for people. Many of the siblings in my group have...

Thanks to COPE Facilitator Lauren Jukofsky, LCSW for this month's Healing Tip   Take Care of Yourself   There are moments...

REFLECTIONS   So many aspects of the world right now are reminiscent of my early grief...The isolation, distancing, fear, anxiety, and...

Holidays this year are different… This holiday season is like none other. We’re embracing those we love at a distance and creating new ways to...

I've had conflicting thoughts throughout my life about what happens when we die.  After my brother, LB, died, a friend told me about a recent...

Thanks to COPE Facilitator Janet Zimmerman, LCSW-R for this month's Healing Tip   Sometimes you just don’t feel like getting out of bed.  ...