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Joshua Quinn...

The month of April holds National Siblings’ Day on April 10. This day is set to celebrate and strengthen the bonds shared by siblings. Yet, it can...

March is Social Worker Appreciation Month and has Creative Arts Therapy Appreciation Week! And shoutout to Play Therapy Awareness Week in February,...

I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to share with all of you this month. The more I thought about it, the less clear I was. My brother’s...

COPE is thrilled to announce the new date for The Medium... The Music... and ME! at BACCA Arts Center in Lindenhurst, NY. A...

As we look back on our supportive programs from 2023 and begin to schedule our workshops for 2024, we want to express our deepest gratitude to the...

I like to do things with my hands. Admittedly, I’m not very good at it. I’m good at having ideas and envisioning things, but executing isn’t my...

Jennifer Capozzoli began working at COPE in December 2023. Jen is currently an administrator at New York University and previously served in...

The new year has come! During this time, many people often think of new year’s resolutions they have and reflect on aspects of what they may want to...

Happy Heavenly Birthday Michelle Missing & Loving you, Mom The holidays come with added stress and sadness for anyone grieving a loved one which...

COPE is thrilled to welcome two new board members, Judy Lipson and Kelsey Kroning. Learn more about them and new board member opportunities below....

The holidays can be a wonderful time of year for many as people begin to accessorize their homes with festive decorations for the season. For a...

Over here, we lost some of them. But over there, they lost all of us. That's a quote from the final scene of, perhaps, my all-time favorite TV show....

Grief as an Origin Story As I’ve been preparing my kids for Halloween and enjoying all the fantastical costumes, superheroes, and popular toys of my...

Greetings – As I write to you from a faraway location where I snuck away from a work conference for a few hours to go catch some incredible live...

Aspects of grief can feel jarring and destabilizing. As grievers experience the death, they must work through secondary losses like the absence of...

Grief can be overwhelming and powerful. It can keep you isolated and alone. It can have devastating consequences. It can shatter the world as you...

Andrew Michael Levinson 9/16/87 - 9/17/15 For Our Andrew - Life was never as expected. We couldn’t have imagined Muscular Dystrophy would be part of...

My Grief Journey My son died in 2006. It is inconceivable to me that he died & how many years it is. I could not grasp how my heart could be...

In the first year after my brother passed, I had a number of dreams in which he appeared and they always left me feeling helpless.  I talked...

Many grievers feel unsupported as their grief continues beyond expectations of mourning time. There are messages in society that display support...

The great American author Ernest Hemingway once wrote “no one you love is every truly lost”.   Since my daughter Samantha Rose passed away...

Grief organizations play a vital role in offering compassion, counseling, and a sense of community to individuals and families going through the...

“Grief, I say, come in. Sit down. I have tea. There is honey. This will take as long as it takes.”  - This Hallowed Wilderness One of the...

This past month we highlighted Juneteenth and the overlap between generational trauma, grief, and the history of slavery and racism in America. Read...

Maybe with a few words I could make sense of what happened fifteen years ago Maybe in a three hundred page book I could make sense of what happened...

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...