Lilly’s Inspirational Thoughts – December 2021

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 heard my daughter’s voice speaking to me in a dream—“You’re the ones who aren’t okay and you need to reach out and help...

President’s Message – December 2021

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 gravesite on Long Island. It’s 13 years since we lost him. I think I should feel less sad. I think I should cry less when...

Healing Tip – December 2021

Gratitude Practice As we move past Thanksgiving into the winter holidays and the new year, this is often a challenging time for grieving individuals. It can be difficult to find joy when the loved one we want to celebrate with is not there in the way we want them to...

President’s Message – November 2021

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. While my nearly 50 years in social work practice and in leadership positions in nonprofit organizations gave me a...

Camp COPE Reflection

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, and hopeless all at once. When the initial shock wore off and I realized this was my new reality, I thought “how am I...

Healing Tip – November 2021

Reflections on Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and Planning for National Children’s Grief Awareness Month Grief impacts the entire family. Recent research on grief in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic estimates that each death affects nine surviving...

Supporting Children who have Experienced Grief and Trauma

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 guests Adam Rabinovitch, bereaved sibling, Executive Director and Clare Sharkey LCSW and Clinical Director of the COPE Foundation for practical advice and ideas on childhood trauma and recovery.

President’s Message – October 2021

My goal as board president is to assure the sustainability of COPE and support our essential programs and our talented and compassionate staff. I have been on the board for almost 10 years, three of them as board president, and I am deeply committed to assuring that...

Sibling Column – October 2021

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 to be upset by her presence, but the thing is I haven’t seen her in over 2 years – at all. In this dream she was...