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 was younger, I would wake up on my birthday and my parents and relatives would ask me if I felt a year older. Of...
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 were able to come together with our COPE community for connection, support, tools, and resources. So many people are...
As Covid Deaths Rise, Lingering Grief Gets a New Name Prolonged grief disorder was recently added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, just as experts are predicting a coming wave of severe bereavement. Click here to link to...
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 for financial support are our way of assuring that we can provide programs and services for the next year. COPE, helping...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
