Learning, Leading, and Growing Together
By Annette Mendez, Training and Curriculum Manager, Good Grief
Five Good Grief team members shared their expertise, learned from peers across the country, and returned inspired to strengthen support for grieving children and families.
Over the years, Good Grief has been proud to attend the National Alliance for Children’s Grief Conference (NACG), with our team’s proposals selected to present alongside other leaders in the grief support field. This June, we traveled to San Antonio, Texas, for four days of learning, connection, and meaningful exchange. In that shared space, we felt a renewed sense of belonging and an understanding that while grief is personal, the work of supporting it is something we carry collectively.
During the conference, we connected with grief professionals from across the country, representing a wide range of fields and perspectives, from clinicians and educators to authors, researchers, and even AI app developers. Together, we took part in conversations that expanded our thinking about access, culture, and what it means to intentionally create spaces where everyone feels safe, supported, and truly able to explore their grief at their own pace.
We were proud to have a strong Good Grief presence at the conference, with five team members in attendance, all of whom presented. It was a meaningful opportunity to share our perspectives across a range of topics related to grief, from cultural considerations to the many ways support can show up for children and families. And of course, it was not all workshops and presentations. Our team also showed up strong at trivia night as “Trivia Newton John,” where we came in second place after losing on the very last question. So yes, we are already claiming that next year, we are coming for first place.
We also found ourselves thinking about the incredible work happening here at home. We are deeply grateful for our Good Grief facilitators, volunteers, staff, and supporters who show up with care, compassion, and consistency for those we serve. Their dedication makes this work possible. It reminded us that the care and commitment our team brings each day truly matters beyond our walls. Together, we are building a community where no child has to navigate loss alone.
About Good Grief, Inc.
Good Grief is a non-profit organization whose mission is to build resilience in children, strengthen families, and empower communities to grow from loss and adversity. With centers in Princeton and Morristown, New Jersey, Good Grief provides free, open-ended support to children, teens, and young adults after the death of a parent or sibling. Through school and community programs across the country, Good Grief helps children and their communities build resilience to overcome loss and adversity.
