Our Vision

Although Sharing Kindness currently offers programming across the Cape & Islands, our goal is to open The Healing House, the first grief and healing center on Cape Cod. This is our vision: a place where people who have experienced loss can connect with other grievers, talk about their grief journeys, and participate in programs that help make their pain less burdensome. Above all, it will be a welcoming space free of judgment, where a grieving community can find hope in moments of darkness.

How We Operate

Sharing Kindness’s programming is based on the Dougy Center model, which has been replicated by over 500 organizations worldwide and is recognized as a “gold standard” of practice. The Dougy Center is a grief center for children and families in Portland, Oregon. In addition, the organization provides training nationally and internationally for those seeking to provide grief and loss support. 

The leaders of our nonprofit have been trained by the Dougy Center and visited their grief center in Portland. Sharing Kindness shares the organization’s philosophy, which is founded on a humanistic and holistic approach to supporting the grieving.

Our philosophy

First and foremost, the Dougy Center philosophy adopted by Sharing Kindness includes the acknowledgment that loss is a normal, inevitable, and universal human experience, and that people have the ability to adapt to loss and function healthily. As stated in their philosophy and principles, “Grief is an adaptive, nonpathological response to loss. Grief is complex and complicated because people and relationships are complex and complicated.” Further, it emphasizes the importance of personal empowerment and supportive relationships in adapting to loss.

Read more about the principles of the Dougy Center Model that guide Sharing Kindness’s work.

Our method: peer support that works

It is through this training that Sharing Kindness provides evidence-based peer grief support on the Cape & Islands. Upon opening The Healing House, we plan to continue and expand upon our existing programs. For example, these are some of the core programs we currently offer:

• Trainings and documentary screenings for local human services and school departments that address mental health and suicide prevention
• Peer grief support programs tailored to specific groups, including children and families, young adults, and suicide loss survivors
• Movement and journaling workshops for grievers
• Postvention services, including support for families, schools communities and others in the aftermath of a suicide
• Professional education on mental health

* All of our programs are free and made possible through grant funding and donations. 

Why it Matters

Since our nonprofit’s founding in 2017, our work in the community has continued to grow. For this reason, we have recognized a clear need for grief support services on the Cape & Islands. But the lack of a physical space presents limitations to our efforts. As a result, we believe that finding a home for The Healing House will help us accomplish the following goals: 

• Expand upon current programming to meet the diverse needs of local groups and demographics
• Provide the means to physically integrate grief awareness and support into the fabric of the Cape & Islands community 
• Start courageous conversations about grief and loss on a local level, thus increasing awareness and decreasing the stigma surrounding these topics
• Create a sense of community among grievers by providing a safe space for them to share their experiences, feel heard and supported, and connect with each other through their shared pain

We need your help.

We are seeking leads in our search for a location for The Healing House, and also, donations to support this initiative. If you have been impacted by the loss of someone you love, identify with this cause or recognize the need for grief support on the Cape & Islands, we invite you to join us.

What you can do:
1. Make a donation to support our efforts.
2. Contact us with leads on potential locations for The Healing House.