Impact Stories

We Are All Connected: Fall Intern Class of 2023

October 26, 2023

As part of our commitment to our vision that no child should grieve alone, Judi’s House/JAG Institute is committed to strengthening the workforce by educating interns through our intensive clinical training grounded in grief-specific, research-based, therapeutic best practices.

Since starting our internship programs over a decade ago, Judi’s House/JAG Institute has trained a range of behavioral health professionals seeking licensure in the fields of social work, psychology, and counseling.

We believe it is important to train individuals from diverse educational backgrounds to competently provide grief and trauma-informed care to the communities they serve. Through training, we are able to expand our reach and get one step closer to developing a more grief-informed society.

Meet a few of our fall intern class of 2023!

Since her first year of her grad program, Gabriella Potter has been dreaming about interning at Judi’s House and hearing wonderful things about the quality of the training program, the impact of this work, and the ability to build important skills around supporting bereaved people.

“Grief has the ability to make us feel all alone in the world, like no one cares about us, our special people who died, or our pain,” says Gabriella. “ Judi’s House is a place where sometimes for the first time ever, families get to hear that their grief matters. We know that when children do not have support around their death loss, many other areas of life can suffer. To honor children’s grief is to honor the complexity of life and help children traverse this new, uncertain chapter with care, support, and compassion.”

Clare Ryan decided to pursue an internship at Judi’s House out of a general concern for the way our culture handles death and dying, and how we often kids are left out of out of the conversation when it comes to grief.  

“Judi’s House has taught me how to hold both the good and bad after someone has died, as well as how to have tougher conversations with kids,” says Clare. “Try as we may, we cannot control the world. Out of personal discomfort, a lot of families don’t talk with kids about death and grief. They put it off, waiting until they are more comfortable with the topic, but there is always a chance a death will occur before the conversation. Trusting that kids often understand more than we give them credit for, we can begin talking about death and dying early.”

Eva Grenawalt recently finished their undergrad and decided to pursue their interest in grief care under an organization with an excellent reputation for education initiatives before grad school.

“I’ve learned that despite what society tells us about our grief and its timeline, there is no one way to grieve,” says Eva. “Seeing how brave children can be in sharing their stories and grief with us teaches us as adults so much about how to be playful and resilient in coping with devastation.”

Caroline Stevens found Judi’s House out of their interest in play therapy, and as a beautiful way to honor her brother who died.

“One of the most important things about grief care is offering children experiencing grief a supportive community. I think grief can be a very alienating experience and it can be a powerful thing just to know you are not alone and furthermore that others have gone through this and come out on the other side,” says Caroline.

Patrick Tully came to Judi’s House after hearing about the impactful work our organization was doing, and knowing the internship is a powerful opportunity to learn and grow as a social worker.

“I value the team approach this organization takes to meet families in their grief experience,” says Patrick. “Grief is a universal experience, but death loss at a young age can be a confusing reality. Creating a space to speak and explore one’s grief can create resilience in youth and how they communicate their feelings and communities in unique ways.”