The Barr-Harris
Children's Grief Center was founded by the Chicago Institute for
Psychoanalysis in 1976. Its original purpose was to help children overcome the
emotional trauma of losing a parent or loved one through death, divorce or
abandonment. More recently, the
Center's unique resources have also been called upon to help children who have
been the victim of trauma or violence.
The Barr-Harris Children's Grief Center was established
when Irving Harris and George Barr contributed money to open a clinic for the
treatment of bereaved children. Previously the Institute was involved in a
Parent Loss Project, directed by Joan Fleming. This project had resulted in
many outstanding clinical and theoretical contributions to the literature on
loss.
Barr-Harris, located in downtown Chicago, was an instant success. The
Center evolved from only a clinical facility into a resource for community
education about loss and a place for research on bereavement. Over the years,
Barr-Harris developed an outstanding national reputation for the evaluation and
treatment of bereaved children.
In addition, the Center has been the source of numerous publications
about loss. Childhood Bereavement and Its Aftermath, published in 1988, was edited by Sol Altschul with contributions by
Barr-Harris staff. It is an excellent theoretical text about parent loss. There
have been numerous other publications over the years from Barr-Harris dealing
with various aspects of loss with an emphasis on intervention.
As the Center grew, it became more active in community outreach and with
lower-income families. It was
evident that the Center needed to expand to other areas of Chicago and the
suburbs in order to serve a wider patient population.
In 1996, the Barr-Harris Center agreed to become part of the Heart
Connection, a program for bereaved children at Little Company of Mary Hospital
in Evergreen Park. Barr-Harris
provides individual therapy for children and guidance for the caretakers. The
hospital provides space, support services and marketing and Barr-Harris
provides the staff, supervision, education, and grief-related expertise.
In 2002, a Barr-Harris Clinic opened at La Rabida
Children's Hospital on the south side of Chicago, at West 65th Street and Lake
Michigan. In 2004, Barr-Harris started operating at the Riverdale Community
Center in Riverdale, one of Chicago's southwest suburbs. In 2009, Barr-Harris
was given space to open a clinic at Family Focus in Evanston, one of Chicago's
northern suburbs.
In recent years, recognizing
that some families are in too much distress to bring their children to one of
the Center's clinics, the Barr-Harris Children's Grief Center began providing
service to high risk students at other schools. These presently include an early
childhood center in McKinley Park and Chicago public schools in the East Lakeview,
Auburn, Grisham, and Clear Ridge communities, as well as schools in Evanston and
Riverdale, Illinois.
The expansion of the Center highlights the pressing need in the
community for intervention with bereaved families. Due to limited resources,
many families do not receive the care they need. Barr-Harris does not turn anyone away because of financial
reasons.
Since its inception, the Center has worked with several thousand
children and families. The staff of the Center has made hundreds of
presentations about loss to schools, social service agencies, community groups
and interested professionals. Barr-Harris has also trained social workers,
psychologists and others to work with bereaved children. Every year, the Barr-Harris Children's
Grief Center offers a series of workshops for professionals.
Today, Barr-Harris's missions are to provide geographically and financially accessible
therapeutic services to children (ages 2-18) and families who have suffered
loss; to increase public awareness of the immediate and
enduring effects of traumatic loss in childhood; and to provide training and
consultation about childhood grief to those working directly with children or
on their behalf.
The Barr-Harris Children's
Grief Center is funded by private foundations, state grants and donations.
After 16 years of successful leadership, Benjamin Garber, MD. retired as Director of the Center in 2008. He is now
Director Emeritus. The current Director is Judith Feigon
Schiffman.
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Copyright © Barr-Harris Children's Grief Center. Permission is granted
to reproduce this page for nonprofit educational use, as long as this copyright
and reference information is retained.
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