Exciting Updates from Jeff’s Place!

We are pleased to announce some important updates to our team at Jeff‘s Place:

New Leadership: Our long-standing Clinical Director, Melissa Kennedy Panto, has taken on a new role as our Executive Director. While still overseeing all clinical aspects of our program, Melissa is excited to embrace the new challenges and responsibilities that come with her new position. Her dedication, her heart, and expertise continue to be a driving force behind our organization.

Founder’s Transition: Our founder, Jenny Kaplan, has transitioned to an advisory position at Jeff‘s Place. She will continue her important research initiative in collaboration with William James College and Jeff’s Place to further strengthen the use of rigorous outcome measurements to facilitate advocacy in the field of childhood bereavement. She developed the Inventory of Youth Adaptation to Loss (IYAL) with the partnership of dozens of children’s bereavement providers across the United States and Canada, as well as Alex Cares for Grieving Youth.  She can be reached at jenny@jeffsplace.org for information related to this research initiative.

New Position: Welcome to Tracey Kaplan, who joined us at the end of the previous program year. As Operations Manager, Tracey plays a crucial role in ensuring the smooth day-to-day operation of our program, enabling us to better serve our community.

Returning as a Staff Member: This September, we welcomed back Jessica Wilson, who served as an intern with us last year. Jessica has now joined our team as a full-time staff member/ clinician. In addition to leading groups and providing individual counseling, she will be contributing her talents to our marketing and social media efforts.

Introducing our Intern: We are happy to welcome Fernanda Mendez, our master’s level intern from Lesley University for the current year. Fern is a bi-lingual dance movement therapist that brings a fresh perspective and new energy to our team, and we look forward to working with her.

These team updates represent an exciting phase in our journey, as we continue to grow and serve under our vision that “no one grieves alone.”

Training: Our annual facilitator training took place in early September. This training was our biggest yet, with 12 trainees joining us! Topics in our training included understanding grieving as a process, learning to facilitate groups, the use of play and art, spirituality and grief, and self-care. Shoutout to this kind group of folks who dedicate their time to serving our community. We appreciate you!

Back to School: Jeff‘s Place was proud to be a part of the Framingham Community Back to School Event in September at the Framingham Downtown Common. It was a beautiful day and many community organizations attended.  We saw some Jeff‘s Place friends and met new supporters of our program. We felt privileged to bear witness to diverse stories of loss, struggles and love as people participated in our Grief Board activity.

New Group: We began our Substance Use Loss Group this October, and are accepting applications. Families who have experienced a death due to substance use often experience stigma and shame in addition to the myriad ripple effects of grief. We offer free evening support groups, twice monthly, for children, teens, and their caregivers in collaboration with The Sun Will Rise Foundation. Group nights start at 6 pm with a pizza dinner and run for approximately 2 hours. Each group is facilitated by a clinician and a grief-informed volunteer.

Upcoming Events

Our 2023 Memory Walk is this Saturday, October 28th, at 10 am! We will walk to the Framingham Centre Common, then circle back. The walk is just under two miles. Afterward, there will be a celebration at Jeff’s Place with light refreshments and activities.

GreatNonprofits’ 2023 Top-Rated Nonprofits are endorsed by clients, volunteers, and their community. We have received the top non-profit status for 9 years! Please help us maintain this status by including your testimonial about Jeff‘s Place. Reviews must be submitted by October 31st!

November is Children’s Grief Awareness Month.

Jeff‘s Place is partnering with the National Alliance for Children’s Grief (NACG) in a month-long social media campaign called “Flip the Script”. This campaign aims to raise awareness of the prevalence of childhood grief and equip the public to support a child who is grieving with simple, accessible strategies. Follow us on social as we inform, encourage, and support individuals in this journey.