WATERVILLE — The winter session of Hope’s Place will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday evenings, Jan. 4 through Feb. 15, at the First Congregational Church, UCC, 7 Eustis Parkway.

The grieving children’s program of Hospice Volunteers of Waterville Area serves youth ages 3-18 and their parents or caregivers.

The program was modeled after the Center for Grieving Children in Portland. The mission of the program is to provide a safe, supportive environment for grieving children, teens and families through peer support groups, which nurture and encourage safe expression of grief and loss.

Hope’s Place honors each person’s individuality and their process towards discovery of resiliency and emotional well-being. Participants will join age-appropriate peer support groups that meet concurrently each week, and will include young people and their parents or caregivers.

Children must be accompanied by at least one adult who will participate in the adult support group. Teens may attend without being accompanied by an adult, if deemed appropriate by our staff. Groups are co-facilitated by trained volunteers. A licensed clinical social worker serves as a consultant.

For more information or to setup an interview, call Jillian Roy at 873-3615 or email jroy@hvwa.org.