Tides Night
Peer-to-Peer Support
Tides Night is peer-to-peer grief support. We help individuals of all ages journey through the healing process after the death of a loved one. Participants are met by a welcoming, safe and judgement-free atmosphere with consistent and committed volunteers. Attendees are supportive of one another and often form lasting relationships outside of Tides Night programming.
All Tides programming and services are offered completely free of charge to grieving individuals in Central Pennsylvania.
For Children & Teens
For children and teens, the small groups are broken down by age. We have three children’s groups:
Preschool/Early Elementary School
Upper Elementary
Teens
The activities in these groups are designed for children to approach their grief in their own way at their own pace. It is a safe place where children who have suffered loss can join in activities related to their grief journey in the company of caring adults.
For Adults
For adults, groups are broken down by the type of loss experienced:
Child Loss
Parent/General Adult Loss
Spouse/Partner Loss
This is a time for adults who have shared similar losses to be surrounded by others who can relate to their experience. Tides strives to ensure all groups provide a safe, nonjudgmental atmosphere where participants support one another on their grief journeys.
Who Can Attend Tides Night?
All individuals who are grieving the death of a loved one are welcome to join us. We do ask that you please connect with us prior to attending a Tides Night by reaching out to Ashley at (814) 692-2233 or ashley.lopes@tidesprogram.org.
Where and When Do We Meet?
Tides Nights take place the first and third Thursday of each month during the school year (September-May) at Mount Nittany Middle School. During the summer months, we host once-a-month gatherings, often at an outdoor location, to stay connected and enjoy summer together.
Where We Meet:
Mount Nittany Middle School
656 Brandywine Dr
State College, PA 16801
Each Tides Night begins with a pizza dinner in the school cafeteria. When you arrive, use the main entrance to the school. A Tides representative will greet you and show you down the hall to the cafeteria entrance. Tides Night volunteers will direct you from there!
What Happens at Tides Night?
Tides Night Evening Schedule:
6:00 p.m. – Families meet for social gathering time and pizza
6:30 p.m. – Age-appropriate and loss-specific group meetings
7:30 p.m. – Closing Circle
7:45 p.m. – Dismissal
– Children (preschool/early elementary, upper elementary, teens)
– Adults (child loss, parent/general loss, spouse/partner loss)
Following small group, we conclude the evening with a large closing circle from 7:30-7:45 p.m. Everyone stands holding hands in a large circle. One person begins a hand squeeze and when the hand squeeze gets to you, you are welcome to say something or pass the squeeze on to the next person. When the hand squeeze makes its way around to where it began, the closing circle ends.
The purpose of the closing circle is to remind our families you are not alone on your grief journey.
For More Information
Please Contact Ashley by Phone or Email.