Our Mission

Since 1993, The Sharing Place has been fulfilling its mission to “provide a safe and caring environment for grieving children, teens, and their families to share their feelings while healing themselves.” This is achieved through a support group model that emphasizes acknowledging any and all feelings related to grief, connection with others experiencing grief, and channeling feelings through art, play, and discussion.

The Sharing Place was founded when a determined young mother, Chris Chytraus, sought help for her two children after their father died. She soon discovered there was a lack of resources in the Salt Lake City area for grieving children. With the help of her children’s therapist, Nancy Reiser, The Sharing Place grief support groups were created. The Sharing Place has provided a safe haven to grieving families since 1993, providing hope not only to Chris and her children but to thousands of others their journey has touched.

Today, The Sharing Place hosts age-appropriate grief support groups at three locations for children ages 3-18. Parents also meet separately in groups designed to meet their needs. Each group is led by a coordinator and a number of volunteers who have completed extensive training.

As the program has grown over the years, requests for services has also grown. To meet demand, The Sharing Place partners with agencies and schools across the Wasatch Front to improve understanding of the impact the death of a loved one can have at different stages of life. In addition, The Sharing Place now holds grief groups in Taylorsville which extends our services to reach more vulnerable families who can benefit from the opportunity to share their feelings, experiences, and memories. For more information about our outreach efforts, please visit here.