On this episode I had the pleasure of speaking to Diane Namm, a picture book author who has published countless books throughout her career. However, there is one book of hers that especially caught my eye: What Happens After? This picture book is so special because rather than serving as an instruction manual for teaching kids how to grieve, it draws from Namm's personal experience with loss and offers gentle guidance to young readers. The words beautifully capture what it means to grieve as a child, while the illustrations work alongside the text to tell the story visually. To learn more about What Happens After? check out the link attached to the episode. ⁠https://whathappensafter.store/⁠

On this episode of Grief Circle, I got to speak with Sabrina, a recent graduate at Villanova. I found myself in contact with Sabrina after a TikTok of hers landed on my "For You" page, where she was telling her grief story. Sabrina unfortunately lost her mom on her second day of college, which as you can imagine, was not an easy loss to take. Tune in to hear how she got through grief even when the odds were stacked against her.

On this episode of Grief Circle with Sammy, I got to speak to Esme H who lost her father to bile duct cancer in her teenage years. Esme and I got to speak about all the various ways her and her family cherished the time they had with their father throughout COVID, what his presence meant to those around him, and how they keep his legacy alive. Listen along to hear about the wonderful ways Esme has been able to remember her dad!

Big news viewers... I'm heading to college! I am here today to speak about what that means for the future of Grief Circle with Sammy. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere! I plan on continuing Grief Circle no matter where I end up because it is such an important resource for all the kids and teens out there who are going through loss. During this episode I also speak a little about all the emotions and thoughts that come up to mind as I get ready to embark on this next journey of my life, especially as someone who has lost his father.

On this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking to Liam, a 15 year old boy from Connecticut. Liam lost his father at the age of 13 to a car crash, and ever since Liam has dedicated all his passions such as baseball and finance to his father. Liam shares how just because there is a death in your life, it doesn't mean you have to sulk -- you should turn the death into something good. Liam published an article in the "Sober Not Subtle" blog that you all should read, its attached to this episode!https://sobernotsubtle.com/2025/03/05/overcoming-grief-a-teens-perspective-on-loss-and-growth

On this episode, I had the privilege of talking to Dr. Robert Accordino, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Weill Medical College of Cornell University about childhood grief in the hospital with patients. Dr. Accordino taught me so much about how pediatric patients with terminal illness often find themselves grieving their parents loss of themselves, before they have even died. We also spoke about different ways that grief can be expressed outside of a therapists office, such as with art, physical activity, playing, etc. Listen to hear more about Dr. Accordino's fascinating insight into childhood grief!

Hey fellow teens, usually these episodes are for you, however, today I decided to mix it up a bit. Todays episode is for the parents, guardians, and caretakers of grieving kids out there. On this episode I discuss what you as a caretaker can do to help your child through their grieving process. The answer might surprise you...

On this episode I got to talking about something I like to call my frame of reference. This idea was first introduced to me from my late therapist Dr. Bubrick when we talk about the college admissions process. Frame of reference in grief is a mindset, it is a mindset that challenges us to talk about how sad something really is, in terms of other sad things that can happen in our lifetime. Many times kids who have lost a parent or sibling at a young age have a frame of reference that allows them to see events such as a bad grade or college rejection as not sad; this comes from their loss at a young age that has manipulated their frame of reference to see the world from a "happier" POV. I hope you all enjoy!