A Therapeutic Summer Weekend Camp for Grieving Children: Supporting Clinical Practice Through Empirical Evaluation

Through collaborative action-oriented community research, agencybased clinicians, and university-based researchers engaged in a two-year theorydriven evaluation of a therapeutic summer camp for grieving children. The evaluation examined the camp practice model and children's engagement in therapeutic camp activities and psychosocial functioning based on the camp staff and parental caregivers' assessments. The first year findings led to a synergistic decision-making process that strengthened one of camp therapeutic activities. The overall results reveal a high consistency among staff on assessments of engagement and psychosocial functioning, and parental caregivers' satisfaction with the camp. Limitations of research evaluation and implications for practice are considered.