A Haven, an Exton-based nonprofit that serves as a refuge for hundreds of local children who are mourning the loss of a loved one, has reached its fourth anniversary of helping grieving youth through a family-centered approach.

Having quickly grown to a team of nine people and a board of 10 directors, the nonprofit partners with families by offering them support, community outreach, education, and hope.

A Haven was co-founded by Executive Director Michelle Noble and Clinical Director Liz Dreibelbis. The two women have a background and sensitivity that makes them uniquely equipped to provide the caring services offered by A Haven.

Noble started her career as a Certified Child Specialist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in the Cancer Center. She then spent a year doing mission work, which helped her realize she wanted to start a program that would help families suffering from the death of a loved one.

Dreibelbis is a board-certified art therapist, as well as a licensed professional counselor. She discovered her passion for helping grieving families while volunteering at a hospice during college. Before A Haven, she was a children’s bereavement counselor.

The two women devoted an entire year to prepare for the organization’s launch in 2018.

“When I was a children’s grief counselor, I learned that Chester County didn’t have an organization dedicated to this specialty,” Dreibelbis recently told Chester County Life. “Some families had to travel for up to two hours to find support. We started A Haven to offer a holistic approach to grief and to help children recognize happy memories and find hope in their sorrow.”

A Haven is located in a 2,500-square-foot site in the Colonial Shopping Center on North Pottstown Pike. The space has an Adult Room where connections are made with other families, a Gathering Room for sharing circles, and three rooms for various ages of youth.

To help the children, A Haven sees each family as a whole.

“We educate parents or other relatives and encourage family communication,” said Noble. “Cultivating normalcy around grief is essential. We embrace the entire family.”

All sessions are free. However, the organization relies upon donations to operate.

“Grief isn’t something that disappears after a year, or even two,” said one woman with two young children who lost her husband unexpectedly. “Resources such as A Haven are absolutely needed to help the family grieve and heal together as a unit. I not only found myself struggling with my own grief, but unsure of how to help my children navigate through their own unique ways of grieving as well.”

Learn more about A Haven.