Camp Morning
A grief and loss camp for kids ages 5-15.
The goal of Camp Morning is to provide a safe place for campers to remember their loved one, process their grief, add coping skills to their tool box, and create lasting memories.
Serving the Inland Empire & San Gabriel Valley since 2022.
Join is in Riverside (June 3-7) or Azusa (June 24-28) this summer!!
About Camp Morning
Camp Morning was started in 2022 by faculty and students at Azusa Pacific University. Faculty saw a gap in community grief resources for kids and decided to create a day camp that would be a safe place for kids to learn, grow, share, and remember.
We believe kids learn best by hands-on learning and doing! Our goal is to make camp as fun as possible and to send campers home with tools and resources for resilience!
Daily Themes
Monday
Accepting the Reality of Loss
Tuesday
Processing the Pain of Loss
Wednesday
Processing the Pain of Loss
Thursday
Adjusting to a World Without a Loved One
Friday
Creating Enduring Connections &Celebrating
A Typical Day at Camp
Our goal at Camp Morning is to create a safe and fun space for our campers to process and grow. Each day campers will rotate through stations, creating movement and opportunities for playing, processing, and learning.
8:45-9a Camper Check in and Welcome
11:15-11:45a Lunch and Free Time
9:15-9:30a Morning Kick-off and Whole Camp Activity
12:15-1:00p Small Group Process Groups
9:30-10:15a Small Groups - Get to Know You
1:00-1:30p Whole Camp Wrap Up & Wind Down
10:15-10:30a Snack Break
2p Camper Pick Up
10:30-11:15a Small Group Activties
Our Staff
Kristen Watkins, LMFT RPT
Carissa Howard, MS CCLS
Kristen is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a registered play therapist. Kristen is full-time faculty for APU's Counseling Psychology Masters program.
Carissa is a Certified Child Life Specialist who has been practicing for almost 20 years. Carissa’s areas of specialization include pediatric trauma, grief and loss, emergency medicine, and pediatric palliative care. Carissa is full-time faculty for APU’s Child Life program.
Danielle Lascano, LMFT RPT
Danielle Lascano is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Registered Play Therapist and Certified Grief Professional. Her therapy work and research focuses on children, teens, and adults experiencing grief. Danielle is currently Interim Associate Dean of the School of Behavioral and Applied Sciences at APU.
Camp Counselors and Volunteers
All of our group leaders & student volunteers are graduate students at Azusa Pacific University and are pursuing Counseling Psychology or Child Life. Our camp counselors participate in an 8 week class preparing them for camp.
Our MS in Counseling Psychology students are prepared to work with the general population, as well as specializing in the needs of children and youth. Upon graduation our students will be eligible to pursue LPCC licensure in California.
Child life specialists are allied health care professionals who support children and their families facing challenging experiences, particularly traumatic medical situations. Our child life camp counselors are in their final semester of classes and are completing their 600 hour internship.
Dates & Locations
The vision of Sandals Church is being REAL with Ourselves, God, and Others. They welcome anyone from any background to join their church family!
Registration & Contact Info
Follow us on
campmorningca
For questions, send us an e-mail.
Kristen Watkins:
kewatkins@apu.edu
CarissaHoward:
cjhoward@apu.edu
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