About The Grieving Space
The Grieving Space supports children through grief, illness, and loss, and the adults and professionals who are walking alongside them.
In these moments, children are often trying to make sense of what is happening around them while adults are trying to understand how best to support them and respond in ways that feel helpful and supportive.
This space exists to bring a little more support to that experience, offering guidance that helps both children and adults feel less alone in their journeys.
My Approach
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The Grieving Space is grounded in child life practice, a specialized field focused on supporting children through medical experiences, grief, and loss in ways that align with how they understand and make sense of what is happening around them.
This work uses developmentally appropriate approaches such as play, preparation, emotional expression, and real-time support to help children process experiences in ways that feel accessible and safe.
Support is responsive to what children are facing in the moment—whether they are anticipating something difficult, actively in it, or processing it afterward.
Parents and caregivers are included throughout this process through guidance that helps you better understand what your child may need and how to respond.
I help children feel supported in ways that fit their development, while giving parents more clarity and confidence in how they show up for them.
my story
Mackenzie Liberta, MA, CCLS, GC-C
I’m Mackenzie, the founder of The Grieving Space LLC, a dual Certified Child Life Specialist and Grief Counselor with experience supporting children and families through grief and loss in the hospital setting and nonprofit space.
I created this practice out of a deep commitment to walk alongside individuals through their loss with care, empathy, and meaningful connection. Doing so enables me to offer a therapeutic space for both children and their caregivers to process loss.
Thank you for inviting me into your journey. It’s an honor to provide this space for you.
Child Life Specialist Practices
As Certified Child Life Specialist, we provide age-appropriate education, preparation, emotional support and coping strategies for children and families navigating the death or impending loss of a parent/caregiver. Whether managing a terminal illness, preparing for end of life, or following a loss, The Grieving Space supports you and your kids with care and expertise. Read More
Grief Counseling Practices
Certified Grief Counselors specialize in supporting children through the emotional challenges that arise with loss. Using a compassionate and empathetic approach, we help children navigate their unique grief journey, providing the tools and guidance they need to understand and express their emotions in healthy, manageable ways. Grief may be challenging, but with support, children can learn to incorporate loss into their lives while continuing to grow and develop.
Certified through The Child Life Certification Commission (CLCC) with standards of excellence set by the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP). “Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLS) play a critical role in supporting child health and wellness...CCLSs promote and protect emotional safety in times of duress. This minimizes both the immediate and long-term effects of stress, anxiety, and psychosocial trauma, ultimately empowering children, families, and their support systems.”
Recognized and supported by the AAP as an essential role and a standard of pediatric psychosocial care. “Child life specialists provide interventions that include therapeutic play, expressive modalities, and psychological preparation to facilitate coping and normalization at times and under circumstances that might otherwise prove overwhelming for the child
Child life professionals rely on evidence-based practice to guide interventions with children and families to support their optimal development and well-being.