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1. TCF offers friendship and understanding to bereaved parents. We have learned that the death of our child has caused a pain that can best be understood fully by another bereaved parent.
Knowing that all need love and support, we reach out as our own grief subsides to those who still feel alone and abandoned.
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2. TCF believes that bereaved parents can help each other toward a positive resolution of their grief. We understand that each
parent must find his or her own way through grief. We know that expressing
thoughts and feelings is part of the healing process. We offer an
opportunity for sharing and learning from other bereaved parents. We do
not offer professional psychotherapy or counseling. We seek the
cooperation and the support of the professional community but do not
depend on it for supervision or formal guidance. We welcome the
opportunity to share with the professional community what we have learned about
the needs of bereaved parents.
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3. TCF reaches out to all bereaved parents across barriers of religion, race,
income or ethnic group. We espouse no specific religious or philosophical
ideology. We support our activities through voluntary contributions and assess
no dues or fees. We do not participate in legislative or political
controversy. We express our individual views on controversial subjects with
respect and consideration for those who may disagree with us.
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4. TCF understands that every bereaved parent has individual
needs and rights. We never suggest that there is a correct way to grieve or that
there is a preferred solution to the emotional and spiritual dilemmas
raised by the death of our children. Everyone deserves an
opportunity to be heard. No one is compelled to speak. All have the
responsibility to listen.
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5. TCF helps bereaved parents primarily through local chapters.
We have established local chapters to provide sharing groups that create
an atmosphere of openness and honesty. We believe that local chapters should be
autonomous in all matters except those affecting other chapters or the
organization as a whole. We believe that chapters succeed most frequently if
there are three or more founders, at least two of whom are a year or more from
their loss and including at least one father and one mother.
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6. TCF chapters belong to their members. We treat what is
said at meetings as confidential and what we learn about each other as
privileged information. We recommend that attendance at meetings by the media,
by students, or by other observers be permitted only with prior
announcements and with the consent of the chapter members. We realize that some
time must be spent on organizational problems and financial matters but we
prefer to keep this to a minimum and out of the regularly scheduled TCF
meetings.
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7. TCF chapters are coordinated nationally to extend help
to each other and to individual bereaved parents everywhere. We maintain a national office to serve us by assisting in the
development of new chapters, by offering support and consultation to existing chapters, and by responding to bereaved parents where there is no local chapter. We have learned that it is often easier and more
effective to provide program material and educational services by working
together at the national or regional level than to work alone. We seek opportunities to share with society the insights our grief
has brought us that future bereaved parents may receive needed understanding and support. We encourage other family members, especially
siblings, to share in our task of mutual support. We acknowledge our
responsibility to support our local and national goals by contributing
what we can of our time, our talent, and our resources.
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