Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
C.H.I.L.D.
A holistic program of services for children and youth exposed to trauma, grief, loss. Evidence-based counseling services are offered in office, school, and community-based settings. Approximately half of the Center's current counseling client base are children. The Center partners with over 20 schools and other child providers to provide school and home-based services.
RECOVER
RECOVER provides on site support at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner 7 days a week for individuals and families who must come to identify the body of a
deceased loved one. These individuals are often in a state of extreme distress.
RECOVER clinicians help them by providing crisis intervention services, information and education on resources available to
them and next steps to pursue. Follow up letters and phone calls are made
to check in with these families, assess the need for further services and make additional referrals. Services are provided year around seven days a week. Candlelight
vigils services are also available year around, with special arrangements for times and dates to be made with the program coordinator according to the needs
of the families and community and or the availability of staff and volunteers.
Adult Illness, Grief, Loss and Non-Crime-Related Trauma
Our professional, experienced counselors work with adults, children, teens, and adults individually as families and in support groups. We offer counseling in our main office in Northwest Washington, DC or in our satellite offices in SE and NE Washington.
Camp Forget-Me-Not/Camp Erin DC
Camp Forget-Me-Not/Camp Erin DC is a free weekend, sleep-away grief camp that gives children an opportunity to enter a safe space — away from their everyday lives — to gently explore the normal process of grief. Love, laughter, learning and leisure are the needs of all children, especially those who have recently experienced the death of a loved one. The camp is not designed as a replacement for therapy but as an enjoyable opportunity to explore grief where a child’s self-expression is heard, valued and honored.
Community Outreach and Crisis Response
Wendt Center counselors serve as a steady support to children, adults, families and caregivers affected by a local and national crisis.
Faced with a sudden death of an employee, coping with the psychological sequelae from violence, fear of or realized terrorist attacks, or hoping to address the impact of vicarious trauma on workers, agencies and institutions call upon Wendt Center therapists to provide support and interventions when facing local or national crises.
Examples of crisis response include:
- On site response to schools, agencies and other institutions following violence, trauma or death of staff, students or others
- Support for first responders dealing with the vicarious trauma and other sequelae generated from their work
- Consultation to schools, hospitals and other institutions to design, education and develop programs in anticipation of traumatic events.
Training Institute
The Wendt Center Training Institute is a groundbreaking achievement in trauma-informed, community focused mental healthcare. We are building a network of service providers and social leaders equipped to bring hope and healing to the communities in which they work and live. The Wendt Center Training Institute offers trainings and workshops on a variety of topics, to increase the skill, confidence and capacity of mental health professionals and community members as they support persons experiencing grief and loss as well as those impacted by trauma.
Volunteer
The Wendt Center relies heavily on the generous contributions of volunteers! Volunteer opportunities, needs and announcements are communicated through our volunteer email group. To join this group, or for general questions concerning volunteering at the Wendt Center, contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Kim Green, at 202-204-5031 or email [email protected]
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Adult Illness, Grief, Loss and Non-Crime-Related Trauma
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Through the totality of our programs, the Wendt Center impacts the lives of thousands of people each year.
Number of participants counseled
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Adult Illness, Grief, Loss and Non-Crime-Related Trauma
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Individuals counseled, not including groups
"Number of individuals receiving crisis intervention services."
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
RECOVER
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The Center is on site at the DC morgue to provide stabilization services to those coming to identify a loved one and is present at the domestic violence intake centers to provide crisis intervention.
Total number of counseling sessions performed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Adult Illness, Grief, Loss and Non-Crime-Related Trauma
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total sessions for individual and group counseling related to grief, loss, and/or trauma.
Percentage of clients who receive free services
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Adult Illness, Grief, Loss and Non-Crime-Related Trauma
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Sixty percent of our clients receive services at no cost to them.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Locally, we are working to ensure that children and adults suffering from exposure to grief and trauma receive the services they need to prevent or overcome the potentially debilitating and intergenerational consequences of that exposure.
Our vision is to be a preeminent national resource and model of professional grief and trauma counseling, with a special emphasis on children and youth.
We aspire not only to help people overcome the debilitating consequences of trauma and loss through the provision of direct services in the Washington, DC metropolitan region, but to build our national presence, contribute our significant expertise and lessons learned through training and education to nurture the highest quality grief and trauma services for adults and children in communities nationwide.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
1. Continue to build state-of-the-art infrastructure and operations to support the highest quality, effectiveness, and reach of services.
2. Develop and maintain new strategic partnerships that will help elevate the profile of the Wendt Center to participate in a national discussion on grief, loss and trauma.
3. Launch grief and trauma certification programs for mental health professionals that build the capacity to serve children, adults, and families impacted by grief and trauma.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Wendt Center has a highly engaged and effective Board of Directors who govern, support, and oversee the overall direction and success of the organization.
Our staff is highly trained, nationally respected, and frequently called upon for consultation by news media and other professionals as a result of their specialized expertise and deep experience in service delivery to children and adults affected by grief and trauma.
We have secured a five-year SAMHSA grant (for the prestigious National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative) to provide evidence-based interventions to children exposed to trauma as part of our Resilient Scholars program. This grant links us closely with a robust network of the most recognized, qualified and experienced professionals in children's mental health nationwide and puts us at the epicenter of current efforts to improve and deliver the best in trauma interventions to children and youth.
The Wendt Center has updated its technological capabilities to include integrated, state-of-the-art accounting and donor databases, as well as a new behavioral health database for clinicians that is integrated with our billing software. We have been strongly supported by local funders in these major infrastructure improvements.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The Wendt Center has made significant progress toward its strategic goals.
- We have implemented grief and trauma certification programs for mental health professionals and school-based mental health professionals that will build the capacity of the region to serve children, adults, and families impacted by grief and trauma.
- We have built a stronger infrastructure, that includes state-of-the-art technology across all of our operations and the hiring of a Chief Operating Officer.
- We have established major new relationships and are poised to assume greater national visibility in the near future.
- We have secured funding to provide additional training in the latest evidence-based interventions to our clinical staff, ensuring a menu of interventions that is responsive to the particular needs of our clients.
- We have accomplished significant work on the development, implementation, and reporting on clear, measurable outcomes that can objectively support our reputation for highly effective services.
- We continue to work to diversify our funding streams, increase our reserve, and increase those funding streams (insurance revenue, individual donations, for example) that tend to be most reliable and stable.
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more
about GuideStar Pro.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Wendt Center for Loss and Healing
Board of directorsas of 02/22/2022
Mrs. Kathryn Hanley
Cheryl Keamy
Thomas Hughes
Lesley Marlin
Carol Pensky
Lisa Schneiderman
Ellen Vargyas
Andrew Wone
Kathryn Hanley
Jennifer Camel-Toueg
Wayne Rusch
Adam Tenner
Pandit Wright
Kacey Pappas
Elizabeth Jeppson
Kumar Dixit
Barbara Lambert
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data