Frequently Asked Questions

Wonders & Worries is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free, professional support to children and teenagers during a parent’s serious illness or injury. Services are available in English and Spanish.

Emotionally healthy families are the cornerstone of a thriving society. Wonders & Worries’ expert child life professionals ensure that children and teenagers can reach their full potential, despite a parent’s serious illness or injury.

Wonders & Worries provides free, professional support for children aged 2-18 who have a parent with a serious or chronic illness or injury. Consultations, classes, and support groups are also available for parents. Regional (in territory) direct support is offered to children and teens in person and virtually. Our platforms and resources allow for parental and professional support and information nationwide.

The best way to access support is to call 1-844-939-6633. No referral is required. You can also refer a family through our online form. Medical professionals can fax a referral to 512-298-3607 or complete our online professional referral form.

Children with a seriously ill or injured parent who do not receive adequate support are vulnerable to serious short-term and long-term consequences. This includes increasing the child’s risks for behavioral, emotional, and academic problems. Learn more about evaluations of our services and research in this area.

Through activities, games and hands-on exploration led by trained child life experts, children and teenagers gain:

• An age-appropriate understanding of their parent’s illness, its treatments and side effects
• Strategies for positively expressing feelings related to changes in the family
• Skills for coping with their stress, anger, sadness and fear
• Connections to peers who are sharing similar experiences

Nothing. All Wonders & Worries services are free of charge to families. This includes individual and group sessions, parent consultations, parenting classes, and family fun events.

As soon as possible after a parent’s diagnosis. The earlier we can connect, the greater our ability to guide a family and build a strong foundation for parents and children. The focus of our child life support is preventative. As such, we encourage parents to reach out to us at whatever point in their illness/injury journey they learn of our services.

Yes. Wonders & Worries works with families who have a parent with any serious, physical illness, injury, or impairment. Families facing mental health or substance abuse issues will be guided to other resources.

Wonders & Worries provides anticipatory grief and initial bereavement support following the death and then helps families connect with bereavement resources in their area.  

Wonders & Worries provides anticipatory grief support to all families impacted by parental illness or injury through our national helpline and via our child life specialists throughout our in-territory service area.  Wonders & Worries W&W2Go Apps and website resources also contain helpful guidance for parents and professionals who are supporting children when a loved one faces end of life.

No. Wonders & Worries does not provide support to children or teenagers who have a sibling with a serious illness or injury. Siblings of chronically ill children are best served through hospital-based child life specialists because of the connections with their medical team. Families needing sibling support are encouraged to request consultation with a child life specialist at their next clinic appointment. Wonders & Worries can provide referrals to additional resources.

While our work at Wonders & Worries is part of the mental health field, our focus and expertise is on supporting families with a parental physical illness or injury. If a parent is impacted by a mental illness, we will refer them to other resources. 

While we are not a faith-based organization, we recognize that faith can be an integral component of a family’s illness journey. We meet families where they are on their journey and support their unique needs, beliefs, and goals. 

Grandparents often have a vital caregiving role. As such, grandparent illnesses are considered on a case-by-case basis. Call 1-844-939-6633 to talk through your situation with our professional staff.

Wonders & Worries can assist others offering support for parental illness by: 

1. Providing continuing education opportunities for professionals wanting to gain more specific training to work with this important population;
2. Providing our professional expertise to the professional with the primary relationship with the client;
3. Partnering with the ‘in house’ professional to offer support when the client family is in the community (not in-patient); and
4. Being the referral source for the professional when services are not available within their organization.

Certified child life specialists and licensed mental health providers.

The copyrighted Illness Education & Coping Curriculum has been validated both qualitatively and quantitatively. The quantitative validation is a result of a randomized clinical trial done in partnership with the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at the University of Texas.

• Start-up materials, including a complete digital copy of the validated program manual
• Supporting information regarding startup supplies needed, forms, space layout, and more
• Access to the On Demand Registered Wonders & Worries Provider Training, plus three additional training courses on the Teen Curriculum, Advanced Cancer Curriculum, and Trauma-Informed Care.
• Listing as a Wonders & Worries registered provider on the Wonders & Worries website
• Permission to deliver the Wonders & Worries curriculum/program as a therapeutic tool at your place of employment
• One (1) complimentary hour of individualized clinical consultation to be used within the first three years
• Group consultation / case discussions offered monthly for our RWWP network
• Invitation to the Wonders & Worries Registration Program conference annually. (travel expenses covered by the attendee, CE verification offered by Wonders & Worries)
• Access to shared drive of therapeutic activities, templates & forms for use while a registered provider
• Access to any additional materials developed after initial enrollment
• Discount on mission related products sold by Wonders & Worries
• Free PDUs offered for WonderChats

Wonders & Worries felt it was important to offer the ability to complete training online to increase accessibility for clinicians.

In order to maintain the practical pieces that in person training provides in the online asynchronous offering, the training will have required synchronous (i.e. live) virtual sessions to interact with clinicians and practice particular skills. These will be placed at certain intervals and the participant will need to complete them prior to completion of the course.

• Verify contact information
• Submit any necessary changes and renewal fee
• Continued permission to deliver the copyrighted Wonders & Worries Illness Education & Coping curriculum
• Continued invitation to monthly group consultation / case discussion sessions
• RWWP networking event invitation
• Continued Registered Wonders & Worries Provider Resource Library access
• Use of name and logo
• Free PDUs for WonderChats

Group consultation calls will be scheduled every month. Registered Wonders & Worries Providers may join any of these calls that align with their schedule.

Each provider will meet with an experienced certified child life specialist consultant for their one complementary consulting session.

A tip sheet will be shared highlighting ways to make the most of this consultation time. Additional optional individual consultation is available for an additional fee.

Our certified child life specialist clinical consultants have an extensive amount of experience working with children of adult patients and their families. They can provide consultation related to the clinical aspects of your work with clients/patients and are available to process cases with you.

Additionally, they have longevity in the field and can also focus on self-care and work/life balance, if desired. Wonders & Worries is fortunate to have additional staff members with expertise in the business-related aspects of service delivery. We are able to tap into these resources for consultation related to programmatic needs.

As a Registered Wonders & Worries Provider, you are able to run your business in the manner you see fit. You are able to charge for services if that is your business model.

Additionally, one could contract with an organization or school to provide the services for their participants. If those organizations choose to charge those participants that is permitted also. The possibilities are endless to reach as many families as possible to provide support through an adult’s illness.

As an organizational provider, each clinician registered receives the benefits of an individual registered provider. In addition, organizations with 3 or more providers can receive a volume discount on registration. Organizations may also take advantage of optional add on services.

The RWWP credential remains with the organization, and they would need to have someone else trained to facilitate the program.

If you would like to maintain your credential on an individual level, you would be assessed a fee of $400 for three years to convert to an individual Registered Wonders & Worries Provider. You would not need to complete the initial training again but would have access to the benefits of a renewal as listed above.

Yes, if they would like to add additional providers an organization would be charged a per clinician fee for the initial training and consultation for the additional providers.

• Organizational Providers will get preferential treatment for participation and inclusion in any studies that are initiated through Wonders & Worries.
• Preferential consideration will be given to research proposals from registered organizational partners wishing to use the Wonders & Worries curriculum, data and resources.
• Wonders & Worries will not provide funding for proposed projects.

As a Registered Wonders & Worries Provider, you are considered a partner of ours with the ability to deliver our curriculum through your own practice or organization. You will also have access to our resources.

However, you are not considered an employee of the Wonders & Worries non-profit organization and are not permitted to represent yourself as such.

You are not permitted to use the name Wonders & Worries or its designated 501(c)(3) to raise funds for your own program. In grant applications, you are able to say you are requesting funding to provide the Wonders & Worries curriculum.

As an individual, you can advertise you are able to deliver the Wonders & Worries curriculum and that you are a Registered Wonders & Worries Provider.

Organizations will be permitted to use the name and Registered Provider logo for co-branding, marketing and advertising materials.

There are many advantages to becoming a Registered Wonders & Worries Organizational Provider.

Being trained to deliver a clinically validated support program to patients & clients could set your organization apart from others and increase patient satisfaction.

Partnering with Wonders & Worries could allow for participation in a multi-site research study, thus highlighting the organization’s contributions in this practice arena. This may be an additional way to promote the organization to the community.

Yes, there will be an annual minimal requirement of data reporting. A form will be provided and will focus primarily on the number of client contacts utilizing the Wonders & Worries curriculum.

If there is a change in status of a Registered RWWP, that change needs to be reported as soon as possible.

If you are ready to sign up for our virtual training, please click here to apply. You will be contacted to do a phone discussion after your application is submitted and receive further instructions on moving forward during the call.

If you have additional questions, feel free to schedule a phone consultation prior to submitting your application.