About Us

On September 11, 2001 the lives of nearly 3,000 families were irrevocably changed. In the days following 9/11 people across the country and the world found themselves asking "What can I do to help?"

In Morristown, New Jersey, Maureen Underwood (LCSW& CGP), Nicci Spinnazzola (Ed.S & LMFT), and Joan Milani (LAC) answered this question by designing a unique series of counseling support groups for families of children who lost a parent that day. The mission of these groups, which came to be known as GOALs (Going on After Loss), was to build the strength and resiliency of the affected families as they came to terms with the trauma and began their journey through grief.

Over the course of the next five years, this initial program developed and grew into a comprehensive network of counseling support services for families grieving the loss of a family member regardless of the circumstances surrounding the death.

The GOALs model gained national recognition for its uniquely structured curriculum that recognized not just the families' grief but also their strengths and resiliencies. As requests for trainings from mental health practitioners across the country increased, GOALs staff developed a protocol and training program to share the GOALs vision.

GOALs services have been expanded to reach new 'workplace' families - as educators, firefighters, first responders, and police officers - who are regularly confronted with death, trauma and loss.