Point Park University Funeral Services Program Partners with Highmark Caring Place to Offer Students Skills Around Grieving and Loss Tuesday, November 18, 2025
A new partnership between Point Park University and Highmark Caring Place will provide students in the funeral services program an opportunity to learn vital lessons to help grieving families and children.
"Loss happens over a course of time and the training and opportunities we’ll be offering students will help their understanding of how the grieving and healing process evolves."
In a unique partnership with the Highmark Caring Place site in Downtown Pittsburgh, students enrolled in Point Park University's funeral services program will learn lessons from mental health experts on how to help grieving children and families cope with loss.
“There’s often a lot of tiptoeing around death and grief,” said Becky Spritz, Ph.D., dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. “People are afraid to address death, often making it difficult for those grieving to share their feelings and begin to process their loss.”
According to Spritz, this program offers students studying to become funeral services professionals a unique opportunity to better understand and assist families who have experienced the death of a loved one.
“This type of training is often lacking in the funeral services industry and that’s one of the main reasons Highmark Caring Place came to Point Park University to partner on the effort,” she added.
The mission of the Highmark Caring Place is to raise awareness of the needs of grieving children, provide programs to address those needs and empower the community to support children who have experienced the death of a loved one. Since its inception more than 25 years ago, the Caring Place has served more than 100,000 family and community members
“We are excited about our partnership with Point Park University’s funeral services program,” said Catrice Moffett, program manager for Highmark Caring Place. “Loss happens over a course of time and the training and opportunities we’ll be offering students will help their understanding of how the grieving and healing process evolves."
The partnership with Highmark Caring Place also includes volunteer opportunities that are open to all students 21 and older, not just those enrolled in the funeral services program. Clinical staff from Highmark Caring Place will meet with students to focus training on the benefits of peer support, grief at different developmental stages and activity-based engagement.
Point Park University’s Bachelor of Science in Funeral Services is offered in partnership with the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science (PIMS). The program allows students to build a strong foundation of knowledge around what the funeral service profession and the science it entails. Students receive hands-on training at PIMS in addition to their class work on campus.