How to Help When Young Children Grieve
Helping Grieving Children
Helping grieving children is something I've been called to do far too often in my practice as a clinician. We want to believe that childhood is a time of carefree fun and that it somehow insulates one from dealing with the BIG stuff in life. This is not the way it works in reality, of course, and so parents, teachers, therapists and counselors are faced with helping children pick up the pieces after a terminal illness, tragic accident or sudden death claims the life of a child's loved one. This may be a grandparent, caregiver, teacher, playmate, classmate, parent or sibling.
It's Not Easy
It is not easy to bear witness to a child's grief, yet it is absolutely necessary in order to help her walk back through the pain so she may get to the other side. In facing the grief square on, in refusing to keep it hidden in a tidy little box in the corners of one's head is what can free a child up to keep on in her journey of life, in the absence of the loved one.
Grieving Children Have Unique Needs
There are lots of unique concerns and issues that accompany grieving children. Our infographic above gives some basic information to help grieving children. One of the very first resources we created at Kidlutions was "How Long Does the Sad Last: A Workbook for Grieving Children", in recognition of the specific needs of grieving children. It includes information that parents, educators and caregivers need to best assist children in dealing with grief, in addition to a workbook for kids, AND directions to create a Kidlutions Care Kit for grieving children.
Go HERE to read more about this resource.
Kidlutions has experience in helping kids deal with grief whether that grief resulted from a terminal illness, accident, suicide, or murder. Our resources have helped kids with all of it. None of it is fun to imagine, yet all of it is necessary to help kids. Our founder has worked one-on-one, in groups, and in family sessions to help with all of the above.
MORE Help for Grieving Children
.jpg)
Comments