Helping Children Cope With Grief
(~~Back To Professional Grief Information~~)
- Know that grief lasts far longer that anyone expects. It may take months or even years before a child displays signs of the full impact of a loss.
- Maintain a daily routine if possible. Continuity becomes a safety net for grieving children. The continuity of attending school daily, being required to perform certain tasks in and out of school and having a social routine, provide children with some security and sense of stability in a topsy turvey world.
- Have resources about grief, loss, and change available.
- Understand that children and young people will continue to deal with the losses/changes they experience as they grow and mature. They will not get over it, but they can learn to grow through the grief and discover that love never goes away.
- Continue to be available long after you think they "should be over it". Continue to reach out and care, just as you do now!!
- Understanding grieving children are often "busy" with the tasks of establishing a new identity. Who Am I Now? Becomes a major concern. Family roles may change as well as identities. This self-search often overshadows all other concerns for many weeks and months.
HALos's is deeply grateful to Darcie Sims for her willingness to share this info. with others. Darcie D. Sims, Ph.D., CGC, CHT/ Grief Inc./ 9016 Taylorsville Road #181/ Louisville, KY 40299/ (502) 671-0535/ Email: Griefinc@aol.com
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