Helping Children Cope with Grief

About this book

This book is written for parents, teachers, and counselors who have both a desire and a commitment to help children who experience a death. The first chapter provides an introduction and discusses when death education should occur. The second chapter emphasizes the importance of creating a caring relationship with children when death is experienced. The third chapter discusses major factors influencing the child's response to death. Children's perceptions of death are examined according to age. The child's emotional response to death, dimensions of childhood grief, lack of feelings, physiological changes, regression, disorganization and panic, explosive emotions, acting-out behavior, fear, guilt and self-blame, relief, loss, emptiness and sadness, and reconciliation are all discussed and accompanied by appropriate caregiving behaviors. The fourth chapter outlines the foundations of skills needed by the "helping-healing adult" to create healthy responses in children when faced with the experience of loss through death. The fifth chapter is designed to assist in the development of a program focusing on community education related to helping children cope with grief. The sixth chapter contains a collection of questions and answers about death and dying. The seventh chapter provides additional resource materials to aid adults in efforts to help the grieving child. Included are a list of selected children's literature concerning death; recommended readings for parents, teachers, and counselors; and lists of texts, references, periodicals, and professional organizations and support groups. (LLL)

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