The Cooper Foundation - A Safe Place for Kids and Their Families to Greive   
  
Grief Education
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Forget about the "grief stages"
Some people say grief follows a linear course of sequential stages; denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance.

Grieving families will tell a different story. Grieving may include one, all or none of the so-called stages, and not in any particular order. Grief does not have a particular endpoint. A grieving college student described her grieving as a series of waves, some of which are big and stormy and others calm.

While you expect children to eventually return to a normal level of functioning and to enjoy life, don’t expect them to wrap up or graduate from their grief.

Make a child’s world safe for grieving.
There aren’t a lot of places where children are encouraged to talk openly about death and mourning. Sometimes, it’s up to adult caregivers: parents, relatives, teachers, friends to help children find places where it is not only permissible but also encouraged to express their grief. Children need trusted support people in their lives to turn to after a death. In addition to their parents, some may seek out a teacher, relative or family friend.

Some kids feel isolated from their friends after a death because they view themselves different from their peers. A peer support group is often an effective way of connecting grieving children with other kids their age. Others may find counseling helpful. What’s important is that the child or teen knows he or she has a least one place to feel safe with his or her grief.

Child and Teen Developmental Grief Responses
When Death Impacts Your School - Dealing with Grieving Students in Your Classroom
How to Help a Grieving Child

* Information provided by The Dougy Center in Portland, Oregon
  
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