Crisis Support

Grieving Student- may worry about appearance, expressing too much emotion, guilt, shame, something wrong with them, embarrassed

Peers:

● May create uncertainty in their own lives — “Could my mother also die?”

● May distance self to cope with own anxieties

● May ask repetitive, detailed questions about death

● May want to say “I worry my mother might also die someday. Can you let me know what the experience is like and help me understand it better so I can prepare myself?”

Goals of Support:

1. Decrease the sense of isolation

2. Increase academic function

3. Increase the likelihood students will talk with their families

4. Increase the likelihood students will talk with and receive support from peers

Things to do in the classroom after a Death:

1. Provide Information- Help students understand, at a very basic level, what has happened.

2. Give students an opportunity to ask questions.

3. Provide a safe environment for students to share thoughts and feelings.

4. Offer concrete advice and practical suggestions. For example, discuss helpful things to say, and what not to say (see chart below)

How to Act

These behaviors will increase student’s comfort, sense of safety, and ability to express themselves

● Be present and authentic. Keep the focus on the student.

● Listen more, talk less.

● Avoid trying to “cheer up” students or their families.

● Accept expressions of emotion.

● Show empathy

● Step in to stop harmful actions when safety is a concern

Grief Over Time

1. Grief proceeds on its own terms. The second-year after a death can seem even more challenging than the first.

2. Grieving lasts a lifetime, but does not need to consume a life

Special Events

Students often revisit feelings of grief at special events and times of transition. It can be helpful when teachers make a special effort to contact students at such moments, including:

● Holidays

● Birthdays

● Moves to a new school

● Celebrations

● Awards, graduations, recognition

● Rites of passage (first job, first date…)

Good website with easy to click and use modules: https://grievingstudents.org/

Taigan Keplinger Omar Carreon Todd Hirsch Felipe Gomez Kate Nuttall Rebecca Hunter Jenny Schiele