Supporting Children and Teens

The adults can provide the listening ear and support needed. Grief reactions vary from person to person and there is no one way to grieve.   Typically, emotions will vary over time, as will the intensity of emotions.  Children are usually able to engage in daily activities of life with time. It’s ok for adults not to have all the answers, but reassuring your child that you are there to listen 

The Good Grief Program at Boston Medical Center has the following suggestions for supporting your child:

• Check in with your own feelings

• Use simple, honest language

• Listen

• Maintain connections

• Support feelings

• Provide realistic reassurances

How do I know if my child needs more support? 

Sometimes, children may continue to struggle with the loss for extended periods of time. 

It may be helpful to consult with your child’s pediatrician, counselor or local supports if your child:

• Has new or worsening difficulty at school

• Relationships with peers has changed

• Has lack of interest in activities they previously enjoyed

• Has significant changes to sleeping or eating habits

• Works hard to avoid talking about their loss

• Has difficulty “turning off” memories, images or sounds associated with their loss

Helping Children with Traumatic Separation of Traumatic Grief Related to COVID-19

A resource to help caregivers respond while listening and validating feelings of children.   Provides specific ways to respond to how a child may be feeling. 

Cohen, J., Goodman, R., Kliethermes, M. D., & Epstein, C. (2020). Helping Children with Traumatic Separation or Traumatic Grief Related to COVID-19. Los Angeles, CA, and Durham, NC: National Center for Child Traumatic Stress. 

National Alliance for Grieving Children provides Grief Talk Resource Guides: Talking to Children about Death and Dying, Talking to a Child or Teen to Let them know Someone has Died, Talking about End of Life Memorials and Rituals  and Talking about Grieving as a Family. 

For what to  what you might see developmentally  for young children, school-aged children and teens, and for children with special needs, Talking to Children about Death and Dying is a great resource.   Copyright © 2020 by National Alliance for Grieving Children at childrengrieve.org.

Also provides  the NAGC Hero Toolkit in Support of Super Heroic Children and Teens, with activities and conversations to empower the superhero in children, teens and caregivers  responding to and caring for each other through grief.  

Supporting People with Disabilities-Coping with Grief & Loss

Gulbenkoglu, H.,  © Scope (Vic) Ltd 2007