The following is a paid advertorial by Hospice of St. Francis.
Children's Grief - Ways to Help
a Grieving Child
We know that there comes a time when we will all say good bye to a loved one. We all grieve in our own way; the same can be said for children. Children learn by asking questions. When questions arise concerning death it is a key that they are curious and maybe they want to understand what’s happening around them.
Tips on how to help a child during grief:
Ø Assure the child that it is okay to ask questions- be honest with the answers but be sensitive to the child’s age.
Ø Children are concrete thinkers and it is important to use concrete words as to how the person has passed away. Avoid being vague with the answer.
Ø Provide options to the child on how they can express their goodbye for the person who has passed. After a death, having choices allows children to grieve a death in the way that is right for them.
Ø Children grieve differently- respect the grieving styles of the child. They may not grieve the same as an adult would.
Ø Listen to the child without being judgmental- don’t try to fix, evaluate or judge a child when they express how they feel.
Ø Children grieve in cycles and it’s okay for them to take a break from their grief.
Hospice of St. Francis’ North Star Program for Grieving Children provides a safe and healing environment and uses peer group support to help children through their grieving process. Our services are provided free of charge to any child in Brevard County suffering from grief, even those children whose family member or loved one has not been in our care.
We work collaboratively with the Brevard County Schools to provide grief support services in special group settings when needed.
