When Kids Are Grieving: Addressing Grief and Loss in School

by Donna M Burns

Most students experience some form of loss in their lives, and the resulting grief can profoundly affect their academic performance, emotional stability, and social interactions. Serving both as a resource and workbook, this reader-friendly primer helps educators and school counselors understand and respond to the extraordinary challenges that children and adolescents may face when dealing with loss and grief.

Featuring helpful charts, quotes, activities, case studies, reproducible handouts, and resources from national organizations, this sourcebook offers strategies to help students affected by divorce; death of a parent, relative, friend, or pet; violence; chronic illness; and more. The author examines grief experiences at different developmental levels and illustrates how to:

• Respond appropriately to expressions of grief that are unique to children and adolescents
• Help students handle emotions associated with loss
• Promote communication and facilitate effective interventions
• Determine when to refer a child to a specialist
• Respect cultural attitudes toward loss and grief

This resource underscores the importance of understanding how children experience grief and loss and helps educators assist in ways that promote students’ emotional health and recovery.