Supporting children through grief

It would be nice to think that some children are too young to feel the intense sadness that comes with grief. Sadly, this is not always the case and they can grieve just as strongly as adults.

Children can learn how to grieve by mirroring the adults around them. They mostly rely on adults to support them through their grief, however this can be really challenging when you are grieving yourself.

Children are limited on how they express their thoughts and feelings during trauma, finding memories difficult to recall or discuss, instead their behaviours can change which may be out of character for them. By mirroring the words that you use, they can slowly gain the confidence and ability to express themselves. Showing your grief can encourage children to also express and show theirs, however the way they behave will become your guide to how you support them.

You will find some organisations in the signposting support section who you may find useful. Many of them have excellent literature to help you, as well as support groups for coping with loss.