The Grieving Child
A Parent's Guide
1st Edition
Published on 17. September 2013
224 pages
978-1-4391-4716-0 (ISBN)
Description
Making a Child's World Whole Again
Explaining death to a child is one of the most difficult tasks a parent or other relative can face. The Grieving Child offers practical, compassionate advice for helping a child cope with the death of a parent or other loved one. Parents of children from preschool age to the teen years will find much-needed guidance, covering:
. Helping a child visit the seriously ill or dying
. Using language appropriate to a child's age level
. Selecting useful books about death
. Handling especially difficult situations, including murder and suicide
. Deciding whether a child should attend a funeral
With a new chapter devoted to the special issues of the bereaved toddler, The Grieving Child provides invaluable suggestions for dealing with a child's emotional responses (including anger, guilt, and depression) and helping a child adjust to a new life.
Explaining death to a child is one of the most difficult tasks a parent or other relative can face. The Grieving Child offers practical, compassionate advice for helping a child cope with the death of a parent or other loved one. Parents of children from preschool age to the teen years will find much-needed guidance, covering:
. Helping a child visit the seriously ill or dying
. Using language appropriate to a child's age level
. Selecting useful books about death
. Handling especially difficult situations, including murder and suicide
. Deciding whether a child should attend a funeral
With a new chapter devoted to the special issues of the bereaved toddler, The Grieving Child provides invaluable suggestions for dealing with a child's emotional responses (including anger, guilt, and depression) and helping a child adjust to a new life.
More details
Other editions
Additional editions
H. Fitzgerald
The Grieving Child
Book
07/1992
Simon & Schuster
€20.50
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Person
Helen Fitzgerald is an author and lecturer certified in thanatology by the Association for Death Education and Counseling. For twenty-three years she was the coordinator of the Grief Program for Mental Health Services in Fairfax County, Virginia, where she conducted many groups for adults, as well as for grieving children ranging from preschool age through the high school years. In July 2000 she retired from that position and then served as the director of training for the American Hospice Foundation. Her books include The Grieving Child, The Mourning Handbook, and The Grieving Teen.
Content
- Intro
- Dedication
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, M.D.
- Foreword to the Second Edition
- A Very Personal Statement
- Before You Begin This Book
- Chapter One: Introducing Your Child to the Reality of Death
- Things Any Parent Can Do Now
- Your Own "Death History"
- Use the Correct Language
- Books on Death
- Cautions on Selecting Books
- Death Education Opportunities
- Opportunity for Bonding
- Chapter Two: How Children React to Death
- Children Grieve Sporadically
- Putting Grief Aside
- Fewer Reminders of Loss
- Developmental Changes
- The Preschool Child
- Children in the Lower Grades
- The Upper Elementary Grades
- The Teen Years
- Explaining Death
- What Is "Dead"?
- Role of Religion
- Different Death Situations
- Death Without Warning
- Explaining Suicide to a Child
- Suicide Confusing to a Child
- Murder
- Relationships to the Deceased
- Death of a Parent
- Death of a Grandparent
- Death of a Sibling
- The Well Child's Need for Reassurance
- Death of a Pet
- Death as a Part of Life
- Chapter Three: Coping with the Reality of Death
- Preparing for a Possible Death
- Alerting Child to Loved One's Illness
- Set Boundaries
- Visiting the Seriously Ill
- Does Your Child Want to Visit?
- Preparing for the Visit
- Taking a Gift
- Keeping Visit Short
- Early Start on Grief Work
- When Death Strikes
- "Protecting" Your Child from Reality
- Simplicity and Honesty
- Funerals
- Should Children Be Taken to Funerals?
- Talking about the Funeral
- Funerals and the Reality of Death
- Children Need Confirmation of Death
- What If the Body Isn't Presentable?
- Funerals Are for Saying Good-bye
- Preparing Your Child for the Funeral
- The Child Who Refuses to Attend
- Taking Pictures
- When Not to Bring Your Child
- A Children's Funeral
- The Idea Behind a Children's Funeral
- Planning a Children's Funeral
- The Burial
- How to Explain Burial of the Dead
- How to Explain Cremation
- Time with the Deceased Before Cremation
- What Is a Memorial Service?
- Cemetery Trips
- Handling Cemetery Visits
- Some Things to Be Alert for After a Death
- Chapter Four: Dealing with Your Child's Emotional Responses
- Help in Articulating Feelings
- Denial or Blocking
- Stepping out of the Real World
- Finality of Death Is Overwhelming
- Coping Techniques
- Talk to Your Child
- A Nature Walk
- Visit to Funeral Home or Cemetery
- Books
- Sharing Your Feelings
- When to Be Concerned
- Anger
- Disruptive Behavior
- Powerful Emotion
- Preparation for the Parent
- Talk to Your Child about Anger
- Identifying the Causes
- Coping Techniques
- Clay
- Physical Activity
- Drawing
- Tape Recorders
- Writing
- Puppets
- When to Be Concerned
- Guilt or Regret
- Guilt or Regret is Common
- Coping Techniques
- Drawing
- Puppets
- Writing
- Tape Recorders
- Games
- Balloons
- When to Be Concerned
- Depression
- Usually Follows a Major Loss
- Coping Techniques
- Drawing
- Keepsakes
- Photographs
- Scrapbooks
- Videos or Home Movies
- Games
- Plays
- When to Be Concerned
- Fears
- Secure World Shattered
- Coping Techniques
- Talk to Your Child
- Identify Fears
- Drawing
- Dreams
- Balloons
- Routines
- Touch Therapy
- When to Be Concerned
- Somatic Reactions
- Death Creates Stress
- Coping Techniques
- When to Be Concerned
- Grief Takes a Long Time
- Chapter Five: Working with the Preschool Child
- Learning from "Little People"
- Do Preschool Children Remember What They're Told?
- Is There Some Age that Is Too Young for a Child to Understand?
- How Much Do Preschool Children Really Observe of What's Happening?
- Can't the Truth Wait Awhile?
- Can You Rewrite the Story for a Happier Ending?
- Giving Your Child the Sad News
- Should Young Children Be Taken to Funerals?
- How "Little People" Grieve
- Regression
- Anger and Aggression
- Sad Feelings
- Feeling Responsible
- Memories
- More Ways to Help Your Child
- Finding a New Life Together
- Chapter Six: Adjusting to a New Life
- Back to School Again
- Returning to School
- Have a Talk with the Teacher
- More Structure Needed for Homework
- Holiday Observances
- Grief Groups
- When to Be Concerned
- Role Changes
- Roles Change Following Death
- Role Changes to Watch Out for
- Sleeping Arrangements
- Using Child as Confidante
- Holidays
- Planning for Holidays
- The First Year
- Other Anniversaries
- Unfinished Business with the Diseased
- Loose Ends
- Helping a Child with Unfinished Business
- Drawing
- Tape Recorders
- Empty Chair Technique
- Puppets
- Letter Writing
- Getting on with Your Own Life
- Disposing of Belongings
- Dating and Remarriage
- The Child as Chaperone
- Every Family Is Unique
- Chapter Seven: It's Never Too Late
- Helping Your Child After the Fact
- Never Too Late for Grief Work
- Talking
- The Funeral Home
- The Cemetery
- Pictures
- Drawing
- Attend a Funeral
- Doing Your Best Is All You Should Expect
- Chapter Eight: Resolving Childhood Grief as an Adult
- Thirty Years of Cold Chills
- "Grandma, Why Are You So Cold?"
- "You Have to Take Care of Mom"
- "My Daddy Read It in the Paper"
- How You Can Resolve Your Own Childhood Grief
- Long-standing Grief from Your Own Childhood
- Preparation
- Books
- Tape Recorders
- Reliving an Early Death Experience
- Healing Past Wounds
- Techniques to Resolve Your Grief
- Drawing
- Writing
- Clay
- Funeral Home and Cemetery Visits
- One Last Healing Consideration
- The Growth of Your Child Within
- About Helen Fitzgerald
- Bibliography
- Resource List
- Index
- Copyright
