Resources for Grieving and Traumatized Children

At times of severe stress, such as the loss of a loved one or a larger scale tragic event, both children and adults need extra support. Children most impacted by loss may very well experience the most dramatic feelings of fear, anxiety and hopelessness. Parents and other caregivers need to carefully observe these children for signs of traumatic stress, depression or even suicidal thinking, and seek professional help when necessary.
Resources to help you identify symptoms of severe stress and grief reactions are available at the National Association of School Psychologist's website-www.nasponline.org. See also:

For Parents and Caregivers

Web resources from TeachersAndFamilies - Resources on dealing with death from our collection.

Mister Rogers Website: www.misterrogers.org (see booklet on Grieving for children 4-10 years)

Wolfelt, A. (1983). Helping children cope with grief. Bristol, PA: Accelerated Development.

Wolfelt, A (1997). Healing the bereaved child: Grief gardening, growth through grief and other touchstones for caregivers. Ft. Collins, CO: Companion.

Worden, J.W. (1996). Children and grief: When a parent dies. New York: Guilford Press

For Children:

Books about death and dying - from the TeachersAndFamilies book collection.

Gootman, M.E. (1994). When a friend dies: A book for teens about grieving and healing. Minneapolis: Free Spirit Publishing.

Greenlee, S. (1992). When someone dies. Atlanta: Peachtree Publishing. (Ages 9-12).

Wolfelt, A.(2001). Healing your grieving heart for kids. Ft. Collins, CO: Companion. (See also similar titles for teens and adults)

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