Today is national Grief Awareness Day. As a clinic that offers mental health support we want to highlight ways to help your child process their grief.
Grief is our response to the loss of something we find important. Children can experience grief in many different ways, including crying and expressing that sadness of the loss, to having changes in their sleep or eating, to feeling angry or having nightmares, to an increase in separation anxiety or bedwetting. There is no right way to grieve! When your child has experienced loss, here are some things you can do to support your child:
Don’t minimize the loss. The grief may not seem like a big deal to you, but it is to them! Let’s honor that.
Don’t be afraid to let them talk about or play about the grief, including death and dying! This can feel scary as a parent to see, and we may want to shut it down, but let your child explore these ideas. This will create a sense of safety that they know they can talk to you about these topics.
Give your child something to do to honor the loss. Write a letter, draw a picture, look at pictures. Remember the thing or person we are grieving to show them you take it seriously.
Model coping with your own grief. It is ok to be sad and cry, it is ok to feel angry, it is ok to ask for help. You are their most important person and they are learning how to manage their feelings from you!
If the grief is great and you feel like you or your child need more support, please don’t hesitate to reach out for support. More support can look like reaching out to a friend or getting professional support – do what works for your family!
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