Supporting a Grieving Person

Submitted by Wholistic Health and Wellness

Continued from last week…

How to help a grieving child:

Allow your child, however young, to attend the funeral if he or she wants to.

Convey your spiritual values about life and death, or pray with your child.

Meet regularly as a family to find out how everyone is coping.

Help children find ways to symbolize and memorialize the deceased person.

Keep your child’s daily routine as normal as possible.

Pay attention to the way a child plays; this can be one of a child’s primary ways of communicating.

What not to do:

Don’t force a child to publicly mourn if he or she doesn’t want to,

Don’t give false or confusing messages, like “Grandma is sleeping now.”

Don’t tell a child to stop crying because others might get upset.

Don’t try to shield a child from the loss. Children pick up on much more than adults realize.

Including them in the grieving process will help them adapt and heal.

Don’t stifle your tears; by crying in front of your child, you send the message that it’s okay for him or her to express feelings, too.

Don’t turn your child into your personal confidante. Rely on another adult or a support group instead.

More help for supporting a grieving person

Coping with Grief and Loss: Understanding the Grieving Process

Coping with Pet Loss: Grieving the Death of a Dog or Cat and Moving On

Coping with a Breakup or Divorce: Moving on After a Relationship Ends

Related issues

Depression Symptoms and Warning Signs: How to Recognize Depression Symptoms and Get

Effective Help

Emotional and Psychological Trauma : Symptoms, Treatment, and Recovery

Traumatic Stress: How to Recover From Disasters and Other Traumatic Events

For more information on briefing or for individual counseling on grief call the Wholistic Health and Wellness Program at 613-575-2341 ex.3104