Children grieve differently. Depending on their age, children have different mental ideals on death. As they grow certain ideas change due to experiencing others die, from a simple goldfish or rabbit to a grandparent. Children struggle with ideas such as universality, irreversibility, non functionality, and causality. Eventually, some understand everything dies, that once someone or something has died it does not return, that bodily functions such as breathing end at death, and that only certain things cause death, not unrelated issues.
Children hence need to be guided through a death event differently pending on their age and maturity in regards to their understanding of basic death concepts.
The article, “Helping children with grief” from WGU Ohio, presents an indepth look at death and how to present death to a children. The article states,
“Particularly when it comes to coping with death, children have a unique way of processing and dealing with their grief. Oftentimes the first step to helping children grieve is ensuring that they understand the concept of death, and that there aren’t lingering misconceptions”
To read the entire article, please click here
Please also review AIHCP’s Child and Adolescent Grief Counseling Certification. The program is open qualified professionals who have already become certified in Grief Counseling and are looking for an additional specialty certification.