When Children Grieve : For Adults to Help Children Deal With Death, Divorce, Pet Loss, Moving, and Other Losses - Hardcover

James, John W.; Friedman, Russell; Matthews, Dr. Leslie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060196130 ISBN 13: 9780060196134

Publisher: Harper, 2001

Synopsis

"Once in a generation, a book comes along that alters the way society views a topic. When Children Grieve is an essential primer for parents and others who interact with children on a regular basis." — Bernard McGrane, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, Chapman University and U.C. Irvine

The first—and definitive—guide to helping children really deal with loss from the authors of the The Grief Recovery Handbook

Following deaths, divorces, pet loss, or the confusion of major relocation, many adults tell their children “don’t feel bad.” In fact, say the authors of the bestselling The Grief Recovery Handbook, feeling bad or sad is precisely the appropriate emotion attached to sad events. Encouraging a child to bypass grief without completion can cause unseen long-term damage.

When Children Grieve helps parents break through the misinformation that surrounds the topic of grief. It pinpoints the six major myths that hamper children in adapting to life’s inevitable losses. Practical and compassionate, it guides parents in creating emotional safety and spells out specific actions to help children move forward successfully.

About this title

About the Author

John W. James and Russell Friedman have been working with grievers for more than thirty years. They have served as consultants to thousands of bereavement professionals and provide Grief Recovery^® Seminars and Certification Programs throughout the United States and Canada. They are the founders of the Grief Recovery Institute^®.

From the Back Cover

To watch a child grieve and not know what to do is one of the most difficult experiences for parents, teachers, and caregivers. And yet, there are guidelines for helping children develop a lifelong, healthy response to loss.In When children Grieve, John W James and Russell Friedman of the Grief Recovery Institute, along with psychotherapist Dr. Leslie Landon Matthews, have created a cutting-edge volume that will help free children from the false idea that they "shouldn't feel bad" and will empower them with positive, effective methods of dealing with loss.There are many life experiences that can produce feelings of grief in a child, everything from the death of a relative or a divorce, to more everyday experiences such as moving to a new neighborhood or losing a prized possession. Whatever the reason or the degree of severity if a child you love is grieving, the guidelines examined in this thoughtful book can make a difference. For example:

• Listen with your heart, not your head. Allow all emotions to be expressed, without judgment, criticism, or analysis.
• Recognize that grief is emotional, not intellectual. Avoid the trap of asking your child what is wrong, for he or she will automatically say "Nothing."
• Adults -- Go first. Telling the truth about your own grief will make your child feel safe in opening up about his or her own feelings.
• Remember that each of your children is unique and each has a unique relationship to the loss event.
• Be patient. Don't force your child to talk.
• Never say "Don't feel sad" or "Don't feel scared. "Sadness and fear, the two most common feelings attached to loss of any kind, are essential to being human.

Reviews

Coauthors of The Grief Recovery Handbook, John W. James and Russell Friedman join with psychotherapist Leslie Landon Matthews to present When Children Grieve: For Adults to Help Children Deal with Death, Divorce, Pet Loss, Moving, and Other Losses. This compassionate manual addresses the nature of grief, purges common myths the worst of which, the authors claim, is that time heals all wounds (only small, positive actions can heal a person, insist James, Friedman and Matthews) and encourages adults to adopt a more healthy approach to grief themselves, so that they, in turn, can help children.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harper
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060196130
• ISBN 13: 9780060196134
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288