One of the questions we get most often is how do we talk with children about the death loss that has occurred. This video can be a good resource for you as the parent or guardian of a child that has experienced a death loss.

When a separation or divorce occurs in a child's life it is important for the adult caregivers to be aware of the effects this separation has on a child. This video can help you to see how children struggle with a separation or divorce.

Many times teens experiencing grief for the first time are trying to figure out how to navigate their feelings after a profound loss in their lives. There are times their grief reactions can be confusing and cause them to make poor decisions. Their anger can come on very suddenly and they are unable to control their temper. Depression can lead them to make poor choices (suicide, drugs, or alcohol). Peer support groups have proven to an effective way for teens to navigate through their grief. This video show teens finding healthy ways to cope with their loss.

So what happens in our body when we experience a profound loss. The research now shows us that the brain tells our body to continuously produce cortisol (a stress hormone) causing so many overwhelming thought and feelings while we are grieving. This makes our bodies vulnerable to all kinds of physical and emotional reactions. This video shows how our brain is affected by grief and ways to cope with the stress of grief.

Children experience grief following death, divorce, separatiion, or abandonment. How they understand and express teir grief depents on their age and circumstances. Here are some ways to help them cope with their grief.

• Explain death and divorce in simple terms, honest, age-appropriate terms.
• Be patient wtih repeated questions. Childen often need to hear answers more than once.
• Allow children to attend funerals if they wish, and prepare them for what to expect. .
• Grief may affect their concentration and school performance.
• Help children find meaningful ways for them to remember their loved one.
• Seek professional support if grief significantly interferes with daily life.
• Research studies show that grief support groups are a highly effective way to help cope with loss.