Children, Teens and Young Adult Grief
When we look at developmental needs and abilities across the lifespan, we are aware of the need for different approaches to support our children. Our youngest children ages 0 to 2 are often preverbal but still very aware that something is not right when a family experiences a major loss. School-aged children are often concrete thinkers and don’t always have the language to express their emotions fully. Teens are more existential thinkers and turn to their peers more often than not. And young adults, often due to their independence can sometimes fall through the cracks.
For most of us, our losses are exacerbated during the holiday season, when we experience the empty chair around the table. In this episode, Dr. Micki Burns and I discuss five ways we can support kids who are grieving at the holidays:
Plan
Communicate
Reflect
Remember
Cope
About Michaeleen (Micki) Burns, PhD
Micki is the Chief Clinical Officer at Judi’s House and JAG Institute (JH/JAG) and adjunct faculty at the University of Colorado. JH/JAG is a comprehensive family bereavement center in Denver. A Licensed Psychologist with two decades experience providing therapeutic assessment and support to families facing adversity, Micki has witnessed the lasting impact of unaddressed grief. She is dedicated to ensuring appropriate care is available for all and raising childhood bereavement to a level of critical public importance. At JH/JAG she oversees the direct service, research, and training departments working towards a vision where no child is alone in grief.
Show Notes
Judi’s House Resources
Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model: https://www.judishouse.org/cbem
At home Grief Activities in English: https://www.judishouse.org/homebased-grief-activities
At home Grief Activities in Spanish: https://judishouse.org/actividades/?lang=es
Attend a Caring for Grieving Kids workshop by emailing schoolgroups@judishouse.org
Judi’s House Services English: https://judishouse.org/find-support/grief-support-services/
Judi’s House Services Spanish: https://judishouse.org/necesita-ayuda/
Coping with Grief During the Holidays: https://judishouse.org/resources/grief-and-the-holidays/
Other resources:
BLOG: 5 Best Practices for Helping Kids Bereaved by Suicide
https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/dr-sally-speaks-blog/2017/11/8/5-best-practices-for-helping-kids-bereaved-by-suicide
Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado https://suicidepreventioncolorado.org/
Ambiguous Loss https://www.ambiguousloss.com/
ACE Research (Adverse Childhood Experiences) https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/index.html
Research:
Burns, M., Griese, B., King, S., & Talmi, A. (2020). Childhood Bereavement: Understanding prevalence and related adversity in the United States. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. Advanced online publication.
Burns, M., Griese, B., & Farro, S. (2018). Pathfinders: Promoting healthy adjustment in bereaved children and families. Death Studies, 42:3, 134-142.
Griese, B., Burns, M.R., Farro, S.A., Silvern, L., & Talmi, A. (2017). Comprehensive grief care for children and families: Policy and practice implications. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 87(5), 540-548.
Kilmer, R.P., Gil Rivas, V. Griese, B., Hardy, S. J., Hofstad, G. S., & Alisic, E. (2014). Posttraumatic growth in children and youth: Clinical implications of an emerging research literature. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 84(5): 506-18.
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