A child's grief period

Psychotherapist Amy Luster, MA, MFT, shares advice on how to best help a child through his or her grief after the loss of a loved one and how to help them understand the emotions they are feeling
Helping A Child Through Grief - A Child's Grief Period
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A child's grief period

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After your child has lost somebody who they love or who is an important part of their life, know that it's normal for them to be going through this process of acceptance and understanding of this loss for a very long time. The younger your child, the more confusion they're going to have about the permanence of death. Anticipate that as they go through different developmental stages that they may have feelings triggered all over again. Anticipate this and help your child understand that this is normal. Encourage them to talk about their feelings, to process them through artwork, through listening to music, through play. Encourage them to talk about what they're feeling and their thoughts, and provide simple, understandable terms to explain what has happened.

Psychotherapist Amy Luster, MA, MFT, shares advice on how to best help a child through his or her grief after the loss of a loved one and how to help them understand the emotions they are feeling

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Amy Luster, MA, MFT

Psychotherapist

Amy Luster, MA, is a psychotherapist and author. She holds a Masters in Clinical Psychology and is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and provides psychotherapy to individuals, couples, and families. She runs a group entitled, Parenting After a Loss which offers support, guidance, and education. Her emphasis is on assisting parents who have experienced a child-bearing loss whether from ongoing infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth or the death of a baby. Her goal is to help families function in a healthy, satisfying way despite their past loss. Amy, her husband and their four children live in Santa Monica, CA. 

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Transcription: 
After your child has lost somebody who they love or who is an important part of their life, know that it's normal for them to be going through this process of acceptance and understanding of this loss for a very long time. The younger your child, the more confusion they're going to have about the permanence of death. Anticipate that as they go through different developmental stages that they may have feelings triggered all over again. Anticipate this and help your child understand that this is normal. Encourage them to talk about their feelings, to process them through artwork, through listening to music, through play. Encourage them to talk about what they're feeling and their thoughts, and provide simple, understandable terms to explain what has happened.