Author(s): Janice Perkins

Grief & Loss

You don't have to be qualified to become a great help in these sad and difficult circumstances. All you have to do is apply the excellent advice that is provided in this book. Grief is so very hard for children to bear. They need informed help, understanding and comfort. To leave them to process it on their own is about the worst way to let them cope. Here we address the common problems found in both the family and the public service sector. Often there is confusion and uncertainty about how to handle the situation. Grief unaddressed can result in a lifetime's difficulty for the child. The better way, the healing way, is to encourage them to express their grief openly. Otherwise it remains repressed and reveals itself in seemingly unrelated physical, emotional or other behavioural ways. Death is one of our last taboos. Adults tend to believe, probably because it's easier, that silence protects children from the part that death plays in their life. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you know what's going on in their minds, it's easy to supply the necessary support that will ease them through this dreadful period.