Helping Children

When a suicide occurs, an entire family is derailed. The nature of the death leaves us with little energy to care for ourselves, much less tend to our children. Sometimes children are left to fend for themselves until someone realizes that they too are in need.

Children are coping with their own feelings, fears and questions resulting from the loss. Experts recommend that the death be explained in terms children can process and understand. They also recommend that children be given an opportunity to say goodbye to the deceased in their own way, and participate in planning and the funeral itself. Explaining Suicide to a Child Telling a child that someone they love has died can be heartbreaking under any circumstances.  Helen Fitzgerald, who has written extensively on helping grieving children, makes the following suggestions for what to do following a suicide.  Click here to read more.

There are several pages of books for and about grieving children in our book section.  Click here to see the lists.