Supporting Grieving Children and Young People

Gerry R. Cox is a Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse where he served as the Director of the Center for Death Education and Bioethics. He is the convenor of the International Death, Grief and Bereavement conference at the University and a Fellow of the International Work Group on Death, Dying and Bereavement.Neil Thompson is the Director of Studies at the Neil Thompson Academy which offers Chartered Management Institute qualifications in social care leadership and a range of other online learning opportunities. He is an award-winning author, a visiting professor at the Open University and a Fellow of the International Work Group on Death, Dying and Bereavement.

'This is a welcome book that will be a valuable resource for practitioners such as teachers, social workers, counsellors and youth workers who will all at some point work with children facing significant loss or bereavement. Parents and carers seeking to provide the right support for children in their lives may also find it both informative and usable. This research and practice-informed book achieves depth and breadth while remaining accessible to read.'Professor Sally Holland, CASCADE Research centre, Cardiff University, Wales, UK'This is a thoughtful and highly practical manual offering a clear compassionate guide to understanding and supporting grieving children and young people. Drawing on robust theory while remaining accessible, the authors bridge the gap between research and real-world practice. Its breadth, from developmental insights to complex social contexts, ensures that readers are well equipped to respond with confidence. This manual is an invaluable resource for professionals and caregivers alike, as it presents both a solid foundation and meaningful tools for accompanying children and young people through loss.' Laurel E. Hilliker, PhD, Fellow in Thanatology, author of Grief-Stricken: Stories of Altered Loss in a Pandemic Haze: A Teaching Memoir'This book is gentle, wise, informative and practical, and would be valuable as required reading for university and college courses which include components on understanding and working with grieving and traumatized children and young people. As an experienced clinician and trainer I also believe this book would be an invaluable addition to the library of professional counsellors, volunteers, teachers, and organizations providing a clinical service. Clear, sensitive and comprehensive, the book skilfully examines theories of attachment, childhood development, grief, loss and trauma as they apply in a range of contexts including culture and family dynamics. A must read!'Dianne McKissock OAM, Co-founder Bereavement CARE Centre, Co-founder and Patron National Centre for Childhood Grief Australia

• Part 1: The Theory Base 1. Child and Adolescent Development 2. Attachment, Loss and Trauma 3. Social Factors Shaping Experiences of Child and Adolescent Grief Part 2: Children and Young People Facing Death 4. Explaining Death to Children 5. Death in Schools 6.The Impact of Suicide on Children and Young People 7. When a Child Dies – Supporting Grieving Parents and the Family 8. Funerals, Rituals and Grieving Children and Young People Part 3: Wider Experiences of Loss 9. Lifecourse changes 10. Abuse and the Loss of Safety, Trust and the Idealized Family 11. Family Breakdown, Separation and Divorce 12. Health Challenges and Disability 13. Discrimination and Systemic Oppression 14. Social Instability, Community Violence and Economic Hardship 15. Parental Imprisonment Part 4: Accompanying Children and Young People on their Grief Journey 16. Communicating with Children and Young People 17. Helping Children and Young People on their Grief Journey 18. Activities with Children 19. Activities with young people 20. Conclusion