Although death is a universal inevitability, losing somebody close to you can be a shock and an experience that all people find difficult to come to terms with on a personal level. It can be a particular challenge to help children though this time; not quite knowing their understanding of the situation and how they will react; whilst trying to establish your own coping methods.
Although death is a universal inevitability, losing somebody close to you can be a shock and an experience that all people find difficult to come to terms with on a personal level. It can be a particular challenge to help children though this time; not quite knowing their understanding of the situation and how they will react; whilst trying to establish your own coping methods.Fortunately there are a variety of services available specifically for this purpose, aiming to enlighten anybody, struggling with such issues. The following are a number of organisations that specialise in helping people through this dark and difficult time, offering support and advice on how to tackle children’s grief:
https://www.youngminds.org.uk/young-person/my-feelings/grief-and-loss/
The Young Minds Organisation is one of the leading charities, in the UK, that strives to take care of the mental health of children and young people. They deal with potential problems across the board faced by minors and their guardians, including bereavement. The charity’s website offers advice, links to further mental health services and a telephone helpline number for concerned parents to contact, who might be seeking solutions to help them comfort their child in their time of need. Depending on what you feel that you require in terms of support, this website is great for pathways to professional assistance. However if you are looking for a more proactive approach to dealing with the child personally, the following websites may be more beneficial:
https://www.griefencounter.org.uk
The grief encounter organisation’s sole purpose is to help children come to terms with bereavement. The website targets all age groups with pages specifically for young children and teenagers, but also for adults who need help supporting their children. The child pages encourage the children themselves to interact with the website, hosting games that are tailored to allow the child to express how they might be feeling, in a medium, that they feel comfortable with; whilst allowing the parent an insight into how their child has been feeling and coping.
The section aimed at teenagers also prompts an interactive response, this time by inviting people to share their personal experiences and inviting them to get in touch with grief encounter, interjecting with what they are looking for, in an online support network.
https://www.crusebereavementcare.org.uk/CYPActivities.html
Cruse bereavement care is the largest organisation, in the UK, dedicated to helping people of all ages, suffering from the loss of a loved one. On their website there is a section dedicated to children’s and young people’s grief, with pages offering information and advice including a insight on how young minds comprehend loss; how they might generally react and cope; there’s a link to a website that young people might find useful, with positive activities that can be used to encourage a child to express how they are feeling; and finally there are also tips on how you , the parent or guardian can help the child.
Here at Sussex Funeral Services, a local Brighton Funeral Directors, it is important to us that those in need of bereavement guidance and advice, are aware of the many support services out there available to them. Off course we are also available for a friendly chat on 01273 736469.
