Trauma-Informed Therapeutic Grief Support For Children and Teens
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Remember , when it comes to the particulars of grief work , you cannot stop or treat the experience of bereavement ; instead , with supportive and / or treatment skill work , we can help clients disentangle their experiences of grief to promote ongoing health .
Another important initial step for LCMHCs is to understand the key differences between trauma and grief . These divergences point to significant and necessary distinctions in support and treatment .
A critical difference between trauma and grief is focus . Trauma ’ s insidious attack points individuals to a past experience , while the assault experienced with grief emphasizes both the present and future experiences of the void caused by loss . Grief is unrelenting and actively impacting . According to the National Childhood Traumatic Stress Network , nctsn . org , one in three kids in trauma programs is also dealing with significant grief . Knowing how to recognize this is a critical element in the support and treatment process .
RECOGNIZING THE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT CHILDREN AND TEENS EXPERIENCE GRIEF FROM ADULTS
In addition to the number of American children who will lose a parent to death , many adolescents will experience the death of a peer due to illness , accident , or suicide . Compared to non-bereaved youth , bereaved youth are at higher risk for a range of mental and behavioral health problems including depression , posttraumatic stress reactions , substance use , decreased academic performance , and suicide . Grief care must be on our radar , because the effects of grief , if left unchecked , can be enormous .
Children who have lost a parent “ are more than twice as likely than nonbereaved kids to show impairments in functioning at school and at home , even seven years later ,” says David Brent , MD , endowed chair in Suicide Studies and professor of Psychiatry , Pediatrics , Epidemiology , and Clinical and Translational Science at the University of Pittsburgh . “ Importantly , this finding held up even when we adjusted for risk factors such as a pre-existing psychiatric disorder in the child or parent ,” bit . ly / 3K2HKCb .
In Western culture , death is typically conceptualized as something unpleasant and even to be feared , a culturally stagnant lens that clinical providers often take into their grief work with clients . Compared to other types of traumatic experiences , the death of a loved one is among the most distressing life events among both adults and youth .
Children and adolescents suffer an incredible amount of loss , and most models of grief treatment in use were originally created for adults , who grieve much differently . Children and adolescents are subject to indirect and direct messaging through observation and modeling from adults in and around their world . These messages are championed forward with or without explanation or evidence of truth .
It ’ s critical for our current cultural context to understand and advocate for the importance of modern-day grief theory for children and adolescents through a cultural and developmentally appropriate lens . Children are still developing , so it is vital to recognize the prominent impact grief has on the self at all stages — before , during , and after their experience of loss .
Adolescents are a group all their own . No longer children who mostly identify with their caregivers , they are changing into their own selves , and at their own pace . “ Adolescents need to grieve their losses and be provided with a system of care that
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16 The Advocate Magazine 2023 , Issue # 1 American Mental Health Counselors Association ( AMHCA ) www . amhca . org