When Kids Are Grieving

Addressing Grief and Loss in School
First Edition
Donna M. Burns - College of St. Rose
When Kids Are Grieving
February 2010 | 128 pages | Corwin
Create Flyer

Purchase

eBook
ISBN: 9781452271316
Available from January 0001
Paperback
ISBN: 9781412974905
Available from January 0001

Description

"Burns provides an excellent, user-friendly guide to help school personnel navigate the tricky waters of children's grief. This is a welcome resource for school professionals."
—Steve Hoff, Licensed Psychologist
Great Barrington, MA

"The author's sensitivity and understanding of cultural variations in reaction to loss provide a much needed perspective to this important topic."
—Heta-Maria Miller, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology
The College of Saint Rose

Help students deal with grief and loss in appropriate, healthy ways.

Most students experience some form of loss in their lives, and the resulting grief can profoundly affect their academic performance, emotional stability, and social interactions. Serving both as a resource and workbook, this reader-friendly primer helps educators and school counselors understand and respond to the extraordinary challenges that children and adolescents may face when dealing with loss and grief.

Featuring helpful charts, quotes, activities, case studies, reproducible handouts, and resources from national organizations, this sourcebook offers strategies to help students affected by divorce; death of a parent, relative, friend, or pet; violence; chronic illness; and more. The author examines grief experiences at different developmental levels and illustrates how to:

  • Respond appropriately to expressions of grief that are unique to children and adolescents
  • Help students handle emotions associated with loss
  • Promote communication and facilitate effective interventions
  • Determine when to refer a child to a specialist
  • Respect cultural attitudes toward loss and grief

This resource underscores the importance of understanding how children experience grief and loss and helps educators assist in ways that promote students' emotional health and recovery.

Contents

Foreword by Kenneth J. Doka

Foreword by Kenneth J. Doka

Preface

Preface

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

About the Author

  • 1. Am I Qualified to Work With Grieving Children?
  • Overview
  • Self-Awareness
  • Reflection Activity
  • Case Study: How Do I Tell the Children? Part I
  • Thought Provokers and Issues to Consider
  • Chapter Reflection
  • Key Terms
  • 2. What Are the Different Types of Losses and Grief Reactions?
  • Overview
  • Dimensions of Loss
  • Anticipatory Grief Versus Unanticipated Grief
  • PRECEDENT: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Grief Responses
  • Thought Provokers and Issues to Consider
  • Chapter Reflection
  • Key Terms
  • 3. What Do I Need to Know About Children's Grief?
  • Overview
  • Developmental Processes
  • What and How Children Grieve
  • Case Study: How Do I Tell the Children? Part II
  • Gender Differences
  • Thought Provokers and Issues to Consider
  • Chapter Reflection
  • Key Terms
  • 4. What Do I Need to Know About Adolescents' Grief?
  • Overview
  • Developmental Processes
  • Cognitive Factors
  • Socioemotional Factors
  • Family and Peers
  • School, Media, and Technology
  • How Teens Grieve
  • Risk-Taking Behaviors and Suicide
  • Suicide Prevention
  • Case Study: Reactions to a Classmate's Suicide
  • Thought Provokers and Issues to Consider
  • Chapter Reflection
  • Key Terms
  • 5. What Can I Do to Help Grieving Students?
  • Overview
  • "But I'm Not a Grief Counselor . . ."
  • Things You Need to Know First
  • Things You Can Do
  • Rituals and Activities
  • Cultural Considerations
  • Humor
  • Thought Provokers and Issues to Consider
  • Chapter Reflection
  • Key Terms
  • 6. What Are the Elements of School-Based Crisis Response?
  • Overview
  • School-Based Crisis Response
  • Crisis Response Team
  • Skills and Training
  • Types of Crises
  • School Crisis Response Plan
  • Crisis Postvention
  • Thought Provokers and Issues to Consider
  • Chapter Reflection
  • Key Terms
  • 7. What Grief and Loss Resources Should Our School Have Available?
  • Overview
  • Naional Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Resources
  • Fernside and Banana Splits Resource Center Reading Lists
  • Online Resources
  • School Grief and Loss Resource Library
  • Thought Provokers and Issues to Consider
  • Chapter Reflection

Postscript

Postscript

Glossary

Glossary

References

References

Index

Index

Description

"Burns provides an excellent, user-friendly guide to help school personnel navigate the tricky waters of children's grief. This is a welcome resource for school professionals."
—Steve Hoff, Licensed Psychologist
Great Barrington, MA

"The author's sensitivity and understanding of cultural variations in reaction to loss provide a much needed perspective to this important topic."
—Heta-Maria Miller, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology
The College of Saint Rose

Help students deal with grief and loss in appropriate, healthy ways.

Most students experience some form of loss in their lives, and the resulting grief can profoundly affect their academic performance, emotional stability, and social interactions. Serving both as a resource and workbook, this reader-friendly primer helps educators and school counselors understand and respond to the extraordinary challenges that children and adolescents may face when dealing with loss and grief.

Featuring helpful charts, quotes, activities, case studies, reproducible handouts, and resources from national organizations, this sourcebook offers strategies to help students affected by divorce; death of a parent, relative, friend, or pet; violence; chronic illness; and more. The author examines grief experiences at different developmental levels and illustrates how to:

  • Respond appropriately to expressions of grief that are unique to children and adolescents
  • Help students handle emotions associated with loss
  • Promote communication and facilitate effective interventions
  • Determine when to refer a child to a specialist
  • Respect cultural attitudes toward loss and grief

This resource underscores the importance of understanding how children experience grief and loss and helps educators assist in ways that promote students' emotional health and recovery.

Contents

Foreword by Kenneth J. Doka

Foreword by Kenneth J. Doka

Preface

Preface

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

About the Author

  • 1. Am I Qualified to Work With Grieving Children?
  • Overview
  • Self-Awareness
  • Reflection Activity
  • Case Study: How Do I Tell the Children? Part I
  • Thought Provokers and Issues to Consider
  • Chapter Reflection
  • Key Terms
  • 2. What Are the Different Types of Losses and Grief Reactions?
  • Overview
  • Dimensions of Loss
  • Anticipatory Grief Versus Unanticipated Grief
  • PRECEDENT: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Grief Responses
  • Thought Provokers and Issues to Consider
  • Chapter Reflection
  • Key Terms
  • 3. What Do I Need to Know About Children's Grief?
  • Overview
  • Developmental Processes
  • What and How Children Grieve
  • Case Study: How Do I Tell the Children? Part II
  • Gender Differences
  • Thought Provokers and Issues to Consider
  • Chapter Reflection
  • Key Terms
  • 4. What Do I Need to Know About Adolescents' Grief?
  • Overview
  • Developmental Processes
  • Cognitive Factors
  • Socioemotional Factors
  • Family and Peers
  • School, Media, and Technology
  • How Teens Grieve
  • Risk-Taking Behaviors and Suicide
  • Suicide Prevention
  • Case Study: Reactions to a Classmate's Suicide
  • Thought Provokers and Issues to Consider
  • Chapter Reflection
  • Key Terms
  • 5. What Can I Do to Help Grieving Students?
  • Overview
  • "But I'm Not a Grief Counselor . . ."
  • Things You Need to Know First
  • Things You Can Do
  • Rituals and Activities
  • Cultural Considerations
  • Humor
  • Thought Provokers and Issues to Consider
  • Chapter Reflection
  • Key Terms
  • 6. What Are the Elements of School-Based Crisis Response?
  • Overview
  • School-Based Crisis Response
  • Crisis Response Team
  • Skills and Training
  • Types of Crises
  • School Crisis Response Plan
  • Crisis Postvention
  • Thought Provokers and Issues to Consider
  • Chapter Reflection
  • Key Terms
  • 7. What Grief and Loss Resources Should Our School Have Available?
  • Overview
  • Naional Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Resources
  • Fernside and Banana Splits Resource Center Reading Lists
  • Online Resources
  • School Grief and Loss Resource Library
  • Thought Provokers and Issues to Consider
  • Chapter Reflection

Postscript

Postscript

Glossary

Glossary

References

References

Index

Index

SAGE Publishing Logo

When Kids Are Grieving

Addressing Grief and Loss in School


February 2010 | 128 pages | Corwin

Format Published Date ISBN Price
Paperback 01/02/2026 9781412974905 $37.95
Lifetime 01/02/2026 9781452271316 $35.00

"Burns provides an excellent, user-friendly guide to help school personnel navigate the tricky waters of children's grief. This is a welcome resource for school professionals."
—Steve Hoff, Licensed Psychologist
Great Barrington, MA

"The author's sensitivity and understanding of cultural variations in reaction to loss provide a much needed perspective to this important topic."
—Heta-Maria Miller, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology
The College of Saint Rose

Help students deal with grief and loss in appropriate, healthy ways.

Most students experience some form of loss in their lives, and the resulting grief can profoundly affect their academic performance, emotional stability, and social interactions. Serving both as a resource and workbook, this reader-friendly primer helps educators and school counselors understand and respond to the extraordinary challenges that children and adolescents may face when dealing with loss and grief.

Featuring helpful charts, quotes, activities, case studies, reproducible handouts, and resources from national organizations, this sourcebook offers strategies to help students affected by divorce; death of a parent, relative, friend, or pet; violence; chronic illness; and more. The author examines grief experiences at different developmental levels and illustrates how to:

  • Respond appropriately to expressions of grief that are unique to children and adolescents
  • Help students handle emotions associated with loss
  • Promote communication and facilitate effective interventions
  • Determine when to refer a child to a specialist
  • Respect cultural attitudes toward loss and grief

This resource underscores the importance of understanding how children experience grief and loss and helps educators assist in ways that promote students' emotional health and recovery.


Table Of Contents:

  • Foreword by Kenneth J. Doka
  • Preface
  • Acknowledgments
  • About the Author
  • 1. Am I Qualified to Work With Grieving Children?
  • Overview
  • Self-Awareness
  • Reflection Activity
  • Case Study: How Do I Tell the Children? Part I
  • Thought Provokers and Issues to Consider
  • Chapter Reflection
  • Key Terms
  • 2. What Are the Different Types of Losses and Grief Reactions?
  • Overview
  • Dimensions of Loss
  • Anticipatory Grief Versus Unanticipated Grief
  • PRECEDENT: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Grief Responses
  • Thought Provokers and Issues to Consider
  • Chapter Reflection
  • Key Terms
  • 3. What Do I Need to Know About Children's Grief?
  • Overview
  • Developmental Processes
  • What and How Children Grieve
  • Case Study: How Do I Tell the Children? Part II
  • Gender Differences
  • Thought Provokers and Issues to Consider
  • Chapter Reflection
  • Key Terms
  • 4. What Do I Need to Know About Adolescents' Grief?
  • Overview
  • Developmental Processes
  • Cognitive Factors
  • Socioemotional Factors
  • Family and Peers
  • School, Media, and Technology
  • How Teens Grieve
  • Risk-Taking Behaviors and Suicide
  • Suicide Prevention
  • Case Study: Reactions to a Classmate's Suicide
  • Thought Provokers and Issues to Consider
  • Chapter Reflection
  • Key Terms
  • 5. What Can I Do to Help Grieving Students?
  • Overview
  • "But I'm Not a Grief Counselor . . ."
  • Things You Need to Know First
  • Things You Can Do
  • Rituals and Activities
  • Cultural Considerations
  • Humor
  • Thought Provokers and Issues to Consider
  • Chapter Reflection
  • Key Terms
  • 6. What Are the Elements of School-Based Crisis Response?
  • Overview
  • School-Based Crisis Response
  • Crisis Response Team
  • Skills and Training
  • Types of Crises
  • School Crisis Response Plan
  • Crisis Postvention
  • Thought Provokers and Issues to Consider
  • Chapter Reflection
  • Key Terms
  • 7. What Grief and Loss Resources Should Our School Have Available?
  • Overview
  • Naional Association of School Psychologists (NASP) Resources
  • Fernside and Banana Splits Resource Center Reading Lists
  • Online Resources
  • School Grief and Loss Resource Library
  • Thought Provokers and Issues to Consider
  • Chapter Reflection
  • Postscript
  • Glossary
  • References
  • Index

Recent Product Reviews:

Students who are studying trauma want to know how to work with children ... especially around issues of school violence
Lorraine Peeler, Community and Human Services, SUNY - Empire State College - NFC
“For anyone dealing with grief, this book is priceless. It is perfectly suited for professionals as well as families dealing with this difficult issue. By far, it is one of the best books written on the subject because of the manner in which Burns compassionately combines human sensitivity with relevant theory and research. When you read this book, you never forget that first and foremost we are fragile human beings. Burns’ wisdom, insight, kindness, and love shines through on every page.”
Stephen Birchak, Author of How to Build a Child’s Character
"Burns provides an excellent, user-friendly guide to help school personnel navigate the tricky waters of child grief. This is a welcome resource for school professionals.”
Steve Hoff, Licensed Psychologist, Great Barrington, MA
“The author’s sensitivity and understanding of cultural variations in reactions to loss provide a much-needed perspective to this important topic.”
Heta-Maria Miller, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, The College of Saint Rose
"A significant resource for educators as they work with children and adolescents who are dealing with grief and loss.”
Marguerite G. Lodico, Professor of Educational Psychology, The College of Saint Rose

Recommendations