{"id":33531,"date":"2016-12-12T08:00:31","date_gmt":"2016-12-12T16:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/?p=33531"},"modified":"2016-12-07T16:23:18","modified_gmt":"2016-12-08T00:23:18","slug":"how-to-help-children-grieve-the-death-of-a-parent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/how-to-help-children-grieve-death-of-parent-1212165","title":{"rendered":"How to Help Children Grieve the Death of a Parent"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TallFrom the time children<\/a> are born, they count on their parents<\/a> to provide a sense of safety as they learn about the complex world around them. When a parent dies, it may create intense emotional upheaval for children old enough to understand what has happened. Often, children do not know what to do with those feelings. Surviving parents, guardians, and other adults have a difficult task in helping such children process their grief and move forward.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most important thing anyone can offer a child who has lost a parent is time. Grief<\/a> does not happen on a specific timetable, and the process of grieving may look very different from one child to the next.<\/p>\n

In addition, adults can encourage children to share their feelings safely and without judgment. It is helpful to refrain from using words such as \u201cshould\u201d or \u201cshould not\u201d when talking to children about a loss or trauma they experienced. Adults can also facilitate a sense of togetherness or shared struggle to ensure children do not feel alone in their grief, and encourage compassion<\/a> and support among other kids or people in the child\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

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The specific challenges facing children who have lost a parent include:<\/p>\n