When Kids Are Grieving: Addressing Grief and Loss in School - Softcover

Burns, Donna M.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1629147761 ISBN 13: 9781629147765

Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing, 2014

Synopsis

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.

About this title

Review

"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 2009-09-21)

“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 2009-09-21)

"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 2009-09-21)

"Burns' book captures the wisdom, sensitivity, and gentle humor that she has used in a lifetime of work with grieving families. She teaches us to discover our own strengths as we mourn the people we have loved and lost.” (Katherine H. Voegtle, Professor of Educational Psychology 2009-09-21)

"Donna Burns has written an important book for practicing professionals, especially school professionals involved with grieving children and young adults. What is a matter for profound grieving by a young person may not be recognized among adults as an issue calling for sensitive support. And, symptoms of childhood and young adult grieving are often mistaken for other issues because young people are so often indirect in the ways they channel their grief. Burns provides an excellent resource for preventing traumatic grieving, recognizing youthful grieving as it occurs, and constructively responding to grieving youth at the individual, classroom, and school levels. This book provides an excellent knowledge base on the subject, and is also an invaluable reference volume that every educational professional would do well to own.” (Margaret M. Kirwin, Dean, Lally School of Education 2009-09-21)

“The best guide to dealing with loss for children that I have read. The book teaches the counselor to use life experience tools in the healing process.” (Daniel Doherty, Public Health Specialist, Disaster Preparedness Unit 2009-09-21)

“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 2009-09-24)

About the Author

Donna Burns is an educational psychologist who specializes in developmental psychology with an emphasis on child and adolescent development, diversity, and issues in grief and loss. She has designed and taught undergraduate and graduate level courses on death and dying and conducts seminars and workshops for school districts and non-profit organizations. She has presented papers on various aspects of grief and loss at local, regional, and national conferences and has created a conceptual framework for understanding grief reactions. She coordinates and oversees the children’s program for the annual New York State Police Survivor’s Tribute weekend; has provided support to bereaved military family members; and has conducted training on Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) for firefighters.  Burns is a member of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC), and the American Academy of Bereavement (AAB), where she completed an advanced bereavement facilitator training program.

Edition details

• Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1629147761
• ISBN 13: 9781629147765
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 128