Death and Dying
Title: What are some good resources for talking with kids and teens about death? How can I help them cope with their feelings of grief and loss?
Information: Thank you for your question. There are many good resources available on the Internet on this topic. They strive to inform adults who want to help children and teenagers understand and deal with their feelings about death and dying. Medline Plus, the web site of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the National Institutes of Health, is a very reliable resource. There is an index of several articles on the topic of "Death and Dying." http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/deathanddying.html#children The following three articles directly address your question. "Talking to Children About Death" This is an 11 page publication for patients from the National Institutes of Health. (You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this PDF file. It can be downloaded for free fromhttp://www.adobe.com). http://www.cc.nih.gov/ccc/patient_education/pepubs/childeath.pdf "Helping Younger Children Deal with Death and Dying" appears on the American College of Physicians web site. This article looks at "Understanding the Problem," "When to Get Professional Help," "What You Can Do to Help," etc. http://www.acponline.org/public/h_care/9-young.htm "Death and Dying" appears on the web site of the Ambulatory Pediatric Association. The author, Frances Page Glascoe, Ph.D., Educational Specialist, suggests ways to "help children understand death and to eliminate fears." http://www.ambpeds.org/deathanddying.cfm The Nemours Foundation produces a web site, KidsHealth, which provides articles on this topic for parents. "How to Help Your Child Deal with Death" http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/positive/talk/death.html "How to Help Your Child Cope with Death" This piece comes from the Question Answer archives of the Kids Health web site. http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/question/emotions/coping_loss.html You may wish to consult Grieving Child.org and HospiceNet, as well. Both organizations are dedicated to dealing with the issues of death and dying. Grieving Child.org provides resources for adults who wish to help kids and teens deal with loss. http://www.dougy.org/adult.html HospiceNet.org lists two very good sets of resources for parents dealing with younger children and teens and their issues of grief. http://www.hospicenet.org/html/child.html HospiceNet also lists resources on the grief process, including FAQ's, "A Guide to Grief," etc. http://www.hospicenet.org/html/bereavement.html In addition, I recommend that you consult the librarians at your public library or your child's school library. They can probably suggest more resources, both online and in print. Thank you for submitting your question to AskNSDL. I hope this information has been helpful to you. The AskNSDL staff
Category: Death and Dying