Children experience grief, loss, and crisis in many forms. There are the obvious crises such as the death of a parent, sibling, friend, or other family member. Crises may come in the form of natural or technological-made disasters as well as the less obvious exposure to media reporting. Children in crisis can be characterized by physical, emotional, social, and cognitive grief responses. Information related to the age-specific assessment and intervention of grief and loss for both children and their families will be provided.

Course Content

A. Causes of Grief, Loss and Crisis in Children
  1.Death
  2.Victims
  3.Natural Disasters
  4.Technology or human-made disasters
B. Dimensions of how grief, loss, and crisis are expressed and experienced
  1.Physical
  2.Emotional
  3.Social
  4.Cognitive
C. Assessments
  1.Anxiety Scales
  2.Lickert Scales
  3.Worry Wall
  4.Reporter
  5.More of/Less of
D. Interventions
  1.Establish trust
  2.Express feelings
  3.Explore memories
  4.Understand and adjust
E. Family Role to Adapt to Changes
  1.Initial Assessment
  2.Meaning reconstruction
  3.Assist parents to protect children