Grief Counseling for Children

Most people will experience loss at some point in their lives. Grief is a reaction to any form of loss.

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Grief Counseling for Children in Pune

Are you looking for grief counseling for children in Pune, Maharashtra, India? We provide the best child counseling services. If you’re in Pune, you can opt for one-to-one counselling services, if you are residing anywhere in India, don’t worry, we’re providing online child counseling services as well.

What is Child Grief Counseling?

Whether your child has lost a grandparent, sibling, parent, or pet, the loss of a loved one can feel overwhelming. Watching a child grieve can stir up emotions for caregivers too.

Sometimes, a little professional help may be necessary. Grief counseling can help kids find healthy ways to cope with their distress while also making sense of their loss.

Why Do You Need Grief Counseling for Children?

Most children recover from grief without any long-term emotional problems, but some children experience significant emotional problems that persist over time. Children who experience long-term problems after the loss of a loved one often report high levels of distress.

Here are a few reasons why grief counseling may be needed for children –

To cope with grief positively
To decrease behavioral problems due to grief
To decrease the risk of developing mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, etc.
To get attention, concentration on track
To improve school performance if it has gone down because of the sudden loss of a loved one.
To form healthy relationships

To develop healthier beliefs
To validate their feelings
To help them process complex emotions such as guilt, anger, fear, sadness, confusion, etc.
To allow them to talk about their experiences in a safe environment.
To provide support to family members and caregivers who help the grieving child

When to Get Grief Counseling for Children?

Everyone grieves differently. After losing a loved one, a child may go from crying one minute to playing the next. A child’s changing moods do not mean that s/he isn’t sad or that he has finished grieving; children cope differently than adults, and playing can be a defense mechanism to prevent a child from becoming overwhelmed. Grief counseling doesn’t depend on how long the child is grieving. Sometimes, children react later in their life to the loss. One should not judge whether to seek therapy or not immediately after the loss. Allow the child some time to settle and then look at the red flags. So, Grief counseling is recommended especially for children whose grief:

Grief Counseling for Children: FAQs

Grief is not limited to feelings of sadness. It can also involve guilt, yearning, anger, and regret. Emotions are often surprising in their strength or mildness. They can also be confusing. Let’s answer a few FAQs on grief counseling for children –

Q1. How do you counsel a grieving child?

Grief counseling is designed to help children cope with the loss of a loved one. A grief counselor can help you develop methods and strategies for coping with your loss and grief. Grief counseling provides bereaved people with an avenue to discuss their feelings and emotions, helping them discover ways to ease the grieving process.

Counseling a grieving child can be tricky. Children cannot reflect on their thoughts and express emotions like adults. So they will need to have many short conversations. Children may ask the same questions often as they try to make sense of difficult information. Dr. Robert A. Neimeyer, a clinical psychologist, and expert in grief therapy suggested two major steps a grief counselor is required to take while working with someone dealing with the loss of a loved one. The first step involves fostering a trusting relationship with the client to create a safe and comfortable environment for the bereaved to openly share the circumstances of their loss. The second step, apart from actively listening to the grieving person, involves the counselor asking specific questions about the nature of the client’s relationship with the deceased. If the relationship with the deceased was a difficult one, counseling would require a different approach than in a situation where there was a healthy relationship between the griever and the deceased.

Grief counseling is not only for adults coping with loss. Grief counselors might focus on issues such as individuals who lost a coworker; children coming to terms with the loss of a parent, a friend, or a pet; patients in hospice care; women or couples who are dealing with a miscarriage; and people who have gone through a traumatic event.

Q2. What do you do when a child is grieving?

Dealing with a child who is grieving can be traumatic for parents or caregivers. You can make the process a little easier by following a few of the following tips –

Explain death in simple, direct, honest terms geared to your child’s developmental level.
Listen carefully to the child and allow them to express their feelings in their own words.
Encourage them to maintain a normal routine to provide a stable, safe and predictable environment for the child.
Allow them plenty of time and don’t force them to return to the daily activities unless they are ready.
Answer their questions about death in their words.
Don’t give the child false hopes such as ‘The person has just gone to sleep, s/he will come back in few days’
Be caring and supportive
Encourage building memories about the dead person to cope with grief positively.

Q3. How long does grief last for a child?

There is no specific time for this. Society expects that grief should be resolved over a specific time, such as a year. But this is not true. The initial severe and intense grief you feel will not be continuous. Periods of intense grief often come and go over 18 months or longer. Over time, your grief may come in waves that are gradually less intense and less frequent. But you will likely always have some feelings of sadness and loss.

Even years after your loved one’s death, important events in your life can trigger grief. Significant days such as weddings, important days such as festivals, the birthday of a deceased one or even visiting places where you have been together are common triggers. At these times, the child may find himself/herself thinking about how old the deceased person would be or what he or she would look like or be doing if still alive.

Q4. Does Child Grief Counseling work?

Certainly yes. Grief counseling helps children to cope better and treat their trauma. Along with that, it helps you to express your emotions, address feelings of guilt and build a strong support system. Also, it helps you to get a reality check. Living with the pain of unresolved loss is unhealthy and can lead to complicated grief, which is more severe, long-lasting, and difficult to remedy. Thus, it is always better to seek help in case of any kind of grief.

Finding Counsellor for Child Grief Counseling?

Are you looking for the best grief counselor for your child in Pune, Maharashtra, India? We at WAITT, provide top online counseling services for grief counseling. To book an appointment, click on the link here.