Grief in Childhood : Fundamentals of Treatment in Clinical Practice

Children vary in their response to the death of a loved one. With a literature review on bereavement in childhood, extensive case examples and dialogues to illustrate therapeutic techniques, and over 20 activity handouts that therapists can photocopy and use in sessions, this book provides what is needed to treat bereaved children.

This book presents integrated grief therapy for children-an evidence-based model for treating bereaved children that draws extensively on cognitive behavioral, family systems, and narrative approaches to therapy. The authors' model shows clinicians how to assess the needs of bereaved children, treat common distressing symptoms (depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and behavioral problems), and address the grief itself while fostering resilience.

Because emotional and behavioral problems following grief are manifested in different ways, the model allows for flexibility based on the age, symptom presentation, and needs of the child. And because the inclusion of a surviving parent or caregiver is critical to working with grieving children, the model involves the parent in the interventions.