When children mourn the death of a loved one, a pet, their parents' divorce, or a great loss or change, most have not yet learned the coping skills necessary to ease the impact of this pain. By understanding both the signs of grief and the signs of healing shown by a grieving child in your life, you can actively help him or her cope with the grief process.
Learn to identify the intense attachments, changes in behavior, and signs of stress, anxiety, and depression that grieving children exhibit. Then discover the effective play-based therapeutic techniques that have been proven to help kids heal from emotional wounds and loss. A wealth of expressive art exercises like the Magic Wand, where kids make the yucky feeling go away, and Drawing Out the Pain, where kids color with different crayons to express different feelings, not only help the child cope with feelings but also help you understand them. Find out how to notice different types of play and respond to each. The book offers healthy ways to communicate with children, tips on how to care for yourself while helping a child, and ways to recognize the signs children exhibit when they truly begin to heal.
