Abstract

This fully updated second edition of Grief in Children provides an accessible overview of children's understanding of death at different ages and gives a detailed outline of exactly how the adults around them can best help them cope.

Whether a child experiences the death of a parent, sibling, other relation or friend, or of a classmate or teacher, it is important for those caring for bereaved children to know how to respond appropriately to the child's needs. This book deals with a range of common physical and psychological responses and describes the methods of approaching grief in children that have been shown to work best. The author provides guidance on how loss and bereavement should be handled at school, explains when it is appropriate to involve expert professional help and discusses the value of bereavement groups for children and support for caregivers.

Illustrated with case studies and incorporating current research, this book is essential reading for parents, carers, counsellors, teachers and all those concerned with the welfare of bereaved children.

Dr Atle Dyregrov is a clinical psychologist and Director of the Center for Crisis Psychology in Bergen, Norway, which he founded with a colleague in 1988. He is a member of the executive board of The Children and War Foundation and a founding member of the European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Dr Dyregrov is the author of numerous publications, journal articles, and books.

Professor Emeritus William Yule is a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of Applied Child Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London. He is Chair of the Children and War Foundation and Honorary Psychologist Advisor to the British Army. He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies in 2005.

`There is valuable material on grief at various ages and development... The question `What makes the grief worse?' is neatly answered and a brief, but useful, section alerts the helper to differences in the grief experienced by boys and girls. The chapters on care for bereaved children are packed with good sense and practical suggestions… Many interesting ideas are given on ways to deal with bereavement in the setting of the classroom… There is much to commend this handbook. It is of manageable length, giving information concisely and supplementing it with well-chosen quotations… a valuable book which I would recommend to my colleagues and to parents, to those who run playgroups and to any who seek to help young people in bereavement.'
Lifeline (Magazine of the National Association of Bereavement Services)

Praise for the first edition:

`This is a very user-friendly book. It is presented in a way which enables the reader to browse or go direct to a certain section, but at the same time is engaging enough to sustain one's interest to read the whole book.'

Australian Social Work
`Dyregrov's writing is clear in its description, and explicit in its advice, and demonstrates that the daunting task of helping a child through grief is both manageable and rewarding...The book will, I'm sure, become required reading for all those touched by the care of bereaved children.'
Bereavement Care
`...a handy, small book ideal for teachers, social workers, counsellors, parents and others faced with the task of understanding children in grief and trying to help them.'
Association for Child Psychology and Psychiatry Newsletter
`For years, I have strongly advised…adults to read Grief in Children because I believe it is the most sympathetically written and accessible book on the topic. It is the thoughtful distillation of many years' clinical experience of working with bereaved children and their families.'
from the foreword by Professor William Yule