Module 2 Summary

Recap

  • Keep in mind that your job is not to take away a student’s pain and suffering, but rather to create a safe environment where they feel supported to process and express their feelings.  Consider the individual needs of your grieving student and tailor your support strategies accordingly.
  • Remember that children grieve differently than adults. Become familiar with the 4 C’s (four common concerns children have when someone close to them dies) and consider addressing them with the student. Be on the lookout for behavioural changes. Even if your grieving student shows no outward signs of their grief, work to maintain a connection. Any interaction, even if not at all grief-related, can be helpful.
  • Although you may never know it, your efforts to be supportive of a grieving student can have lifelong repercussions. Not only will you be helping them to process their current losses, but you’ll also be providing them with tools to meet future losses in healthy ways.