All of us experience grief and loss at some point in our lives, with many of us navigating our first loss as children. Coping with grief while balancing academic and social responsibilities (and just being a kid!) is challenging! As the school counselor, you have a unique opportunity to provide support and teach students practical skills for managing grief that will last a lifetime. Having engaging and interactive activities on hand to support students is crucial in providing this much-needed ... VIEW POST
Grief & Loss PART 4: Activities to Help Students Cope with Grief & Loss
Grief & Loss PART 3: Resources to Help Students Cope with Grief & Loss
Grief is a complex emotion that follows a great loss in a person’s life. For elementary students, these losses can include the death of a loved one, a major life change like moving schools, or a severed friendship. As a school counselor, having high-quality resources on hand to support your students through grief is critical!Introduction to Grief in Students and How School Counselors Can HelpGrief is such a big emotion for students to deal with. It is defined as deep sorrow.Grief can manifest ... VIEW POST
Grief & Loss PART 2: Storybooks to Help Students Cope with Grief & Loss
As school counselors, we never know what students will bring to us each day, and sometimes their needs are so great, so profound, that it can be overwhelming even for us as trained professionals. Storybooks are a great tool to help students cope with grief and loss!What Does Grief Look Like in Students? Grief is defined as deep sorrow. Students who do not process big emotions, like grief and loss, are at-risk for several physical, social, emotional, and academic hardships:Read more ... VIEW POST
Grief & Loss Series PART 1: Introduction to Grief and Loss in Students
I’ll never forget the phone call from my best friend, my precious student DeShawn’s kindergarten teacher. She explained, through tears, that DeShawn and his sweet older sister Deja had ridden the bus home from school like they did every day, expecting to see their mom waiting for them at the bus stop. When she wasn’t there, they walked home and knocked on the front door. No one answered. They decided to go to their next-door neighbor’s house, who kept a key to their home in case of emergency. ... VIEW POST
