Childhood bereavement - What school psychologists need to know

Nowadays children are increasingly exposed to death in their environment. T he literature indicates that bereaved children make up a vulnerable populat ion; they are at risk of developing psychological and behavioural dysfuncti ons as well as social difficulties. Just like adults, bereaved children nee d to relieve their painful thoughts by expressing their feelings and talkin g about the deceased with their family, friends and/or psychologist. Howeve r, children are often overlooked during such a crisis and their needs may b e ignored because adult family members are preoccupied with their own griev ing. These factors point to the need for intervention; the school psycholog ist, during this painful period, can be an important source of education, g uidance and support for the child and the family. Responding appropriately to children's needs, however, requires an understanding of how they view an d react to death. The main purpose of this article is to provide a review o f the literature on children's developmental conceptions and reactions to d eath. In addition, suggestions are made as to provide appropriate intervent ion strategies that can be used by psychologists, such as individual counse lling, play therapy, bibliotherapy, family counselling and group counsellin g.