Supporting Our Students through Grief and Loss

During times of grief, adults often struggle with what to say to a child who may be struggling with grief. Younger students may have more difficulty understanding death and may experience misinterpretations when death is explained.  Older students may experience feelings of guilt or blame.  Providing a safe and non-judgemental environment to talk about any feelings of anxiety, regret, guilt, sadness or anger can be very helpful in supporting grieving children of all ages (National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement, 2022).

Here are some additional resources for parents and guardians supporting students who have experienced grief and loss:

Dismantling Three Grief Myths

​ (dougy.org)

How to Talk with a Child about Grief

​​Additional Resources - Coalition to Support Grieving Students

Movement Activities for Grieving Children

​​ (dougy.org)

Additional Counseling Resources

Perform Care: PerformCare partners with the New Jersey Children's System of Care (CSOC) to coordinate the care of your child. We are committed to helping children with behavioral, mental health, or emotional challenges gain access to the services they need.

Phone- 1-877-652-7627

Website- http://performcarenj.org/index.aspx

Center for Counseling Services

George Scott

Fee for Service - sliding scale option

609-771-0444

850 Bear Tavern Rd, Trenton, NJ

Millhill

Medicaid

609-989-7333

101 Oakland St, Trenton, NJ

Restoring Spirit

Emily Anne Matteck

Fee for service - sliding scale option

609-468-6676

Pennington, NJ

TCNJ Counseling Clinic: The College of New Jersey offers a counseling clinic for community members to address a variety of mental health and behavior challenges. Couples, family and individual counseling is available for a short or long term basis.

Phone- 609-771-2700

Website- https://clinic.tcnj.edu/