How to interact with Grieving Students
- Be present and authentic
- Listen more, talk less
- Avoid cheering up
- Allow emotional expression
- Be empathic
Steps to start the conversation
- Express concern
- Invite the conversation
- Listen and observe
- Offer reassurance
- Continue to make contact
- Use Open ended questions
- Speak in a private area
- Acknowledge the importance of receiving support
- Student feeling overwhelmed
- Teacher's lack a clear sense of what support would be helpful
- Student's may not want to be different from their peers
- Student's may feel more comfortable turning to peer
Griefspeaks (2014). Signs of Grief in Children/Teens. Retrieved from http://www.griefspeaks.com/id4.html
Klye's Korner (2014) Guide for Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.kyleskorner.org/default.aspx