ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the nature of loss. This could be through bereavement or some other instrument of loss. The chapter examines the processes of grieving as they apply in general, and more specifically to children. It looks at the part which adults can play in helping them to cope with the experience of separation from a person whom they love. Separation is an unavoidable component in the process of growing up. In fact, the capacity to experience separation anxiety and grief is one of the outcomes of the capacity to love. The loss of a parent through divorce or separation is a form of bereavement for the child. Teenagers often react to separation or loss of parents by drawing back from the family and concentrating on relationships with the peer group. S. Lendrum and G. Syme describe a range of strategies to use in working with children's grief.
