ABSTRACT
Issues around death and grief can be particularly difficult to address with children because of the associated intense emotions. This chapter presents a multi-perspective approach to grief therapy, as it relates to children. It contains dimensions informed by developmental theory, grief and bereavement theory, and family systems theory. The chapter presents three case examples, which demonstrate how this theoretical framework intersects with clinical aspects. As children get older and move into more advanced developmental stages, they may be faced with trying to make sense of something that has taken on a meaning it was never meant to have. If children are to make sense of the loss and move on with their own lives, the loss, with all its ensuing sadness, sorrow, fear, anger, and other intense emotions, must be faced fairly and squarely. This process is enhanced by families who are able to face their own grief and work through the mourning process.
