ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the impact of grief, death, and loss on children and families. Children grieve differently from adults, and often experience a delayed grief response which can sometimes occur up to two years after the death of a loved one. This can cause significant distress within the family system as most parents are unprepared for this emotional response to occur. In this chapter, the author delineates between different types of grief, including Absent Grief, Delayed Grief, and Unresolved or Chronic Grief. The impact of traumatic grief is also explored in depth as this impacts the parent-child relationship significantly. Children will often mask their grief depending upon the response of their parent, and their ability to grieve in an adaptive or maladaptive manner. This chapter explores how to help families repair their attachment injuries caused by death, grief, and loss as well as how to help them navigate the grief process in a healthy, pro-attachment manner. Attachment Centered Play Therapy interventions specific to grief and loss are included as are steps to assess for the different types of grief a family may be experiencing.
