ABSTRACT
Children naturally look to their parents as mentors to assist them in understanding the experiences of their lives, including losses such as the death of a loved one. The Model of Magical Thought demonstrated how bereaved children ingrained in destructive magical thought have the potential to eventually develop either strong defense mechanisms or personality disorders. A qualified grief therapist can review a bereaved child’s progress to determine if there has been any development of destructive magical thought creating a complicated process of mourning. Parents can model the expression of healthy but often painful grief emotions. Families expressing normal grief emotions bond together and create a safe environment to express their normal grief emotions. Children need abstract thinking adults to offer children structure and more options for the healing of their grief. The combination of individual therapy and support group is very effective service that assists children who are mourning.
