-
Caresolace
If you’re in crisis, there are options available to help you cope. You can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at any time to connect with a trained crisis counselor. For confidential support available 24/7 for everyone in the U.S., call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org, or visit https://go.usa.gov/xyxGa. #shareNIMH
Significant Illnesses
CaringInfo: a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, which provides free resources to help people make decisions about end-of-life care and services before a crisis. https://www.caringinfo.org/
Nancy’s List: An organization that offers help and hope to those battling cancer and their families. https://nancyslist.org/
American Cancer Society of Boston: The American Cancer Society program that runs in Boston provides services and support for individuals and family members of those on the road to recovery. They offer transportation services, advocacy, and lodging, among other resources, to those who need it.
https://www.cancer.org/about-us/local/massachusetts.html
Parenting With a Chronic Illness by Sarah Mahoney: This article describes the journey many parents go through when being diagnosed with a chronic illness, the impact on their children, and ways the family can work together to embrace the positives.
https://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/advice/parenting-with-a-chronic-illness/
Chronically Ill Parents: Helping Children Cope by Annaben Kazemi: When parents are diagnosed with a chronic illness, they must find ways of helping their children cope to ensure they live a full life in the present. This article outlines differences in how children could respond to their parent’s illness depending on their age and offers parents suggestions on how to talk with their child and answer tough questions.
PARENT & CHILD; When Mom or Dad Is Seriously Ill by Susan Chira: This article from 1994 highlights the importance of discussing a parent’s serious illness upfront with a child and allowing them to grieve and discusses how to prepare children for the possibility of a parent’s death.
https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/01/garden/parent-child-when-mom-or-dad-is-seriously-ill.html
Parenting with Chronic Illness by Psychology Today: This article highlights how children may react when living with a parent with a chronic illness and how you and others can help in making sure the child develops healthy coping methods.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/chronically-me/201901/parenting-chronic-illness
Online resources list: This link holds a great number of links and resources for family members, caregivers, parents, siblings, and grandparents of chronically ill individuals.
https://www.onlinemswprograms.com/resources/social-issues/resources-family-support-chronic-illness/
Camp Erin Boston (From the Eluna Network): is a free weekend bereavement camp for children ages 6 to 17 to attend, combining grief education and emotional support with fun, traditional camp activities. It is led by bereavement professionals and trained volunteers. https://www.camperinboston.org/
The Eluna Network: Their mission is to support children and families facing grief or addiction across the United States. Started in 2000, their website has a vast number of resources and links to explore. https://elunanetwork.org/
Problem Behavior in Children of Chronically Ill Parents: A Meta-Analysis by Dominik Sieh:
This academic article’s introduction provides a comprehensive overview of the emotional and behavioral effects of a parent’s chronic medical condition on the child.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2975921/
______________________________________________________________________________
Death and Grief
Camp Erin Boston (From the Eluna Network): is a free weekend bereavement camp for children ages 6 to 17 to attend, combining grief education and emotional support with fun, traditional camp activities. It is led by bereavement professionals and trained volunteers. https://www.camperinboston.org/
The Eluna Network: Their mission is to support children and families facing grief or addiction across the United States. Started in 2000, their website has a vast number of resources and links to explore. https://elunanetwork.org/
Coping with Grief and Loss: This Help Guide goes over grief, the grieving process, ways to seek support, and suggestions on self-care steps to manage your grief.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17OPvzOcA2bgRbCwJi9drzuDryfBbMl6L/view?usp=sharing
Sesame Street Communities: A website of resources, articles, videos, and activities for young children facing grief. https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/topics/grief/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=griefchild&utm_content=ChildGrief&utm_campaign=SSIC2018
Good Grief: A list of resources about grief, videos, book suggestions, and a search engine for local support programs. https://good-grief.org/resources/
Grief in Common: An online community designed to connect those going through similar ordeals. https://www.griefincommon.com/
Healthful Chat: a peer health support community providing online chat rooms for people to discuss their grief.
https://www.healthfulchat.org/bereavement-chat-room.html
National Alliance for Children’s Grief (NACG): This organization “promotes awareness of the needs of children and teens grieving a death and provides education and resources for anyone who wants to support them." https://childrengrieve.org/
BEAD Project (Bereaved through Alcohol and Drugs): This website provides information and resources to support those who have lost a loved one to substance use.
https://www.beadproject.org.uk/
Memory Making Activities: Activity ideas and instructions for children to help them process their grief and cherish the memory of their loved ones. https://youthlight.com/sample/activities_grieving_children.pdf
Helping Children Cope with Grief by the Child Mind Institute: an expansive guide that breaks down who should talk to children, what to expect with children of various ages, the death of pets, traumatic deaths, and how educators can help. Also available in Spanish. https://childmind.org/guide/helping-children-cope-with-grief/#block_ecf77989-5bc1-407b-acde-7e1d33cf12ce
The Grief of a Parent when a Child dies by The Compassionate Friends: This article goes through the steps and stages of grief a parent and various family members may feel after a child dies. It overviews time frames, ideas for support, and the variety that may exist within each stage of grief. https://www.compassionatefriends.org/grief/
Grief and Children by Facts for Families and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP): The ‘Facts for Families’ series is a short overview of a number of topics for parents and guardians to help them better understand what their child might be facing. There are a number of other topics on the AACAP website.
https://www.aacap.org/aacap/fffprint/article_print.aspx?dn=Children-And-Grief-008
Navigating Grief during the Holidays by Rainbows for all Children: an article and list of resources for families and children dealing with grief during the holiday season.
https://rainbows.org/blog/post/navigating-grief-during-the-holidays
Coping with the Sudden Death of a Child by VeryWell: This article provides suggestions and information for parents who have lost a child and ways to help the family unit cope. https://www.verywellfamily.com/coping-with-the-sudden-death-of-a-child-2609745
Grieving the Loss of a Child by Cancer.net: This article goes over common grief reactions, timing, and differences. It discusses differences between parents and siblings and how to help yourself and others grieve. (note: mostly related to those lost to cancer). https://www.cancer.net/coping-with-cancer/managing-emotions/grief-and-loss/grieving-loss-child
Helping Children Cope with Death by MADD Canada: This informational article discusses the factors that can impact the grief process and emphasizes the importance of talking about the deceased. Remembering loved ones and keeping their memory alive is helpful and healing. Many factors influence children’s views on death, such as age, religious beliefs, cultural and/or ethnic values, and their relationship to the deceased person. However, their reactions of their caregivers are of primary importance in determining how children will cope with death. http://www.madd.ca/media/docs/Helping-Children-Cope-with-Death.pdf
Saying Goodbye - Talking to Kids About Death by Christina Frank from Parents Magazine: This article gives parents and adults advice on how to talk to young children about death and grief and answers common questions they might have.
https://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/social/talking-to-kids-about-death/
Letting Children Share in Grief by Catherine Saint Louis from the NY Times: This article outlines the benefits of giving children the space and opportunity to grieve the loss of a loved one.
https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/20/garden/letting-children-share-in-grief.html
The Mistake I Made with my Grieving Friend by Celeste Headlee: This article discusses the best approaches on how to respond to a grieving friend. Most times, it is best not to share your personal experience with loss, as this could devalue your friend’s grief.
Podcast – Refuge in Grief: This podcast, hosted by Psychotherapist Megan Devine, discusses a variety of topics related to grief and loss. https://refugeingrief.com/meganspodcasts/
Educational Videos
Walking with Grief by Mindy Cassel (TedXCoconutGrove): Mindy is a licensed psychologist, thanatologist, and the co-founder and CEO of the Children’s Bereavement Center (CBC) in South Miami, Florida. In this Ted Talk, she speaks to how community can lead a child towards resilience, wisdom, confidence, and hope for the future after a death. She mentions the utmost importance of making connectors to those who were lost for children. Whether it be an object from the person who died, a picture, or some other memorabilia, she states that during the adjustment process after death, it is essential for children to retell their stories of their lost loved. Holding onto memories and talking about those who have died can be helpful and keep the child afloat as they battle the sea of grief.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzvEwlhRN4Q
Against Grieving in Silence by Rachel Stephenson (TEDxCUNY): When loss enters our lives,
understanding how to confront it can be difficult. Rachel Stephenson learned a valuable lesson after a difficult loss and shares her wisdom on what it means to grieve meaningfully.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zIFGl5tPQQ
The Grieving Process: Coping with Death by WellCast: There is no right or wrong way to deal with the loss of a loved one. The grieving process is rough—and it’s different for everyone. It’s not just a matter of coping with a loss but coping with change—and that takes time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsYL4PC0hyk
What *should* you say when someone dies? by Refuge in Grief: This short video talks about what to say to someone who is grieving and the phrases to avoid. Tangible actions help someone work through the grieving process.
https://www.refugeingrief.com/2017/10/12/am-nw-katu/
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood: Episode 1101: Death of a Goldfish: Mister Rogers discovers a dead fish in his aquarium, buries it, and talks about his boyhood feelings when his dog died. He assures children that memories can help, and that sadness isn’t forever. Available via Amazon Prime ; https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0649509/
https://www.hopefloatswellness.org/
https://www.bidplymouth.org/services/hospice-care-cranberry-hospice/bereavement-support?id=77
https://www.compassionatefriends.org/chapter/south-shore-chapter/
Trauma and Traumatic Events
The Sidran Institute: Sidran is a clearinghouse of resources for survivors and loved ones of those living with traumatic stress. They host a help desk and a number of programs aiming to help treat and manage trauma and dissociation. The website hosts a library of resources, training opportunities, and connections for those seeking therapy and help from professionals. https://www.sidran.org/
Family and Community Resources of Massachusetts (FCR-MA): FCR provides programs and services to individuals and families whose lives are impacted by trauma including violence at home, school, or in their community. They offer mental health services, domestic violence services, and run a program for children exposed to domestic violence. Their website includes warning signs of abusive behaviors, lists of resources, articles on healthy relationships, and a 24-hour hotline to access professional help. https://www.fcr-ma.org/
Helping Children Cope with Trauma: Parenting Kids and Teens After a Traumatic Event
By HelpGuide: A list detailing the effects of trauma by age, and tips for recovering from trauma, and recommended reading.
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/ptsd-trauma/helping-children-cope-with-traumatic-stress.htm
National Child Traumatic Stress Network: This organization provides information about the types of trauma children may experience and resources to help children through those traumas. http://nctsn.org/
How Children Cope With Ongoing Threat and Trauma: The BASIC Ph Model By National Association of School Psychologists (NASP): This article details the six coping styles of grief in children, giving examples of healthy and unhealthy coping styles.
Parenting a Child Who Has Experienced Trauma by Child Welfare Information Gateway: This factsheet discusses the nature of trauma, its effects on children and youth, and ways to help your child. https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/child-trauma.pdf
Teaching Children to Calm Themselves by David Bornstein in the NY Times: This article discusses the Head Start Trauma Model, which helps adults learn how to respond to children experiencing trauma intentionally and effectively.
https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/19/first-learn-how-to-calm-down/
Survival Guide for Early Grief by JourneyCare: This article offers practical tips to people dealing with the immediate impacts of stress and grief.
Helpful Links: This part of the website shares some interesting facts about what trauma looks like in children. This page also includes helpful help lines at the end and articles that help to explain trauma even further.
ttp://lookthroughtheireyes.org/helpful-links/
Tips for discussing the tragedy with children:
- What to say to kids when the news is scary (NPR)
- Talking with children about difficult things in the news (Fred Rogers Institute)
- Helping Children with Tragic Events in the News (PBS)
- Parent Guidelines for Helping Youth After the Recent Shooting (The National Child Traumatic Stress Network)
- Helping Children Cope with Frightening News (Child Mind Institute)
- Coping in the Aftermath of a Shooting (American Counseling Association)
- 15 Tips for Talking with Children about Violence (Colorín Colorado)
Do you need help with your mental health? If you don't know where to start, this infographic may help guide you. https://go.usa.gov/xGfxz #shareNIMH
National Institute of Mental HealthChild and Adolescent Mental Health
Ongoing resources -Below is information about various support groups that are being run out of Joanna's Place.Below is a link to the Mental Health and Wellness PageDuxbury FACTS - click on link to resources and organizations designed to help support families and students with substance abuse issues.
CDC Healthy Schools Partner Toolkit
