The death of a loved one is a universal experience, and grief comes along with it, in many different shapes and forms. Experiencing grief after a loss is a natural and normal part of life, and most people will manage grief with the support of loved ones and practicing self-care, without lasting impact on their lives.
No matter the case, grief sticks around with us, as we carry those we lost in our hearts and minds. Most times, we will learn how to manage these feelings and carry on with our lives. In some cases, grief can be more impairing and could benefit from attention by mental health professionals.
Prolonged Grief Disorder is a diagnosis for the experience of an individual who has experience the death of someone close to them and who continues to experience intense feelings and thoughts about the deceased, with thoughts or memories occurring most days at least a year after the death for adults, and at least 6 months after the death for children and adolescents. To meet the diagnostic criteria, the individual also needs to experience at least three of the following symptoms for a period of at least one month that leads to distress of impairment in daily activities: identity disruption, disbelief about the death, avoidance of reminders of the fact that the person is deceased, intense emotional pain, difficulty reintegrating into relationships and activities, an inability to experience a positive mood or emotional numbness, loneliness, or a sense that life is meaningless. For children who are struggling with a loss for long after the death, it could also look like increasing fear and worry about death and dying.
Your child’s reaction to the loss may also be represented by an adjustment disorder, which is when children have a hard time coping with their feelings about an event in their life and show signs of anxiety, depression, or behavioral problems, which typically lasts less than six months.
For children who are struggling with their mental health following a loss to the degree that their performance at school is being impacted, their relationships with friends or family are suffering, or they are experiencing distress across settings, professional support may be needed.
Evidence-Based Interventions for Impairing Grief in Children and Adolescents
There are some evidence-based interventions designed to support children and adolescents who have experienced grief in the aftermath of a death including Trauma-Focused CBT, Multidimensional grief therapy, and Resilient Parenting for Bereaved Families.
Trauma-Focused CBT
A treatment that has been found to be effective for symptoms of grief, especially when the death may have been traumatic in nature for the child, or the child is displaying symptoms that are indicative of traumatic stress. Researchers and clinical providers have developed grief-focused components of treatment for these children and adolescents, including grief psychoeducation, resolving ambivalent feelings, integrating positive memories, and enhancing current relationships. These additional components are layered with the approach of traditional TF-CBT to address the unique challenges that come with grieving and make room for the complicated mixed feelings that grief can bring forth for a child. The treatment approach requires caregiver involvement and emphasizes the important role that caregivers play in helping their child navigate grief. TF-CBT is offered at the Center for Effective Therapy as a structured, but individualized treatment, with care to address each child’s unique challenges.
Multidimensional Grief Therapy
An intervention based on the theory that children and teens can experience grief in any one of, or all three ways: separation distress, existential or identity distress, and circumstance related distress. The treatment aims to approach these domains and address them with useful and healthy strategies that can help them grow in positive ways from the loss.
Resilient Parenting for Bereaved Families
This treatment aapproaches supporting children through grief from a caregiver lens. The treatment emphasizes building family cohesion and communication, creating consistent and healthy bonding time for kids and caregivers, and caregiver self-care.
If you are concerned about your child’s mental health following the loss of a loved one and are seeing their grief begin to impact their daily lives, an assessment from a mental health professional is a good place to start. With a thorough assessment, you can better understand what approach is best fit to support your child’s needs.