I’m thrilled to share that I’m now Certified in Thanatology (the study of Death, Dying, Loss, and Bereavement) through the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC). Immersing myself in the content needed to prep for this exam in the weeks immediately following my mom’s death was a challenge. But I did it. I worked really hard for this and—I’ll say it—I’m proud of me.
Is it a behavior problem, or is it grief?
When kids act out, shut down, or struggle in school, it’s easy to assume it’s defiance, attention-seeking, or a lack of discipline. But sometimes, it’s grief.
In this post for the PTA Our Children Blog, I explore how grief in children often doesn’t look like sadness—it can show up as anger, anxiety, forgetfulness, or even physical complaints. And when we misinterpret these signs, we risk responding in ways that isolate rather than support them.
Read it here.
If you work with or love a grieving child, I hope this piece offers insight and practical ways to help.
The latest in an on-going blog series for Penn State Outreach:
October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. If you’ve experienced this kind of loss or infertility, we see you. Your grief is valid. If you’ve never experienced this loss, there’s a good chance you know someone who has. Here are some specific recommendations for supporting someone who is grieving a pregnancy or infant loss, click here.
Charlene Lam is a certified grief coach, speaker, and founder of The Grief Gallery. After her mother died suddenly in 2013, Charlene leaned into her creativity and instincts as a curator to guide herself through grief. In her interview for The Apologies Podcast, Charlene shares how she developed her Curating Grief framework and discusses how she now uses it to help others.
“My friend’s mom died. What should I say to them?” How would you respond if a child or teen in your life asked you this question? If you’re not sure, you’re not alone. Most of us weren’t taught how to navigate the big feelings that come with loss, so how are we supposed to guide the young people in our lives as they support a peer through loss?
Learning Grief is a free online resource from WPSU that helps adults help kids and teens develop the skills to respond to their grieving peers with competence, confidence, and compassion. Created in collaboration with nationally recognized experts in trauma, grief, and child/adolescent psychology, this site provides tools for cultivating grief literacy and modeling effective support as well as classroom resources available through PBS LearningMedia.
Learn more here.
An estimated 1 in 12 children in the United States will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18. And that number does not account for other bereavements, like grandparents or pets, or non-death losses like caregiver divorce or incarceration. Most of us weren’t taught how to understand and navigate our own grief, much less how to recognize and respond to children who are grieving. The little bit we are taught is often rooted in inaccurate or outdated information. Replacing these myths with reality can positively impact our effectiveness in supporting young people who are navigating loss. To learn more, check out this post I wrote for the PTA’s “Our Children” blog by clicking here.
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