It’s hard enough being a parent (at least from everything I witness and see). So, what do you do when you suddenly become a widow, grieving the loss of your spouse while also trying to help your grieving child?
Whether the loss is a caregiver, a parent, or even a sibling, a child that experiences loss is going to experience grief differently than we as adults do. Young children may not even understand what death means, or that people who have died won’t be coming back. They may worry they have done something to cause the death. On the other hand, they might not seem too concerned about it, or even go from crying one moment to wanting to play the next. It is also normal for a child to feel angry at the person who has died (or someone else entirely). As children get older they may begin to understand more, but will still need help from their parents and other caregivers on how to process and cope with loss.
So, how do we wrap our arms around these tender souls while also still trying to cope with our own grief?
In this episode we speak to Sara Deren, Founder and CEO of Experience Camps. Experience Camps is a national non-profit that gives grieving children experiences that change their lives forever. Experience camps allow children to find their own process through their grief by coming together and connecting with others their own age. Whether a child shares or not is entirely up to them, but it gives them an outlet for their grief. It gives them a chance to be active, be outside, be in a space that doesn’t constantly have triggers. More importantly, it gives children a voice by creating a more grief-sensitive culture. 
Experience camps are not only vital and important, but they are completely FREE for families and offer transportation to those that need it. Listen along as Sara talks about the importance of these camps and the impact grief has on children.
Season 2 Sponsor:
Resources from SEASON 2 Ep. 9:
Website:
Articles/blogs:
Child Mind Institute- Helping Children Deal with Grief,
Experience Camps Blog- Ways to Support Grieving Kids in the Hispanic Culture,
Blog, Katie Lear- Grief Counseling for Children, How to Find the Right Help,
Grief Healing Blog- Children Grieve too, But Not the Same as Adults,
Clinical Trials:
CURRENTLY RECRUITING! Hillman Cancer Center- Olaparib in Treating Patients With Advanced Glioma, Cholangiocarcinoma, or Solid Tumors With IDH1 or IDH2 Mutations,
CURRENTLY RECRUITING! Roswell Cancer Center- SurVaxM Vaccine-Brain Cancer Immunotherapy,
CURRENTLY RECRUITING! Ivy Brain Tumor Center- INFIGRATINIB IN RECURRENT GLIOBLASTOMA PATIENTS (phase 0 trial),
CURRENTLY RECRUITING! University of California San Francisco- A New Way to Treat Children and Young Adults With a Brain Tumor Called NGGCT (ages 3-30)
Books:
Videos:
Freestyle rap helps grieving children heal
Get to know Experience Camps:
For more resources, visit our resource page here.
Hosted by Shannon Traphagen 
Be First to Comment