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The death of a loved one is an experience most of us will face in our lifetime, and the grief we experience and how we navigate it can be as unique as we are. Our beliefs, culture, religion, values, and our specific relationship to the person who died influences how we are affected.

While loss is a common experience, we don’t always know how to navigate our grief. We tend to learn about death, dying, and grief from our families. For instance, if a death occurred, we may have looked to adults to learn what it meant and how to get through it. Some responses may have been useful – helping us well into adulthood. Sometimes, we didn’t learn anything at all and find that as adults, perhaps with families of our own, that we don’t have any idea about how to help ourselves grieve while supporting our families in their grief.

How we talk about death and grief in our families, if we talk about it at all, depends on our own past experiences with loss and the ages of our family members. According to Dr. Alan Wolfelt, Director of The Center for Loss and Life Transition, “any child old enough to love is old enough to mourn, but their mourning often looks different than ours.” When it comes to coping with the death of a loved one, children and teens grieve differently than adults. They tend to experience grief through the lens of their developmental stage. How we talk to our children about death and loss really involves examining our own feelings and beliefs, so that we can talk to them as naturally as possible.

How do we support grieving children?

Children are aware of loss - they learn from stories, movies, media, etc. – and they mourn. They observe how we react to death, grief, and loss. Younger children may not express grief in the same way as adults, but they are affected and mourn after a death. Young children need support, patience, and understanding.

If you and your family are grieving the loss of a loved one, help is available.

Camp Beacon is a two-day camp for children and teens dealing with the loss of a loved one. Trained professionals and volunteers help children and their families explore issues related to grief, walking beside them as they take the steps needed to heal.

The camp is for children from kindergarten through teens and young adults who have experienced the death of a close family member or loved one in the past two years. Parents, grandparents and caregivers are also encouraged to participate in their own adult group.

Contact us

• Email: campbeacon@sentara.com
• Hampton Roads - Southside: 757-553-3330
• Hampton Roads - Peninsula: 757-736-0709
• Harrisonburg: 540-564-5757