Helping Children with Loss

The Helping Children with Loss (HCWL) program uses the book When Children Grieve, by John W. James, Russell Friedman, and Leslie Landon Matthews. It is based upon the general principles of the Grief Recovery Method, (GRM) which is an evidence-based program to help grievers achieve recovery from the grief they experience. 

The HCWL program defines the broad extent and commonality of grief. Grief is the normal and natural emotional response to change or loss of any kind – death, divorce, moving, health changes, relationship changes and more. Grief is also the result of unmet hopes, dreams and expectations and the loss of intangible concepts such as safety, trust, respect, faith and hope. Grief is universal. All of us have experienced grief throughout our lives, as a result of many changes and losses. These losses begin in childhood – when we move from one home to another, when our parents go through divorce, when a pet dies, when a first love doesn’t work out, or when we experience abuse or neglect from someone we expect to love and care for us.

The HCWL program teaches adults how to help their children or the children in their care, talk about their losses and to give voice to the feelings they experience. Adults learn how to help their children identify and give voice to undelivered communications they need to make to take the actions necessary to begin the recovery process.