Many educators are at a loss for how to address grief in their students and themselves. Pediatrician David Schonfeld offers some advice.
To better understand how the adults in schools can help students—and themselves—who are experiencing grief, I reached out to Dr. David Schonfeld, the founder of the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the Coalition to Support Grieving Students.
The Center’s phenomenal collection of free online guides provide step-by-step instructions on how to respond to students about a school shooting, the war in Ukraine, suicide, death, and natural disasters.
The Coalition expands on this work, offering information on what to say and what not to say to children who are grieving, developmental and cultural considerations, the impact on learning, and many other topics to help school communities during these tragic times. They also offer free online training and in-person services.