Strengthening classroom emotional support for children following a family member’s death

Heath, Melissa Allen; Cole, Beth Vaughan

doi:10.1177/0143034311415800

Cited by 35 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 43 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…and has been successfully used by teachers, caregiving figures, and even children themselves (Heath & Cole, 2012). Accordingly, the Read-me-to-Resilience (Rm2R; Wood, Theron & Mayaba, 2012) intervention was premised on the assumption that teachers and others who are not formally trained as mental health practitioners could use a bibliotherapy-based intervention to support the resilience of South African OVC.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The resilience-enabling value of African folktales: The read-me-to-resilience intervention

Theron

Cockcroft

Wood

2017

School Psychology International

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Resilience, or the process of adjusting well to adversity, draws on personal and social ecological resources (i.e., caregiving and community supports). Previous researchconducted mostly in the Global North-has shown that bibliotherapy offers a way to support children in identifying and utilizing resilience-enabling resources. In so doing, bibliotherapy has the potential to facilitate resilience. In this article, we confirm the resilience-supporting value of bibliotherapy for African orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). To do so, we report the quantitative and qualitative pre-and post-test results of the Read-me-to-Resilience Study (N = 345). This quasi-experimental study showed that African children who listened to indigenous resilience-themed stories had a significantly increased awareness of personal and community-based protective resources post-intervention, than those who did not. Interestingly, there was no significant increase in their perceptions of caregiving resources. The findings suggest that school psychologists and teachers should include resilienceenabling stories in their support of children who are orphaned. However, further research is needed on how best to use stories in ways that will enable children to identify caregiving resources.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The resilience-enabling value of African folktales: The read-me-to-resilience intervention

Theron

Cockcroft

Wood

2017

School Psychology International

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…There have been a number of studies identifying what educators can do to assist the grieving child in the school environment (Goldman 1998;Rowling, Holland 2000;Lowton, Higginson 2003;Cohen, Mannarino 2011;Heath, Cole 2012;Jenkins, Dunhan, Contreras-Bloomdahl 2011). Having a plan in place for when students experience grief is recommended as well as more specialised training for health professionals (Jenkins,Dunhan,Contreras-Bloomdahl 2011).…”

Section: 410theimportance Of the School In The Bereavement Journeymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Having a plan in place for when students experience grief is recommended as well as more specialised training for health professionals (Jenkins,Dunhan,Contreras-Bloomdahl 2011). Improving the opportunity for social adjustment, strengthening social support and taking opportunities for adaptive teacher involvement to assist the bereaved child with coping strategies and reducing isolation are seen as key to a grieving child's management and adaptation to their grief (Heath, Cole 2012). Grief support groups for children experiencing loss, facilitated by school counsellors can be an effective means of supporting bereaved children, providing a safe place for children to express their fears and to begin the process of letting go.…”

Section: 410theimportance Of the School In The Bereavement Journeymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Psycho-social Impact of fatal Child Drowning in Queensland and the Availability and Use of Support

Macintyre¹

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This thesis examines the impact of fatal child (0-18 years) drowning in Queensland, Australia, and the supports available to parents following the death of their child. Using a social constructionist qualitative approach, two sets of participants were interviewed: bereaved parents and service providers. The key areas addressed in this research relate to the experiences of parents following their child's death and the benefits and limitations of community and professional support available to them.Bereavement and bereavement support related to an unintentional child death such as drowning have different elements to other child deaths. There is a dearth of literature that examines optimum support for families who experience a fatal child immersion.Fourteen Queensland parents were interviewed about their experiences following the death of their child, the support services available to and accessed by them, and opportunities for improvement within these services. Seventeen service providers were interviewed about their experiences in dealing with parents of children who had drowned, and the support services offered. Data were thematically analysed. Participants highlighted how life changed forever the day their child drowned. Parents' emotional, physical and spiritual states were compromised and some parents also experienced negative changes in their financial situation. Recurrent fundamental themes were expressed by participants in relation to their overall wellbeing. These were physical and/or emotional health; their sense of identity and the impact on their identity of their perceived failure as protector for their child, surviving children, and spouse; the nature and importance of ongoing relationships with immediate and extended family, friends and colleagues; the importance of continuing to honour their child; and the impact of their child's death on work and finances. Service providers described their specific roles in providing services to parents of fatally drowned children, the professional challenges within those roles and the personal impact of providing this service. Themes include: the relevance of the unique geography of Queensland; resource and referral challenges for many organisations; training and education implications; and the impact of bereavement support work on the providers. A consistent finding for both parents and service providers was the limited understanding across the community and professional services regarding the support families require following an unintentional death such as drowning.ii Attention to improved training and education across community and professional sectors, development of a specialised referral database and further research into school and workplace bereavement policies and procedures were key suggestions. Whilst the child drowning rate is decreasing In Queensland due to a number of intervention strategies, unintentional deaths from drowning continue to occur and impact irreversibly on families.Service providers, like parents, clearly articulated ways to ...

show abstract

“…Schools have the role of acting as the formal socializing agent in the lives of millions of children. It provides a unique opportunity to create secure, safe and therapeutic opportunities for children to engage in their healing and the potential to help many (Holland, 2008;Heath & Cole, 2011). There is an opportunity here for the lives of children to be enhanced, and for the experience of grief to be met with openness and thoughtful practice by embracing teaching moments within the school environment.…”

Section: Supporting Children Through Griefmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A model of preventative mental health dealing with issues of grief and loss is suggested as a means of providing information and assistance to all children (Heath & Cole, 2011). …”

Section: The Role Of Educatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grief and loss and children: a guide for caregivers and educators

Mulder¹

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Strengthening classroom emotional support for children following a family member’s death

Cited by 35 publications

References 43 publications

The resilience-enabling value of African folktales: The read-me-to-resilience intervention

The resilience-enabling value of African folktales: The read-me-to-resilience intervention

The Psycho-social Impact of fatal Child Drowning in Queensland and the Availability and Use of Support

Grief and loss and children: a guide for caregivers and educators

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About