Creative Interventions for Bereaved Children: Second Edition

In this popular resource, best-selling author and international keynote speaker Liana Lowenstein outlines her most innovative therapeutic tools including games, art, and stories, to help children bereaved by all types of death-loss, including drug overdose, suicide, homicide, mass violence, line-of-duty-death, natural disasters, and serious illness. Some activities may be adapted for youth experiencing a non-death loss—for example, a parent who is incarcerated, parental military deployment, or placement in foster care. The activities can be used in a variety of settings, including in-person and virtual individual and family sessions, children’s grief support groups and camps. This thoroughly updated second edition incorporates up-to-date knowledge on childhood grief, many new activities, additional topic areas, a sample curriculum for children’s grief support groups, and reproducible handouts for caregivers. Geared to ages 7-12.

New to the Second Edition:

• Up-to-date theoretical information on childhood grief
• Revised intake questionnaire
• All new activities to help children safely express feelings, understand death and its finality, address anger and self-blame, commemorate the deceased, and learn coping strategies
• Special interventions for children bereaved by suicide, homicide, drug overdose, natural disasters, and other types of loss
• Techniques to help bereaved children process trauma responses
• Sample curriculum for children’s grief support groups
• New and revised interventions for family sessions
• Reproducible handouts for caregivers and tips for school personnel
• And more!

Creative Interventions for Bereaved Children, Second Edition is a must-have resource for child bereavement program staff and child serving professionals seeking engaging ways to help grieving children and their families.

"This thoughtful collection of creative therapeutic activities is a valuable resource for those helping bereaved children explore and express their grief as they integrate the loss into their lives. It is an accessible and practical guide for providers working with individuals, groups, and families, with helpful handouts for caregivers that support a systems approach to promoting adjustment and wellbeing."
- Brook Griese, Ph.D.

"I highly recommend this new edition of such a valued book. Lowenstein provides practical and reproducible activities that will be appreciated by both seasoned professionals and those new to the children’s bereavement field. The material is accessible and adaptable to a variety of settings. This book should be a part of every well-rounded resource library on children’s grief."
- Jennifer Wiles, LMHC, BC-DMT, FT, Director, HEARTplay Program

"Liana’s language and approach is beautifully constructed from years of experience and is a gift to new practitioners and those who have worked in the field for years. She is incredibly generous in sharing so many activities which will greatly benefit children and families who are grieving. Creative Interventions for Bereaved Children is an important resource and anyone doing grief work should have this on their bookshelves. Those who are familiar with the first edition will greatly benefit from the updated theory on childhood grief and even more creative and thoughtful activities."
- Nadine Gariepy-Fisk, MA, PGDippT, CPT, CCC, ACTA