The Grief Support Group Curriculum provides a basis for assisting children and teenagers as they learn about mourning through facing death of a close or special friend. The aim of this curriculum is to facilitate healthy variations of mourning and positive adaptations following the death of a friend or family member. The work illustrates mourning in four stages of development and is accordingly divided into four separate texts. Chapter two covers developmental considerations of mourning children. The texts focus on preschool-aged children, children in kindergarten through grade two, children in grades three through six, and teenagers. Topics covered include: finding a site; recruiting and training facilitators; materials needed; and whether or not providing a snack is appropriate. The third chapter provides the facilitator with practical advice for preparing for grief support groups.
. This handbook is designed for facilitators of grief support groups for mourning children. An extensive list of resources for those working with mourning children and their families as well as for the children and families themselves is included. This curriculum, originally written in 1986 and later expanded and revised, has been used with hundreds of children. Specifically it discusses how development affects bereavement in the early years, at middle childhood, during adolescence, and in general. The first chapter discusses the history, philosophy, and format of a specific curriculum - the Mourning Child curriculum. .