Helping Children and Teens After a Suicide


Survivors of Suicide Loss Support Group - Madison, NJ

It is often hard to help a child deal with there grief after losing a parent or friend to suicide.  How children deal with grief is dependent on their age.  Generally it is recommended that you seek professional counseling for children to help them work through their grief after a suicide.  The following is a collection of article, websites and printouts  for a parent or caregiver to help a child or teen deal with their grief following the suicide of a loved one.

Please also visit our other pages that provide information about:

Specialized Counseling for Children and Teens After a Suicide

In the aftermath of a suicide it is often said that children are the forgotten grievers.  

The adults around them are often consumed by the tragedy of the suicide and they can miss that the children are suffering in their own way.  Kids and teens will process the loss on a different level and may not relate or share how they are feeling with you.  They have seen the adults in  their lives suddenly crying and out of control of their emotions.  They are used to looking up to you, and suddenly they are often confused.

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU FIND A GRIEF COUNSELOR AND A CHILDHOOD BEREAVEMENT GROUP TO ASSIST THE CHILDREN AFTER A SUICIDE LOSS.  

There are many great grief programs for children and teens across the USA.   Many of them are free.  You can find a list of them here: National Alliance for Grieving Children: Finding Support  Many of these groups can provide you local lists of individual grief counselors that they maintain.

Here in NJ there are several local grief groups for children:

Helping Children and Teens Cope With A Suicide Loss

Talking With Children and Teens About Suicide and Grief

Helping Children and Teens Cope with Funerals and Memorial Services

Understanding Traumatic Grief and Children

Understanding Child and Teen Grief