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Grief/Loss
"These are websites I have visited and like."
http://www.fernside.org
"These are books I have available for you to borrow."
The Joy of Sorrow - Mary Joe Hannaford
No Time for Goodbyes - Janice Harris Lord
Learning to Say Good-By - Eda LeShan
The Magical Thoughts of Grieving Children - James A. Fogarty
When Andy's Father Went to Prison
It Must Hurt Alot
Always Gramma
"These are short articles I have written for our school newsletter."
Saying Goodbye
Saying GoodBye - A note from Mrs. Paris…your school counselor
I was wrestling with what to write this month and decided the topic of saying “good-bye”, letting go and change could all be appropriate this month on so many different levels. The grief process underlies all of these topics so I want to briefly remind you of the stages of grief developed Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross many years ago. My 20 years experiences as a counselor have proven this process to be true. These stages are not always visited in the order I will present them and you need to also consider that you may visit one area more than once. One other very important point to make is for anyone to truly heal from a loss you must experience all the stages of grief at some point. I will bold print the stages. Many times when you experience a loss SHOCK/DENIAL is what you may first experience. You do not want to believe what you are hearing. BARGAINING is often what occurs next. The feeling that there must be something I can do to make this not happen or not be true. Children may “get stuck” in this with a lot of magical thinking with their creative little minds. ANGER is a powerful and often frightening stage that can take many forms. This is one area people often suppress because it may cause them to feel guilty. Remember, this is a natural occurrence. SADNESS/DEPRESSION is another area that is often stifled. It is okay and very “normal” to be sad and should be felt in order to heal. ACCEPTANCE is where peace can begin to be restored your life but something else may trigger a visit to another stage mentioned above. The one thing I believe to be true is if you are not afraid of your feelings and express them in non-destructive ways and have someone who can validate your feelings and support you…you will be a stronger person because of the change in your life! Remember I am not speaking just of death but any loss you may experience (moving, divorce, job change, etc.).
Mrs. Paris
