Art as a Component of Grief Work With Children (IN: Helping Bereaved Children: a Handbook for Practitioners, edited by N B Webb Second Edition)

After experiencing death, children often embrace opportunities to communicate their feelings about it despite being confused or upset. We must respect children’s unique understanding, manner of displaying, confronting, & mastering their grief. For many children art offers a valuable vehicle for meeting the challenge of bereavement. This chapter focuses on integrating art therapy into other techniques to help children communicate, understand, & cope with their grief. The case of a 14-yr-old boy with recurrent abdominal pain following his father’s suicide highlights the value of a nonverbal therapeutic intervention. Art was particularly well suited to the boy due to his shy personality, learning disability, interest in art, & age. (11 refs)