Resources
RECOMMENDED BOOKS
CHILDREN AND GRIEF
Brown and Brown, When Dinosaurs Die, Little Brown & Co., 1996.
Explains in simple language the feelings people may have regarding the death of a loved one and the ways to honor the memory of someone who has died.
Fox, Mem, Tough Boris, Harcourt Brace, 1994.
Boris von der Borch is a mean, greedy old pirate--tough as nails, through and through, like all pirates. Or is he? When a young boy sneaks onto Boris’s ship, he discovers that even pirates cry. And so does he.
Karst, Patrice, Invisible String, DeVorss & Company, 2000.
Author Patrice Karst illustrates how we are connected to the people we love by invisible string. Karst describes how even people we can’t see anymore are connected to us by this string. Siblings Liza and Jeremy go on to ask questions about the string including how far the string reaches and how the string tugs on a person’s heart when they are missing someone.
This book creatively depicts the important concept we believe in strongly at BRIDGES: Death ends a life but not a relationship. Through this book children (and adults) recognize that the relationship “strings” we form with people are life lasting.
TEENS AND GRIEF
Fitzgerald, Helen, The Grieving Teen, Simon and Schuster, 2000.
Although the circumstances surrounding a death are difficult to handle at any age, adolescence brings with it challenges and struggles that until now have been largely overlooked. But in this unique and compassionate guide, renowned grief counselor Helen Fitzgerald turns her attention to the special needs of adolescents struggling with loss and gives them the tools they need to work through their pain and grief.
Hipp, Earl, Help for the Tough Times, Hazelden, 1995.
A guide that helps teens understand how they experience grief and loss, how our culture in general doesn't often acknowledge their losses or give them tools to grieve, and how they can keep their loss from overflowing.
Krementz, Jill, How It Feels When A Parent Dies. Alfred A. Knopf, 1991.
Eighteen children from age 7 - 17, speak openly of their experiences and feelings. As they speak we see them in photos with their surviving parent and with other family members, in the midst of their everyday lives.
HELPING CHILDREN WHO ARE GRIEVING
Doka, Kenneth, Children Mourning, Mourning Children. HO Foundation of America, 1995.
This book explores three basic themes in children's grief. Firstly, it maintains that children are always developing; therefore their understanding of death and their reactions to illness and loss are also multifaceted and constantly undergoing change. Secondly, children grieve in ways that are both different from and similar to adults. While they may need different therapeutic approaches from their elders, each loss is different and the grief experience will be affected by many of the same factors that affect adults. Thirdly, it holds that they need significant support as they grieve.
ADULTS AND GRIEF
Deits, Bob, Life After Loss, Fisher Books, 2000.
With practical and compassionate advice, personal stories, and helpful exercises, Life after Loss is not just about understanding grief-it's about doing something about it. Wise and universal, Life after Loss is a classic in the field of grief recovery.
Ellis, Thomas M., This Thing Called Grief: New Understanding of Loss, Syren Book Company, 2006.
This Thing Called Grief shows that although grief and pain may be changing you now, they have the potential to transform your life in a healing way. Ellis uses many real-life narratives of loss from his therapy practice to help illustrate various ways of grieving, and shows how you can learn from the experience of loss and make your way towards a place of healing transitions and a renewed sense of life.
More Resources
Community Support Groups
BRIDGES Events Calendar
Cross Currents Newsletter - Fall 2009