Despite the attention given to bereavement counselling in recent years, young children’s grief often passes unnoticed or is misunderstood This book advocates and explains ‘normal therapy’: simply adding a little specialist knowledge to the intuitive skills which most carers already possess.
There is a wonderful book by C S Lewis in which he describes the process of coming to terms with his bereavement - the 'grief observed' which most adults will experience at some time in their lives… this book is about the grief not observed, that of very young children.
It is for parents, carers, and professionals who work with them: there are many books about child development, bereavement, and therapy, but not many about loss of a parent where a young child is involved. Very often the remaining parent, close relatives and well-meaning friends, are understandably so involved with their own grief that they try to sweep the child's problem under the carpet. They can regard apparent lack of reaction in the child with relief, rather than as a danger signal.
Being based on the personal experience of someone well-known to the author, it brings to life both the young child's disrupted and an adult experience of therapy. It shows how, with competent professional help if necessary, parents and carers can learn how to cope not only with their own grief, but also discover effective ways of helping.
The book is essentially practical - it is meant to make 'therapy' an everyday concept, so avoids jargon and theoretical language where possible.
How I got here I was brought up in Northumberland, England, and lived in Oxford, Southwell, and London, before moving to France in 2003. My husband, Michael, is an inventor of educational and social games. He also writes educational material with me and others. We have one daughter, Cath, who has illustrated one of my books. My career took me through teaching, social work and practice teaching. As an educator I found it sad that students only read enough to complete their academic assignments, so became passionate about making social work theories come alive for them. I began writing in the mid-nineties, when I was commissioned to write some training workbooks with Nigel Horner, an established author and inspired social work teacher. This whetted my appetite for writing training materials in a soundly theory based, friendly and accessible style. So in 1997 4M Publications was born, and still lives on as Kindred Games and Books www.kindredgamesandbooks.co.uk My particular interests are in social care methods, groupwork, communication skills, and teamwork. During my practice years I met so many wonderful staff members who were undervalued both by themselves and others: ‘I’m only a care assistant’. I found that their lives could be enriched by a small amount of productive training, if this were delivered [...]
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