Grief is natural reaction to the death of a loved one or an important person in our lives. Everyone grieves as a result of death. At Good Grief, we know grief to be an important component of a child's healing; it serves in an essential role in the process. Grief includes many feelings and reactions from sadness to joy and acceptance to anger. Every feeling that accompanies a child's grief is normal, and it is up to competent and informed adults and peers to provide a safe environment for the expression and exploration of grief. Much of grief is a learning process, in which the grieving attempts to better--and perhaps more richly--understand their feelings, the human condition, make sense out of suffering in the world, work towards rebuilding a life without the person who died, and ultimately develop coping skills for the future. Grief is a process which is unique to each individual. At Good Grief, we honor the diversity of each person's human experience and we do so through community.

You may be in a position to support a grieving child.

Contact Good Grief or seek another resource if you notice any unhealthy or destructive behaviors, which may include the following over a long period of time:

• Inability to speak about the person who died
• Aggressive behavior
• Anxiety
• Somatic complaints
• Sleeping difficulties
• Eating disturbance
• Social withdrawal
• Persistent blame or guilt
• Self-destructive behavior