Children at the bedside: Preparing children for the death of someone close to them

Supporting children and youth who are experiencing the dying of someone close to them is a challenging experience across all disciplines, even for the most skilled professional. There is a growing body of research encouraging authenticity, honesty and inclusion of children experiencing a death. Yet too often children and youth remain excluded from the experience of illness, dying and death, leading to a sense of alienation for the child and a missed opportunity for their growth and connection. In our intent of protecting, we often unintentionally unplug the child from relationships both prematurely and unnaturally.

Real-life and real-death narratives will be used throughout this training to identify practical strategies that can be used to support children and youth who are experiencing the impending death of someone in their lives.

Participants of this webinar will explore:

• The roots of our societal discomfort with the topic of children and death
• Myths and misconceptions which create barriers to children being included at the bedside of someone who is dying
• Practical strategies and creative approaches for preparing children for a death, including a death through medical assistance in dying (MAID)
• Literary, web, and local resources for supporting children who are experiencing the dying of someone close to them

This webinar is part of the Children’s grief and bereavement certificate program. Participants may register for any of the certificate program’s individual webinars as a stand-alone training.