2nd Edition
Breaking the Silence A Guide to Helping Children with Complicated Grief - Suicide, Homicide, AIDS, Violence and Abuse
The second edition of this bestselling book is designed for mental health professionals, educators, and the parent/caregiver, this book provides specific ideas and techniques to work with children in various areas of complicated grief. It presents words and methods to help initiate discussions of these delicate topics, as well as tools to help children understand and separate complicated grief into parts. These parts in turn can be grieved for and released one at a time.
A new chapter is included, called "Communities Grieve: Involvement with Children and Trauma." It includes information on The Taiwan Earthquake and how the community worked with children, a school bus accident in which 36 elementary school children witnessed the death of the bus driver that was driving and how the school system worked with these children and their families; a boy who was running on a cross country team and got hit by a car, which was witnessed by teammates; and how a non-profit community grief agency worked with family, school, and community. The last study is from the Oklahoma bombing and the outgrowth of a place for the traumatized children and how they still work with kids and family today. This chapter then contains new activities to work with traumatized grieving children.
The new edition also includes updated resources, books, curriculums, websites, hotlines and another new chapter on bullying and victimization issues. The chapter for educators has been expanded, including the coverage of topics such as at-risk students, gay and lesbian issues, and self-injurious behaviors.
Introduction
Acknowledgments
Part I: Complicated Grief
1. What Is Children's Complicated Grief?
Part II: Breaking the Silence
2. Breaking the Silence on Suicide
3. Breaking the Silence on AIDS
4. Breaking the Silence on Homicide and Other Violent Crime
5. Breaking the Silence on Abuse
6. Breaking the Silence on Bullying
Part III: Techniques
7. Techniques for Complicated Grief
8. Saying Goodbye: Ways to Include Children in a Funeral or Memorial
9. Educators Can Help: Let's Get Involved
10. Communities Grieve: Involvement with Children and Trauma
Part IV: Resources
11. National Resources Bridge the Gap
12. Materials to Explore and Annotated Bibliography: There Is Hope
References
About the Author
Index
Biography
Linda Goldman
"Goldman is an artisan in her writing, bringing together the gifts of author and therapist with the work of the listener to the story in ways that help us address issues and touch the hearts of children she writes about. Her book is a warehouse of resources on complicated grief as it is woven through life and through the lives of children. The insights are on target, and the help will enable us, as adults (parents and professionals), be more present in the story and feelings of children...This book is a must for your professional library and should be made available to parents and families." -- Resources Hotline, 2002 (The World Pastoral Care Center)
"Breaking the Silence is a book that needs to be read by everyone concerned about helping children heal from one of life's most tragic events. Goldman's experience and understanding of the issues and needs of children provides a solid foundation for parents, educators, and counselors seeking assistance." -- Donna L. Schuurman, Ed.D., Executive Director, The Dougy Center for Grieving Children
"Linda Goldman is a well known international expert on educating children about life and death and treating children's grief. This book helps us to understand children's reaction to grief and their related therapy." -- Sam Ng, Ph.D., National Tawain Normal University
"Breaking the Silence, 2nd Edition offers parents, teachers, counselors and anyone who works with or cares for children, clear methods for addressing the crisis of untimely, sudden, or socially stigamtized deaths." -- Karen L. Carney, RN, LCSW, Bereavement Program Director, D'Esopo Resource Center for Loss and Transition, Author/Illustrator, The Barclay and Eve Series of Books for Children
"If you need information on the toughest issues relating to kids: Suicide, Complicated Grief, AIDS, Bullying, Abuse, Homicide and others the Breaking the Silence is the book for you. This is a great resource. This book creates a dialogue around the most difficult topics and breaks the seal of silence in a practical and useful manner. It includes many very helpful techniques that aid you in both understanding the issues and, most importantly, helping you to help the children who need your stewardship. It also offers plenty of recommendations for further study both print and Internet. I can't recommend it enough." -- Tom Golden, LCSW, Golden Healing Publishing LLC
"This is an informative book that truly is a testament to the author's knowledge and experience and her desire to provide others with the tools needed to help our most important population -- children. I recommend this book without reservation and commend the author for this exceptional work." -- Doody Publishing
"The best materials I found for helping children experiencing death due to suicide or violence, wre from a medical agency which supports families in crisis and in Linda Goldman's book, Breaking the Silence. Breaking the Silence boldly identifies most of the 'sensitive' issues regarding harm to human life, suggests that children be told in simple but factual terms exactly what has happened, and then provides useful steps for helping children in each situation. I have made use of Linda's advice both in training volunteers to be facilitators of grief support groups for children, and also when providing in-service to school professionals regarding children and grief." -- Paula R. Elliott, Bereavement Specialist, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh
