Originally published September 2018
By Meagan Gillmore
Teachers are often first responders to tragedy. They work with students who are experiencing individual loss, or processing large-scale crises, like natural disasters, shootings, or vehicle collisions. Teachers need to be prepared for how to handle these situations.
Sometimes, adults assume children are too young to experience grief. That’s not true, says Colleen Mousseau, a registered psychotherapist and grief counsellor at the Dr. Jay Children’s Grief Centre in Toronto, ON, an organization that works exclusively with children and their families through dying, death, and grief. The organization receives many referrals from teachers, Mousseau says.
Meagan Gillmore is a freelance writer in Toronto, ON.