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For parents

Be the Adult a Grieving Child Needs

When someone they love has died, a child needs you to stay close and be honest, even while you're grieving too.

  • 35 minutes
  • Certificate

Free for 14 days, then £4 a month or £40 a year. Cancel before day 14 and you won't pay anything.

About this course

After a death, many adults feel they have to be strong and get everything right for the child. Some steer away from the hard questions to protect them. Children often ask the blunt ones anyway: why did his heart stop, what happens in the grave.

The child doesn't need a hero. They need you to be human, a grief role model who shows that sadness is allowed and that you're still here. You'll learn how to become a safe base when their world feels uncertain, and how to stay with their distress instead of smoothing it over. You'll also hold on to who they were before, and the things they love, so grief isn't all they are.

And you'll see why you shouldn't be the only adult they lean on, for their sake and yours.

Modules

7 modules
  1. 1Introduction1 min
  2. 2Wrap Up & Summary Notes3 min
  3. 3Be a human not a hero6 min
  4. 4Become a safe base8 min
  5. 5Run towards and sit with their distress6 min
  6. 6See the whole child3 min
  7. 7Don’t be the only adult7 min

Across all our courses

91%

of people who rated one of our courses would recommend it to a friend or colleague. From more than 95,000 ratings.

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Good to know

  • A certificate when you finish.
  • Stop when you like and pick up where you left off.
  • Got a link from your child's school? Use that instead: it's free for you.

Start this course today

Try it free for 14 days. The trial opens every course for parents and carers, including this one.