Academic Care and Wellbeing - SchoolTV

GRIEF AND LOSS

Grief is a natural response to loss. It might be the loss of a loved one, relationship or even a pet. People also grieve the loss of something that wasn't experienced, this year especially with COVID-19 some of the rights of passage for young and old weren't as many as expected.  

When the loss involves someone that was close or played a significant role in someone's life we usually expect the ensuing grief experience will be more intense. Grief may also be intensified when relationships have been complicated or when they weren't as what someone had hoped. Similarly, one can also grieve for lack of or missed opportunity. 

It goes without saying, that one's own experiences of grief and loss impacts how we traverse these experiences and how we support others; for parents and care givers, how they perceive, understand and respond to their child's experience of grief and loss. Children and adults grieve differently due to their developmental stage.

Young children fluctuate in and out of the stages of grief rapidly, as they may not comprehend the permanency death. They express their grief more physically. Teens on the other hand may not know how to express their grief and will need some space to process their loss. Some may choose to grieve alone, not wanting to stand out or be seen as not coping, and others may start to question their own mortality.  

Opportunities to remember people who have passed can be a really important to navigating this space and earlier this week the college marked All Soul's Day. 

SchoolTV presents information on how parents can learn how to acknowledge their child’s feelings and the best way to support them through the grief. In addition to the information provided for parents through SchoolTV, the Academic Care and Wellbeing team at Mater Dei Catholic College is also able to offer Seasons for Growth, a group program designed to support young people who are grieving. 

If your child has experienced a loss 12 or more months ago and you think they would benefit from a structured and supportive program that creates a safe and reflective processing space, please let your child's House Leader know. 

With sufficient interest, we would look to offer this program in 2021. For information please see below fact sheets.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this edition of SchoolTV. Please contact the school as required and seek professional assistance if you are concerned about your child's wellbeing.  

Ms Anne Hodkinson | College Psychologist