Media advisory - Kids Help Phone experts on grief and loss

TORONTO, March 10 /CNW/ -

What does grief and loss mean to kids in Canada?
There are many different types of losses that kids can encounter, including the death of a family member or friend, separation or divorce within the family, the ending of a friendship, or the loss of a pet.

Grief is a normal, healthy part of losing someone or something. It can be experienced physically and emotionally.

Painful feelings are expected after a significant loss, but grief can be especially difficult for kids. They may already be feeling overwhelmed with the ongoing changes that come with growing up, like school and social pressures.

Why we want to talk about it
Family issues, which include grief and loss, remain among the top three reasons kids contact Kids Help Phone.

Out of those family-related questions and concerns, about 10 per cent of questions Kids Help Phone counsellors receive relate to grief and loss

In March, "grief and loss" is one of the featured enhanced topics on www.kidshelpphone.ca; kids and teens will learn about grief, grieving a death, other kinds of loss, and how to be there for a friend.

Parents and caretakers will find this site helpful as well; not only can it provide some answers in understanding a grieving child, it can also be of help for the adults and the child they care deeply about be sad together, and find a way to say goodbye together. http://kidshelpphone.ca/Teens/InfoBooth/Emotional-Health/Grief.aspx 

What kids are telling us
"Is it completely absurd to still have hope that my sister might come home? Nine months after she's passed away, how can I still wish that? How can I still wake up from dreaming about her and forget, for that split second, that's she's really truly gone." - Real post from kidshelpphone.ca

Quick tips for parents and caretakers
"Death is a new experience for most youths," says Kids Help Phone counsellor Cheryl-Lynn Roberts. "Children do not ask themselves, 'how do I feel?' but experience their grief through their behaviour and play." For over 20 years, counsellor Cheryl-Lynn Roberts has been helping kids and parents in their grieving process. She is available for media interviews to offer tips and information about how grief and loss affects kids and how the adults in their lives can help them cope.

About Kids Help Phone

Kids Help Phone is Canada's leading youth counselling service, moving kids from distress and isolation to confidence and competence. Available anytime of the day or night, in English and French, by phone and by web, it is the go-to resource for kids in Canada from five to 20 when they need help or trustworthy information on issues that are difficult to discuss with anyone else. Providing a service that is free, anonymous and confidential, Kids Help Phone is a respected charity, vitally dependent on individual donations and corporate support to remain available to kids looking for help; sometimes looking for a lifeline.

SOURCE: Kids Help Phone

To set up an interview, please contact:
416-581-8955