Helping Teens Cope with Death
DVD and Companion Guide
The Dougy Center for Grieving Children and Families, 2010, 21 minutes, $49.95
If you stay in youth ministry for very long, you will encounter situations that are above your pay grade—and walking with a teen through the loss of a loved one definitely qualifies. What do you say? How can you help? What should you not say? What’s the best thing you can do? When an adolescent loses a loved one, especially a parent, he or she (along with you and every other caring adult in his or her life) immediately is tossed into the deep end.
This useful DVD will help you and your volunteer team tread water when the unthinkable happens. A great resource from The Dougy Center for Grieving Children, Helping Teens Cope with Death allows you a window into the journey of six teens who have lost parents. Tackling several different angles, the students share their experiences—the good and the bad—to help the viewer understand how to break the news of a loved one’s death, the changes a teen experiences at home, the changes a teen experiences at school, what grief looks like and what can be done to help. Their stories are unique; and at the end of each segment, the teen narrator gives a helpful summary.
This thoughtful, practical resource is a must-have for any youth worker who wants to be prepared to minister to grieving students and give their parents a window into the heart of a grieving adolescent.
