Healing Children's Grief

From the Forward...

Dr. Christ's study of children whose parents are dying provides important new information for the construction of theories about children's adaptation to the traumatic experience of expected death from medical illness...It is a model of research that can be extended to the consideration of other variables...At times, the obligations of the researcher and the ethical commitments of the clinician are seen as two contrasting and opposing forces. This research demonstrates that this is a false splitting. Dr. Christ shows that clinical engagement and systematic research are synergistic and mutually enriching...Remarkably, this volume is both deeply moving--as we must all be moved at the deepest core of our experiences by the fantasies of the child's loss of a parent--and remarkably sober.

Donald J. Cohen, M.D., Director, Child Study Center, Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology, Yale University School of Medicine

"Healing Children's Grief constitutes a major contribution to the bereavement literature. It is an excellent book and a valuable asset to clinicians and researchers who deal with developmental concepts of death and loss in a way not previously undertaken. The book's insightful conclusions and recommendations are a product of Christ's vast experience and research with cancer patients and their families. Providing a comprehensive understanding of the effect of a parent's death on the lives of surviving family members, this book is a 'must' for all students and mental health professionals who deal with major issues of life and death."

"Not all bereaved children grieve the same way. In this outstanding book Christ outlines in detail why children of different developmental levels experience the loss of a parent differently. The book presents an accomplished blending of clinical cases along with specific recommendations for those who care for these children."