What One Child Taught Me About Grief
Today I delivered the final session in my first six-week child bereavement coaching programme.
As the session ended, I took a moment to reflect on the past six weeks, the journey that I have been on with this child, and the impact that it has had. Watching the programme come alive will stay with me. It brought an overwhelming mix of emotions and, today, it really hit me just how proud I am to be able to offer this service.
I am so proud of myself — and that isn’t something I would often say.
I am so passionate about supporting children, and watching this programme be delivered has quite literally given me all the feels. Children need time, space and honesty. They need someone who can sit with them when things feel hard. Someone they feel they can ask those difficult questions to. Someone who will listen, be honest with them, and help them make sense of something that can feel impossible to understand.
Children need to learn about the hugely complicated experience that is grief. It is not just a feeling; it is something that can be felt physically within the body too. And sadly, grief is not something we can simply take away or make better. What we can do is help children understand it, recognise some of the things that can trigger those feelings, and explore what they can do when those waves arrive. Because although we cannot stop the waves from coming, we can help children feel more confident riding them.
I have seen with my own eyes this programme in action, and honestly, today that gave me goosebumps!
Seeing a child have a safe space to explore their grief, share memories, ask questions and begin to understand their feelings has been incredibly powerful. It is an absolute privilege to support children as they navigate grief, to be trusted with their stories, and to help them understand that although grief can feel overwhelming, they do not have to face it alone. As I reflect on this first six-week programme, I feel incredibly grateful.
Grateful for the trust that was placed in me, grateful for the opportunity to do this work, and grateful that I get to support children through some of the hardest moments they may face.
My hope is that every child experiencing grief has someone who listens, someone who understands, and somewhere they feel safe enough to talk.
Because grief is something we carry, but it is something we can learn to navigate.
And if this first programme has shown me anything, it is that this work matters.
CUBS Bereavement Support was created because children deserve support too.
Georgia 🤍