Talking to Kids About Grief and Suicide
“Suicide impacts almost everyone directly or indirectly. Hearing about it from a trusted source, like a parent or caregiver, will assist your child with the right information and they can speak to others about it accurately.”
~ Kristin Francis, MD, HMHI Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
Coping with tragedy is hard and can be even harder when it involves the loss of someone to suicide. If you are a parent or caregiver, you may struggle with what to say or how to support a child coping with the grief and trauma of a suicide loss.
First and foremost, tell your child the truth. Will It be a hard conversation? Yes. However, it could be even more harmful to your child if you are misleading or evasive. Not only could they learn the truth from another source, but they could also be making up their own stories about what happened that are even scarier or more painful to them.
If you aren’t sure what to say, we have some resources that can help. They offer age-appropriate ways to talk about suicide and how to help with the grief process:
If you find you need additional help, Vail Health Behavioral Health offers free clinical support through Olivia’s Fund. You can also reach out to the licensed clinicians at Your Hope Center 24/7 at 970-306-4673.