People with social work careers can help teens deal with grief

After an 18-year-old high school student's car was found in a lake in North Carolina, licensed clinical social worker Katie Wangelin told The Good Morning show how parents can help their children cope with grief, WFMY News reports.

Wangelin said that small children usually do not realize that something is wrong until their parents begin to change their behavior. Therefore, it is important for parents to deal with their grief privately before they allow it to affect their kids.

Parents who have children in elementary school should make sure that they take time to listen to them. Adults should let these kids speak and correct any errors in the information they heard about the incident, Wangelin said.

If adults have children in middle and high school, they need to spend time with them and discuss their sadness. Teens should be encouraged to spend time with other youths in order to share their feelings, but parents must always be available to talk.

According to Help Starts Here, professionals who have social work careers can help struggling teens by assessing their needs and strengths, providing them with information about further resources and giving their parents data about warning signs. 

POSTED BY: admin - May 10th, 2011 at 03:51pm ( 0 )