Grieving After the Newtown School Shooting

The surviving children of the Sandy Hook School shooting have lost beloved friends and teachers and their parents will struggle in the weeks and months ahead to help them process their grief. It is always hard to watch a child suffer through loss, whether of a close relative, sibling, friend or pet. Lauren Hutchinson, LMFT is a child and family therapist and parenting consultant with a practice in Bellevue, Washington. She says the range of symptoms a child may display when they are grieving is quite varied. Kids may want to talk about the source of grief a lot or not at all. They may have bouts of tears, difficulty sleeping and/or nightmares, unusual clinginess to adults, inability to concentrate, and increased irritability or anger. It’s important to “watch for the clues and be available and fully present to them.” Hutchinson

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