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This opening session falls under Forming stage, where group members meet and start to form relationships. At the beginning participants may feel uncertain, shy, or anxious about their roles in the group. The focus is on introductions and to gently welcome young children into a comforting and supportive grief group environment. Through the following activities, children will begin to build trust, learn group expectations, and explore their feelings related to a variety of losses they are struggling with. By using age-appropriate language and activities each session in this group series, is focused on helping children learn how to express their emotions and understand that all feelings are valid while teaching affective coping skills. This opening session focuses on establishing connections with the members of the group, establishing procedures and routines to be able to dive deeper in conversations later on.

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This session focuses on the forming and norming stage of of group counseling by discussing the concept of death and the process of grieving. This gives children the opportunity to learn about what they are experiencing and also identify and share the thoughts and feelings they have.

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This session falls under the Storming Stage of group therapy because it allows for children to share and challenge each others ideas and beliefs surrounding grief.

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This session falls under the Norming Stage of group counseling because it allows for opportunities to share feelings and emotions each member is experiencing. Through the memory cut outs and rainbow activity, children are able to express how they are feeling through different forms, while also practicing communicating those feelings when sharing.

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This activity helps young people understand the connection between the changes happening around them and the changes they experience in their own lives. By observing natural changes, such as trees losing their leaves or the changing of seasons, children can begin to relate these shifts to personal growth and life transitions, including the passage of time and aging. The activity encourages discussion about how change is a natural part of life, creating an opportunity for children to share their personal experiences of loss. It helps them express how those experiences may have impacted them and how they’ve adapted or changed as a result.

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This session falls within the Norming phase of group development, where trust has been built, and emotional sharing deepens. As with the past session we have established how feelings are identified, how the loss has made them feel, and how it has changed their lives. This session continues to help children identify, name, and express the wide range of emotions they may feel after a loss, reinforcing that all emotions are valid and okay to share.

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Through this exercise, young children will learn to recognize their feelings and be encouraged to use coping strategies to manage them throughout the day or week. This activity is appropriate for children of this age—a quick and straightforward method to support the use of coping mechanisms.

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Activities for bereaved children. Winston’s Wish. (2025, April 9). https://winstonswish.org/free-activities-for-bereaved-children-and-young-people/

Dougy Center. (n.d.). Supporting grieving children and teens. Dougy Center. Retrieved April 27,

2025, from https://www.dougy.org

KarrasKids. (n.d.). The Color Monster extension activities. Teachers Pay Teachers. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Color-Monster-Extension-Activities-6141408

Mentally Healthy Schools. (n.d.). Emotion wheel for children. https://www.mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/resources/emotion-wheel-for-children/

Silverman, P. R. (2000). Never too young to know: Death in children's lives. Oxford University

Press.

Specialist, N. (2025, April 25). What are the stages of group therapy?. Northpoint Idaho. https://www.northpointrecovery.com/blog/stages-of-group-therapy/

Worden, J. W. (1996). Children and grief: When a parent dies. The Guilford Press.

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Our objective through grieving counseling is to effectively counsel 7 year old students who have experienced the loss of a loved one. These students may lack knowledge of the concept of death and need proper coping and processing skills. We will teach students effective coping skills and strategies that they will be able to practice independently. We will also counsel students who are experiences changes in their environment due to the death of a loved one. Students will also be able to practice appropriate and healthy behaviors and emotions when expressing their thoughts and feelings surrounding the death.

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The domains listed below are focused on desired behaviors from learned strategies, self-management, and social skills.

B-LS 7. Long- and short-term academic, career and social/emotional goals

Under this behavior standard, counselors will be able to collaborate with students on long- an short-term emotional skills when grieving.

B-SMS 7. Effective coping skills

Students will learn coping skills and strategies to process grief in order for them to be able to cope independently.

B-SMS 10. Ability to manage transitions and adapt to change

When a student loses a loved one, they are sometimes left to process a change in their environment and dynamic. School counselors can help students self manage that transitions so students are better prepared to handle the change.

B-SS 9. Social maturity and behaviors appropriate to the situation and environment

During the grieving process, it is important that students have the appropriate social skills when expressing their emotions in any social situation or environment.

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Coping Skills For Kids - Managing Feelings & Emotions For Elementary-Middle School | Self-Regulation

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There are 5 stages in group counseling that allow children to transition in the grieving process successfully to where they are able to appropriately process and regulate emotions. 

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The counselor and parent can utilize the proper terminology with this population by watching the video. Age-appropriate terminology is used to help them process their emotions and begin to grasp what is happening.

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These are additional resources for counselors to use in sessions that provide coping skills and ways to support the grieving process in young children.