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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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When asking for feedback from young adolescents who participated in grief group counseling, it’s important to use simple language and visual aids that are easy for the students to understand. Creating questions that are age appropriate is important to ensure students don't feel pressured, and are able to engage in answering them in a fun and engaging way.

The self-assessment part should be given once in the beginning and at the very end of the group sessions. This will allow the counselor to reflect on how effective the group was and if it met each students' needs. This also provides parents/guardians with insight into their child's progress.

Both the self-assessment and feedback will help identify areas for improvement in both the group activities and the counseling approach. Utilizing this information will help with the planning of future groups. Overall, it ensures the group is effective and supportive, fostering a safe space for children to work through their grief, and develop appropriate and useful coping skills.

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

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Careful planning of the group’s logistics is essential to ensure consistency, effectiveness, and a supportive environment. The emotional regulation group for second graders at Oakwood Elementary will meet once a week for 30 minutes during a non-core instructional time, such as a morning flex period or right after lunch. Research suggests that short, structured sessions work best for young children, as their attention spans and ability to engage in abstract discussions are still developing (Webster-Stratton & Reid, 2004).

The group will take place in the school counselor’s office, a quiet and familiar space that feels safe and comfortable. Since emotional regulation can be a sensitive topic, it’s important that students feel secure enough to share their experiences without fear of judgment. A predictable routine will be established, beginning with a short check-in, followed by an interactive activity like a story, role-play, or game, and ending with a calming exercise. This structured format aligns with best practices in social-emotional learning, as young children benefit from repetition and clear expectations (Denham et al., 2012).

To maintain continuity, sessions will run for eight weeks, allowing enough time for students to practice and internalize self-regulation strategies. Teachers will be informed of each session’s focus so they can reinforce skills in the classroom, and parents will receive occasional updates with strategies to try at home. By structuring the group in a way that is developmentally appropriate and well-integrated into the school environment, students will have the best chance of making meaningful progress in managing their emotions.

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Oakwood Elementary School is a medium-sized suburban school in the Midwest, serving around 500 students from Pre-K to 5th grade. The second-grade class consists of approximately 100 students, representing diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, with about 30% qualifying for free or reduced lunch. The school prioritizes social-emotional learning (SEL) and fosters a warm, inclusive environment through Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), promoting respect, responsibility, and kindness.

In response to the needs of young students struggling with emotional regulation, a small group will be implemented for second graders who have difficulty managing frustration, handling disappointment, or expressing emotions appropriately. The goal is to help students recognize and label their emotions, practice self-regulation strategies such as deep breathing and positive self-talk, and develop social problem-solving skills in a supportive setting.

Research indicates that at age seven, children benefit from structured guidance in understanding emotions, with explicit instruction in emotional vocabulary and modeled problem-solving techniques being particularly effective (Denham et al., 2012). Interactive activities like role-playing and storytelling can enhance emotional learning (Webster-Stratton & Reid, 2004), while small group settings provide valuable opportunities for peer modeling (Bandura, 1977). Since Oakwood already emphasizes SEL, this group will align with school-wide initiatives, reinforcing strategies such as using a “calm-down corner” or mindfulness techniques both in the group and the classroom.

Collaboration with teachers and parents will ensure that students practice and apply these skills beyond the group setting. Teachers will receive simple strategies to reinforce emotional regulation techniques, and parents will be given resources to support their child’s growth at home. By integrating evidence-based approaches with the school’s existing support system, this small group will help second graders build essential emotional regulation skills, fostering both social and academic success.

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When working with young students in a small group focused on emotional regulation, it’s important to be mindful of several ethical considerations, including confidentiality, diversity, and professional guidelines.

Confidentiality is key to creating a safe space where students feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and emotions. While they’ll be encouraged to respect each other’s privacy, it’s also important to be clear that absolute confidentiality isn’t possible, especially if a student shares something that suggests they’re in danger or being harmed. At the start of the group, we’ll have a simple, age-appropriate conversation about trust and respecting each other’s stories. However, as a school counselor or facilitator, there’s also a legal and ethical responsibility to report any concerns about student safety, following mandated reporting laws (ASCA, 2016).

Diversity is another important consideration. Every child comes from a unique background that influences how they understand and express emotions. Some cultures encourage emotional openness, while others emphasize self-restraint. It’s crucial to be aware of these differences and create an environment where all students feel heard and respected (Sue & Sue, 2016). The activities, books, and examples used in the group should reflect a variety of experiences and perspectives so that every student can see themselves represented.

Lastly, ethical guidelines set by organizations like the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) and the American Psychological Association (APA) emphasize the importance of professional boundaries and making sure the group is in the best interest of the students. While formal written consent may not be required, parents will be informed about the group’s purpose, what their child will be learning, and how they can support these skills at home. Teachers will also be aware of the group’s focus so they can reinforce strategies in the classroom while still respecting student confidentiality.

By keeping these ethical considerations in mind, the group can be a safe, supportive, and inclusive space where students learn valuable emotional regulation skills while feeling respected and understood.

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Rationale of the group and the Parameters of the group

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Rationale of the group and the Parameters of the group

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Addressing grief: Tips for teachers and administrators. National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). (n.d.). https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-safety-and-crisis/mental-health-resources/addressing-grief/addressing-grief-tips-for-teachers-and-administrators

Akard, T. F., Gilmer, M. J., Miller, K., Steele, A. C., Hancock, K., Barrera, M., Compas, B., Davies, B., Dietrich, M. S., Fairclough, D. L., Hogan, N. S., Vannatta, K., & Gerhardt, C. A. (2014, April). Factors affecting recruitment and participation of bereaved parents and siblings in grief research. Progress in Palliative Care. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4096291/

Alvis, L., Zhang, N., Sandler, I. N., & Kaplow, J. B. (2022). Developmental Manifestations of Grief in Children and Adolescents: Caregivers as Key Grief Facilitators. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 16(2), 447–457. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-021-00435-0

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787

American School Counselor Association. (2022). ASCA ethical standards for school counselorsLinks to an external site.. Retrieved from https://schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/44f30280-ffe8-4b41-9ad8-f15909c3d164/EthicalStandards.pdf

ASCA student standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for ... (n.d.). https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/7428a787-a452-4abb-afec-d78ec77870cd/Mindsets-Behaviors.pdf

Beck, A. T. (2011). Cognitive behavioral therapy.

Behm, S. (2025, February 10). Grief by age: Developmental stages and ways to help. Eluna. https://elunanetwork.org/resources/developmental-grief-responses/

Bowlby, J. (1980). Attachment and loss: Volume 3. Loss. Basic Books.

Cohen, J. A., & Mannarino, A. P. (2011). Supporting children with traumatic grief: What educators need to know. School Psychology International, 32(2), 117–131. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034311400827

Dobmeier, J. (2021). Grief Small Group Curriculum: Small Group Activities for Upper Elementary Students Dealing with Grief (Master’s thesis, Minnesota State University Moorhead). Minnesota State University Moorhead's Digital Repository. https://red.mnstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1512&context=thesis

Grief assessment - Healing House - Signs of grief. (2019, February 7). Healing House. https://www.healing-house.org/for-those-grieving/grief-assessment/

Institute of Medicine (US) Committee for the Study of Health Consequences of the Stress of Bereavement. (1984, January 1). Bereavement during childhood and adolescence. Bereavement: Reactions, Consequences, and Care. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK217849/#:~:text=Unlike%20adults%20who%20can%20sustain,through%20repeatedly%20at%20successive%20levels

Kaylee Kron, L. (2025, February 25). Assessing and treating grief: A guide for clinicians. ICANotes. https://www.icanotes.com/2024/07/25/assessing-grief-and-treating-grief/#:~:text=Grief%20Experience%20Inventory%20(GEI)%20%2D,the%20severity%20of%20these%20experiences.

McLeod, S., on, U., & 5, A. (2024, August 5). Piaget’s stages: 4 stages of Cognitive Development & Theory. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html

Springer, S. I. (Ed.). (2022). A school counselor's guide to small groups: Coordination,

leadership, and assessment (2nd ed.). Cognella

Thanasiu, P. L., & Pizza, N. (2019). Constructing culturally sensitive creative interventions for use with grieving children and adolescents. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 14(3), 270–279. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2019.1589402

Tyson, L. E., Pérusse, R., Whitledge, J., Coy, D. R., Akos, P., & Moore, I. L. (2004). Chapter 2: Screening of members: “Everyone is welcome.” In Critical incidents in group counseling (pp. 9–14). American Counseling Association.

Willis, C. A. (2002). The grieving process in children: Strategies for understanding, educating, and reconciling children's perceptions of death. Early Childhood Education Journal, 29(4), 221–226. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1015125422643

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Member Selection and Identification Group Project 1

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Adult Information on Helping Children Navigate Grief and Loss

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Adult Information on Helping Children Navigate Grief and Loss

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Helping Children Navigate Grief and Loss

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Hopscotch & Harmony. (2022, January 9). Grief and loss. Hopscotch & Harmony. https://www.hopscotchandharmony.com.au/blog/category/grief-and-loss

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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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This is a great graphic for counselors to utilize in sessions, and eduators could utilize in their classrooms. This A-Z infographic from Ang Gallo blog is wonderful resource.
This gives 26 practical ways to process feelings. This is a great tool to use as a reminder that de-escalating doesn’t have to be complicated. Just choose the next best thing – like eating an apple or screaming into a pillow.

website: https://watersedgecounselling.com/5-infographics-that-will-boost-your-mental-health/

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The targeted population for our proposed group is 7 year old students who are experiencing loss of a loved one. The rationale for targeting this specific group is because students at 7 years of age are in the concrete operational stage of their childhood development (McLeod, 2024). This means that children in this age group are beginning to display logical reasoning and are becoming less focused on themselves and more aware of others and their surroundings. It is important that once a child of this age experiences the death of a loved one, that they are given the proper tools and strategies to effectively cope with the loss. These skills can be taught to the students and then later used as a self-management tool throughout their lives. Depending on the demographic of the student and the lost loved one, there can be risk factors that make it important that these coping mechanism interventions are given. Some risk factors include students experiencing a death under the age of 11, having lack of knowledge in death, unstable environments, death caused by suicide or homicide, or any unanticipated death (Osterweis, 1984). Potential candidates can be referred to the school counselor if said candidate has experienced the loss of a loved one and are in the appropriate age group. If the school is made aware of a student experiencing a death in the family, we would reach out to the family to offer our services to the student.

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It is important that when recruiting students for group counseling that we understand the students and their social and environmental comfort abilities. Students need to be of similar age group, have a similar familiarity with death, share cultural differences in the grieving process, and similar emotional and behavior expressions. Some students are not always comfortable talking and may prefer expressing their grief through writing, painting, music, or other forms of communication that needs to be taken into consideration when creating groups for counseling. We may have some recruits that don’t meet the age, cultural, behavior, or expression criteria to the larger pool of candidates and may benefit more from individual grieving counseling if a group cannot be formed (NASP, n.d.)

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The group would be measured by having pre and post surveys done after each session. The surveys will consist of a list of questions, measuring different components of the counseling experience. The questions will focus on a self-assessment of how the student feels before and after each session, as well as an opportunity to provide feedback to the counselors. This will help not only counselors understand if a client is benefiting from the session, but to also help navigate future sessions with the group. We would use the Texas Revised Inventory of Grief (TRIG) and the Bereavement Risk Assessment Tool (BRAT) in order to assess the effectiveness of the group and to help guide further interventions with students through questionnaires. Both of these assessments are great tools for identifying and treating grief (Kron, 2025).

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There is a definite difference in depression and grief. The feelings experiences during grief or depression may be the same, such as sadness, hopelessness, anger, regret and so forth, but grief focuses primarily on a targeted loss of a close or loved person in an individuals life. Depression does not always center a specific loss of another but primarily focuses on self emotions and can cause lack of interest in relationships with others and activities. Depression can often isolate individuals from others, while grief will often need closeness from relatives, friends, or others experiencing similar loss. 

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Grief therapist in Hoboken, NJ: Grief counseling treatment near me in Jersey City & NYC: Therapy. Anchor Therapy, LLC. (n.d.). https://www.anchortherapy.org/grief-counseling

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What loss and grief look like for children and youth in care. It is important to understand the fundamental stages of grieving in a child, for this process will impact their emotional maturity as they get older. As an infant, they are still developing trust and security. Later, they develop logical thinking and are still processing cause and effect relationships. From 5-9, they express grieving emotions like crying, anger, anxiety, and/or stomach aches (butterflies in tummy). From 9-11, they begin to understand cause and effect scenarios. By 12 and above, they are starting the beginning stages of fully processing the grieving process and are forming their own identity. (n.d.-b). https://cyc-net.org/pdf/Loss-and-Grief-FINAL-web.pdf

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

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

University Press.

● Dougy Center. (n.d.). Supporting Grieving Children and Teens. Retrieved from

https://www.dougy.org