.
Background.
Bereavement has the potential to affect the educational attainment and the physical and emotional health of the bereft; the work life of staff; and the community perception of schools as supportive educational and psychosocial environments. Students who have experienced the bereavement of a significant relationship or aspiration will react differently depending, for example, on their developmental stage (Mallon, 2011), level of family support (Harrington & Harrison, 1999), and socio-economic background (Humphreys, McCafferty, & Higgins, 2010).
Common reactions to loss which may affect students include: .
- An increase in daily fears.
- Regression in age appropriate behavior.
- A decline in academic performance .
- Eating disorders.
- Substance abuse .
- Disturbing memories or flashbacks.
- Psychosomatic complaints.
- Social withdrawal .
As students spend a great deal of their time in school, the reactions of educators is significant - as is the role that the school exhibits in ensuring that the needs of those who are bereaved are recognized and responded to in an appropriate manner (Cranwell, 2007). Adequate and appropriate support for bereft students has the very real potential to alleviate any potentially negative educational and health related outcomes in the future. However, this is not to say that all students who have experienced bereavement will need help, or that their grief should be pathologized. What is necessary, however, is that Guidance Counsellors and educators have the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to support these students.
In providing help to students, whilst personal experience and intuition are important, there are major limitations if relying on these personal factors. For example, personal experience of bereavement may be limited, or intuition may be coloured by subjective values, beliefs, and prejudices (e.g., cultural, religious). Also, the professional may not have fully recovered from a previous personal bereavement (either consciously or sub-consciously) and may become re-traumatised when having to consider how best to provide support to a student dealing with bereavement or grief issues.
