As kids process grief, schools lend a hand
From organising online prayer meets for students who lost their parents to Covid to ensuring they get guidance and counselling, schools in the national capital are taking various steps to ensure these children get emotional and mental support to process their grief.
Tania Joshi, principal of The Indian School, said at least six students in her school have lost a parent this month.
“These deaths can weigh heavily on the minds of children and there has to be a specialised approach because every situation is different. We have asked teachers to be in touch with these students and their families. Many families are still in
NEW DELHI:
shock and we will encourage them to opt for counselling when they are ready,” she said.
Ameeta Wattal, principal of Springdales, Pusa Road, said the school tries to be the first contact for the child after they receive information of a parent’s death. “We have created Whatsapp groups where teachers inform us if there has been a death of a parent. We first call the immediate relatives of the parent to get stock of the situation there, ask about the child, and assure the family of any assistance they need,” she said.
The school then gets in touch with the student’s classmates and their parents to find out about their closest friends and establish a peer group. The peer group is instructed to keep the child engaged and busy through conversation, activities and
AMEETA WATTAL,
Springdales Pusa Road
principal,
group phone calls as it is easier for them to talk to someone their age. The school also organises virtual prayer meetings for children and is planning on a “concert of hope”.
“We will share photographs of those who have lost their lives to Covid and bring the children together on a platform so that they can share their grief. The death of a parent involves more than mental health issues. Their entire lives will change because of this,” she said.
Psychologist Manveen Kaur, who is the counsellor at Amity International School in Saket, said that dealing with death is more difficult with children as they often don’t understand their emotions or are unable to identify or communicate it, leading to behavioural changes.
“If grief counselling is not done correctly, it will have longterm adverse effects like longstanding depression and anxiety in children, trust issues in life and can become a part of their personality,” she said, adding that they are doing family therapy with such children and their family members.
“The family members are the immediate contact of the children and need to be counselled on how to behave with them and involve them in daily activities or look for changes in their behaviour,” she said.
Divya Bhatia, principal of Amity International School in Saket, said the school is planning voluntary group therapy sessions where children can share their grief together.
Government schools in the Capital have also asked teachers to maintain communication with children and parents despite the ongoing summer vacation. Sarita Batra, principal at Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya in Shalimar Bagh, said, “We have been recording motivational stories on fighting these challenging times and sending them to children.”
The death of a parent involves more than mental health issues. Their lives will change because of this.