Bereaved Parents Awareness: How You Can Support

The loss of a child is likely to be one of the saddest and most heartbreaking events to happen to a parent. Parents who lose children also experience a complex process of mourning, healing, and life adjustment that requires compassion and understanding.

When a parent grieves the death of a child, whether by age or circumstances of the child, there is no simple or "right" manner in which to do so. The process can bring up feelings of overwhelming sorrow, anger, guilt, confusion, and feelings of isolation.

Grief is not a straight line, and parents may experience waves of emotions years later after the initial loss. One of the most common ways to provide the best support may be an understanding of the continuous, long-term nature of bereavement.

Why Awareness Matters

Bereaved Parents Awareness Month uplifts this sometimes forgotten group of individuals and helps to build a culture of sensitivity and understanding. If friends, workmates, and family members understand what bereaved parents are experiencing, they can offer the right kind of comfort and refrain from saying things that are inappropriate, such as downgrading the loss or offering advice.

How You Can Support Bereaved Parents

Consoling bereaved parents requires empathy and patience above all else. Here's how you can do it with compassion:

1. Listen Without Judgment

Allow the parents to speak openly about their memories and experience at their own pace, as they wish. Don't repair their grief for them. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is just be an ear to listen and allow them the space to process their feelings.

2. Acknowledge the Loss

Use the child’s name and acknowledge their special, unique impact on their family and friends. Thoughtful expressions such as “I’m so sorry for your loss” validate their grief.

3. Be Patient

Understand that grief is never linear and may pop up from time to time unexpectedly. Try to avoid pushing your loved ones to “move on” or “get over it.”

4. Offer Practical Help

Help out with easy daily tasks to allow the parents some household relief such as cooking meals, running errands, or watching other children. Be specific in your help, like providing meals at certain times or going with them to appointments, rather than general, broad offers.

5. Respect Their Process

We all grieve differently. It's important to respect their unique emotions and methods of processing. Avoid any dismissive comments such as "they're in a better place" or "things happen for a reason."

CCMH is honored to be able to provide bereaved parent resources and support to those in Columbia County through Individual and Family Counseling to allow individualized support to work through grief and towards healing, as well as peer support groups to find comfort with others who have experienced the loss of a child.

In addition to resources at the local level, bereavement family support groups from The Compassionate Friends and other peer support groups (virtual or in-person) can also be helpful to find more information about how to get the help you or someone you love needs.

Since 1975, CCMH has been a supportive ally of the community, delivering sensitive behavioral health care respectful of each individual’s experience. If you or someone you care about are suffering from the loss of a child, we encourage you to step forward for help.

No one should have to face this situation by themselves, and there are many resources available to support you no matter where you are in the process. If you are in need, or just want to learn more on how to uplift your loved ones, CCMH is here for you. Your journey matters, and you are not alone.