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Support through
Grief and Loss
While most high school and college students
are grieving the loss of planned for, hoped for
experiences—a grief that is completely valid
and should be treated as such—some will be
experiencing more tragic losses. While helping
students navigate death and loss has always been
part of a counselor's responsibilities, the global
pandemic has compounded its inevitability.
The American School Counselor Association (ASCA)
outlines three main steps school staff can take to
support grieving students:
1. Acknowledge the loss.
2. Offer support and information to children and
their families.
3. Take steps to ensure school is a safe place, not a
source of additional distress.
As schools and counselors navigate a world
changed by COVID-19, they may want to consider
implementing more robust guidelines and best
practices for grief counseling, including these
objectives covered by the ASCA:
• Identifying ways to help a student cope with
death
• Brainstorming ways to implement a grief
support group
• Discussing how the school as a whole can
help students through grief
• Developing an intervention plan for your
school community after a death
• Recognizing when outside help is needed
• Respecting different cultural attitudes toward
loss and grief
