Children’s Grief Support: Meet the Experts

If you’re here, you’re probably searching for children’s grief support — maybe while navigating your own loss.

Hi, I’m Karen Brough, former educator, and author of multi-award-winning children’s picture books and grief help, ‘I Can’t Believe They’re Gone’ and ‘The Tale of The Little Black Cloud.’ If you’re here, you’re probably trying to figure out how to help a child through grief – maybe while navigating your own. I see you, and I’m so glad you’re here.

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I believe that most of us struggle with grief. Knowing what it is, what to feel, what to do, how to respond.

To help, I’ve created a Parent Survival Guide to Children’s Grief – collating some of the best tips from our experts. You can access your free copy here.

Of course, the interviews themselves give a lot more gold, and the contact details for those you may wish to reach out to.

My first memory of grief happened when I was 10 years old. My best friend was killed in a motorbike accident. I learned this information from someone announcing it, and no one noticed I didn’t understand. It was a long time ago, but it made an impact on me. I didn’t know what to do with my big feelings. This was my first experience with grief.

I would like to tell you it was my last, but the truth is, if we have love in our life, if we care for others or for something, we will grieve. And for something that impacts every single person in this world, there is so much we don’t know about it. It’s a hard thing – and hard things can be easier to push down and largely ignore – but as you’ll hear from our experts, this isn’t the best way forward.

As a former elementary school teacher, I saw many of my students go through periods of grief, and I felt largely helpless. I had friends’ spouses die, neighbors, grandparents – and it all created in me a desire to understand grief more. I had so many questions I wanted answers to.

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So I followed an inner prompt to ‘study grief.’ I eventually took the time to meet with a counselor who works with school-aged children – grief is one of her specialties. For a year, we met every fortnight and talked all things grief. I asked every question I had ever wondered. She gave me a crash course in the basics, and I got to understand grief from a different angle – learning about it when I wasn’t necessarily walking in it.

Then, 11 months after I began studying grief, a dear friend, Angie, was killed in a car accident. She left behind a loving husband, four children, extended family, and a whole community shaken to its core.

The Monday morning after the accident, everyone went back to their ‘normal’ life. I sat there weeping, missing my friend and asking what I could possibly bring that might help these kids, this family. It was at this point I began to write, and I Can’t Believe They’re Gone poured out. The year of study, life experiences, and this recent catalyst fed into my pen… and before I knew it, the story was written.

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That book has now sold over 20,000 copies worldwide and been translated into Spanish, Italian, German, and French. Little did I know, this experience would broaden my understanding of grief even further. Readers shared their stories, and I got insight into the struggles we all have understanding it.

Since then, I’ve also written The Tale of the Little Black Cloud and Angie Loves to Dance – written in memory of my dear friend who truly lived life well and treasured every day.

But here’s what I kept coming back to: we don’t all have access to experts. So I felt called to create this blog resource – to sit down with people who work with children and ask them how they approach grief in their area of expertise.

That’s what this series is. Real conversations with real experts, answering the questions you’re probably asking too.

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This Series Is For You If…

• You’re supporting a grieving child and feel out of your depth
• You’re an educator wondering how to help a student who’s lost someone
• You want to understand what’s happening in your child’s head and heart
• You’re preparing for a loss and want to do this well
• You just need someone to tell you what’s normal and what’s not

What We Cover

Finding the right children’s grief support starts with understanding what your child is actually experiencing.

The questions I asked are probably the same ones keeping you up at night:

• How does grief actually work in a child’s brain?
• What does “normal” kid grief look like – and when should I worry?
• How do I talk to my child about death without traumatizing them?
• How do I hold my own grief while being strong for my kid?
• Should I bring my child to the funeral?
• When is it time to call in a professional?
• How do we move forward without forgetting?

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How to Navigate This Series

Jump to whatever you need right now:

Supporting your child through grief? Start with child psychologist Rachel McGregor — her insights into how children’s brains process grief are foundational for everything else.

Worried about your child at school? School counsellor Toby Daniel speaks directly to parents and teachers navigating grief in an education setting.

Looking for professional counselling support? Licensed grief counsellor Dr. Crystal Russell brings 28 years of wisdom and deep compassion to children’s grief.

Each conversation stands on its own, so there’s no wrong place to start.

More experts are coming soon.

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A Note About These Interviews

I kept these conversations real – you’ll hear the experts in their own words, sometimes a bit messy, always authentic. Because grief is messy, and the support we need is human, not polished.

You’ll notice some common threads: kids grieve differently than we expect, there’s no “right way” to do this, and creating safe spaces matters more than having all the answers.

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If this series helps you, please share it. There’s a parent somewhere right now googling “how to help my child with grief” at 2am. Let’s make sure they find something real.

And remember – you don’t have to have all the answers. Often the best children’s grief support starts with awareness about what’s available, and showing up. And you’re already doing that.

That’s enough.

With you on this journey,

Karen

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The Experts

I’ve talked with incredible people who’ve spent their careers helping kids through grief:

Child Psychologist — Rachel McGregor — Click Here

School Educator & Counsellor — Toby Daniel — Click Here

Licensed Grief Counselor — Dr. Crystal Russell — Click Here

Funeral Director/Mortician — coming soon

Play Therapist — coming soon

[More experts to come]

Don’t forget to pick up your Parent Survival Guide to children’s grief

click Here

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Karen’s Grief Resources