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Helping Children Cope with a Suicide Death (Article)

When a suicide occurs, children require the love and support of reliable adults. Providing this assistance can be challenging, particularly if you are grappling with your own grief. During times like this, you may feel uncertain about how to approach a child to talk about a death and suicide.


Alberta Health Services' online article, Helping Children Cope with a Suicide Death, provides guidance for parents, caregivers, and other trusted adults on helping children cope with the aftermath of a suicide death. It emphasizes the importance of telling the truth to children as soon as possible, using simple and age-appropriate language, and creating a safe and comfortable environment for open communication.

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Children can often tell when something bad has happened. It’s hard to know what to tell a child after a suicide. You may think you’re protecting a child if you don’t tell them the truth about the cause of death. But not knowing the truth can stop a child from grieving.

Helping Children Cope with a Suicide Death

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