Now in its third edition, this updated classic guide has been expanded to feature new material to help adults as well as children cope with the impact of traumatic events. Dr. Schaefer’s advice is not only for parents but anyone in a caregiving role, including older siblings, grandparents, extended family members, and friends. The revised quick-reference “Crisis Checklist” responds to children’s frequently asked questions with helpful scripted answers.

Dr. Schaefer, working with child psychologists and trauma experts, and drawing on more than three decades of experience with families in crisis, has put together a practical guide for anyone who works or lives with children – parents, caregivers, counselors, or teachers – for dealing with children’s inevitable questions about loss and change, life and death. He provides adults with strategies to assist children with grief and trauma and offers time-tested advice and language that children can understand. The book includes sections on what children think about death; explaining death to children; fear, confusion, and sadness; grief and healing; the funeral and saying good-bye; talking about AIDS; communicating with mentally ill children; and a personal story of parenting through trauma.