Loss, Hurt and Hope (PDF)

What happens when a child experiences bereavement or trauma or both? When left untreated, childhood trauma crosses generational boundaries, developing risk factors that far outpace the threat of any other childhood disease, and yet, most children who have lived through a significant traumatic experience, usually do not get the care they need to begin their healing process. Children who have experienced trauma are often left grappling with devastating loss - loss of self esteem, security, innocence and trust - that is more challenging to diagnose and treat, than the more concrete loss of family, a pet or a home. Loss, Hurt and Hope: The Complex Issues of Bereavement and Trauma in Children gathers the collective wisdom of professionals who have spent years on the front lines working with children victimized by trauma. Each chapter illuminates how loss can shape a child's development and provides professionals with the tools necessary to help these children move from despair to hope and renewal. Experts in the field of child trauma explore the vulnerability of these children, effective methods of caring for them in a variety of treatment settings, and examine the impact of loss on organizations charged with caring for those who have experienced trauma. Loss, Hurt and Hope offers a multifaceted lens through which loss can be examined and appreciated, laying the groundwork for significant progress toward improving the understanding of the power of loss in our society.