Rachel Saffer (she/her/hers) earned her Masters of Social Work from Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Starting as an office volunteer at Austin Grief, Rachel quickly grew to be an integral part of our team.
Rachel has experience in providing counseling to adults, teenagers and children who have experienced significant trauma in both group and individual settings. Rachel utilizes various interventions in her practice including therapeutic yoga, EMDR, and traditional play therapy. She believes in providing every client with a welcoming and safe environment so that they can work towards healing on their own terms.
UNDERSTANDING CHILD & ADOLESCENT GRIEF
To understand the grief process in children and adolescents it is important to consider the following:
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Children grieve in “windows of time” - as their sense of “safety” permits.
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Children are physical in their grief.
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Children understand death and grieve according to their particular developmental (cognitive, emotional, and spiritual) phase.
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Children revisit losses over their lifespan.
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Children who have experienced the death of a parent or sibling often feel isolated and different.
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Grief often interrupts and/or stalls the normal age-appropriate developmental tasks.
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Children are quick to blame themselves for the death of a loved one and may “secretly” carry this guilt for long periods of time.
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Grieving children often experience their world as “out of control.
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Children grieve as a part of a family system and take their cues about how to grieve from the adults who are their primary caregivers.