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Compassion for the Young Experiencing the Trauma of Death

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Abstract

Educators demonstrate compassionate caregiving to students who experience traumatic loss from violence, natural causes, and health issues. Theorists raise critical issues about caregiving pedagogies, specifically the potentially limiting public displays of mourning in schools. This essay analyzes such theories in relation to three traumatic case studies: a teacher’s response to a student’s death caused by physical conditions, a student teacher’s response to the violent death of a high school student, and experiences by counselors who participated in a camp for youth whose siblings were diagnosed with terminal illness. Guiding research questions include: What are the salutogenic factors that affect youth who are engaged with trauma? How do teachers and counselors integrate the cognitive, behavioral, experiential, and spiritual aspects of well-being? The research provides a critical analysis of camp and school based responses to grief.

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Correspondence to Gail McEachron.

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McEachron, G. Compassion for the Young Experiencing the Trauma of Death. Journ Child Adol Trauma 7, 63–72 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-014-0005-0

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