Resources
Here you will find a quick list of financial, emotional, and informational supports. Should you need additional assistance, please reach out via our Contact Us page.
Government Supports
- Social Security - Benefits for children after the death of a parent
- School Lunches - Ask your local school district about meals available due to changing circumstances.
- Tuition waivers - When household financial situations change, tuition discounts and waivers may apply. Inquire at schools & universities.
Articles & Research
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National Institute for Health (NIH): Following a parental bereavement, physical activity can provide a sense of freedom, alleviate grief outcomes, build resilience, enable social support and create a stronger sense of self. Bereavement support services for young people who have experienced death of a parent should consider physical activity as a viable intervention to support the grieving process.
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Henry Ford Health: The practice not only reduces stress hormones, but it also releases feel-good chemicals called endorphins. And studies show that playing sports could have a powerful impact on mental health for kids who are going through a tough time
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Child Mind Institute: Coping With A Parent's Suicide, How to help the children who are left behind – Warning signs of unhealthy grieving include prolonged sadness, withdrawal from activities, changes in eating and sleeping habits, and intrusive thoughts about the suicide.
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Taylor and Friends online: Losing a parent to suicide: Posttraumatic stress, sense of coherence and family functioning in children, adolescents and remaining parents before attending a grief support program – a link between experience of parental suicide in childhood and the subsequent development of mental health challenges and social difficulties in bereaved children and adolescents throughout their life course.
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University of Illinois Chicago: Give Yourself Permission to Have Fun: Many individuals and cultures handle the time surrounding loss differently. You may not have to feel guilty about smiling, laughing or having fun, following the loss of a loved one to suicide. Social events, activities, or trying parts of your regular routine can provide relaxation and distraction. Laughter and joy can be incredibly powerful components in healing and sometimes through the fun, you find tears present themselves unexpectedly. It’s okay to cry and be present for yourself in those moments, while returning to fun after the tears subside; Coping with suicide of loved one
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Behavioral Health News: Adolescents Affected by Suicide Loss - They found that bereaved adolescents often experience profound loneliness compared to peers; parents struggled to provide sufficient emotional support
- Brigham Young University: Very Young Child Survivors of Parent Suicide