SEL: Coping with Loss, Grief, and Change
Building healthy strategies for difficult transitions
SEL: Coping with Loss, Grief, and Change
Building healthy strategies for difficult transitions
SEL - Grade 9-12
- 1
Grief can happen after many kinds of loss, such as the death of a person or pet, a friendship ending, moving, family changes, or losing an opportunity. Describe one type of loss or major change a high school student might experience and explain why it could feel difficult.
You may write about a general example instead of a personal experience.
A high school student might experience a close friendship ending. This could feel difficult because the student may miss the person, feel rejected, and have to adjust to a new daily routine without that friendship. - 2
Read the situation: Jordan's family is moving to a new city halfway through the school year. Jordan feels angry, sad, nervous, and excited at different times. Explain why having mixed emotions during a major change is normal.
Having mixed emotions during a major change is normal because change can involve both losses and new possibilities. Jordan may feel sad about leaving friends and routines while also feeling curious or hopeful about a new place. - 3
Identify three healthy coping strategies someone could use when they are grieving or adjusting to change. For each strategy, explain how it might help.
Think about strategies that are safe, respectful, and supportive over time.
One healthy coping strategy is talking to a trusted person because it can help someone feel less alone. Another strategy is keeping a routine because it can create a sense of stability. A third strategy is journaling because it can help someone understand and express their feelings. - 4
Look at a simple grief wave diagram showing feelings rising and falling over time. Explain what the wave shape can teach us about grief.
Focus on the idea that emotions can change from day to day.
The wave shape can teach us that grief often comes and goes instead of staying the same all the time. A person may have calmer moments and then suddenly feel strong sadness, anger, or longing again, and this pattern can be a normal part of healing. - 5
Sometimes people try coping strategies that help briefly but can cause harm later, such as isolating completely, using substances, taking risks, or pretending nothing happened. Choose one unhealthy coping strategy and explain a healthier alternative.
One unhealthy coping strategy is isolating completely from everyone. A healthier alternative is choosing one trusted person to talk to or spend time with, because connection can provide support without forcing someone to share everything at once. - 6
Create a support circle for someone going through grief or change. Name at least four possible sources of support and explain what kind of help each one could provide.
Sources of support can include people at school, home, community groups, or professional services.
A support circle could include a friend who listens, a family member who helps with daily needs, a school counselor who provides guidance, and a teacher who can help with academic flexibility. Different people can offer different kinds of support. - 7
Read the statement: 'I should be over this by now.' Rewrite this thought in a more compassionate and realistic way.
A more compassionate and realistic thought is, 'Healing takes time, and it is okay that I still have feelings about this loss or change.' This thought recognizes that grief does not follow a strict schedule. - 8
A friend tells you, 'I do not want advice. I just miss what I lost.' Write a supportive response that shows active listening and care.
Use language that validates feelings instead of minimizing them.
A supportive response could be, 'I hear that you really miss what you lost, and I am sorry you are going through this. I can sit with you and listen if that would help.' This response validates the friend's feelings without trying to fix them right away. - 9
Examine a coping plan chart with four sections: Feelings, Warning Signs, Coping Strategies, and Support People. Fill in what a student might write in each section when preparing for a difficult anniversary, goodbye, or transition.
In the Feelings section, a student might write sadness, anger, worry, or loneliness. In the Warning Signs section, the student might write trouble sleeping, withdrawing, or losing focus. In the Coping Strategies section, the student might write walking, journaling, listening to calming music, or keeping a routine. In the Support People section, the student might write a trusted friend, family member, counselor, or coach. - 10
Explain when someone should seek extra help from a trusted adult, counselor, doctor, crisis line, or emergency service while coping with grief or change.
Include safety concerns and times when daily life is seriously affected.
Someone should seek extra help if their feelings feel unmanageable, they cannot function in daily life, they feel unsafe, they are thinking about hurting themselves or someone else, or they are using harmful coping strategies. Reaching out for help is a sign of strength and can connect the person with support and safety.