Bereavement Therapies for Chinese Preschool Children in Canada

Abstract

This manuscript thesis is a review of research conducted on several important issues associated with suitable bereavement therapies for Chinese preschool children residing in Canada. It includes developmental conceptualization of death, Chinese cultural rituals and practices around death, and common bereavement or grief therapies professionals use when working with bereaved children. The first essay focuses on children’s conceptualization of death and the developmental challenges associated with understanding death. The second essay focuses on background information of Chinese rituals and beliefs of death and Chinese children’s challenges in coping with a death in the family. The third essay focuses on current common interventions with bereaved children. Finally, the closing chapter will synthesize the research and provide some recommendations for therapies that appear to be the most culturally and developmentally suitable for Chinese preschool children in Canada.