“They Told me I Should Feel Sad”: Narrative and Personal Story Telling as a Sensemaking and Ownership Tool for Young People Who Have Experienced Bereavement

Abstract

This research focused on listening to the voices of children who have experienced the death of someone important to them. Through a personalized narrative methodology working with practitioners, and with regard for cultural and religious beliefs, children were given safe space to tell their own truths to sense-make rather than prescribing how they should be feeling or what they should be experiencing as part of their grief journey. Findings suggest this impacted positively on the children's wellbeing. The recommendations are to use this approach to open up dialogue instigated by the child, which is currently missing from contemporary policy and practice, as well as adding to the limited literature. Furthermore, the engagement with the topic of death is advocated for all children rather than simply retrospectively with those who have experienced it. As this was a small-scale study, more research is needed.