Donna Henderson, professor of counselor education at Wake Forest University and a co-author of four major counseling books, gave a lecture on counseling at-risk children and youth at the University Center Wednesday afternoon in an event that launched UT's new Grief Outreach initiative.

The initiative will allow graduate students who are training to become psychologists and counselors to meet with grieved children and their parents based on referrals.

Bob Rider, dean of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, said he wanted to use all of UT's resources to help bereaved children.  

It's not just kids who live in poverty, there are children everywhere who suffered a loss.
-Bob Rider, dean of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences

"This center is going to hopefully address this need and help these kids," Rider said, "and it's not just kids who live in poverty, there are children everywhere who suffered a loss no matter what your family income is or what community you live in. Everybody suffers a loss but the greatest amount of loss occurs in East Knoxville."

Henderson talked about the myths surrounding children in grief, the understanding they have of death, the emotional impact of grief on children, and the ways adults and counselors can help bereaved children.

Henderson listed needs of a grieving child and ways adults and counselors can support them.

"Children need assurance that someone is going to take care of them," she said. "They need a freedom to express their own thoughts. Children consider acceptance, they think they have to be like everyone else. And having a loss makes them different. Teachers and classmates need to be able to reaffirm them."

During the lecture, the audience had a chance to watch grief-related segments from the movie "My Girl" and the music video "I'll Remember You" by Wilson Sisters. 

Juli Cunningham, a Knox County school social worker, said she came to the lecture because she wanted to get more information about children's grief.

"It's an area that's not talked about a lot," she said. "Children nowadays are experiencing more grief than before due to the shape our society is in."

Henderson concluded her lecture by asking the audience to be courageous.

"We have to remember that sometimes children need more help than others," she said. "Let's be wholehearted in helping all children, especially those in difficult situations, such as grief."