Core Concepts for Grief-Sensitive Care
Grief vs. Trauma
Grief and trauma may coexist, but they are not the same. Distinguishing between them can help healthcare professionals better understand a person’s experience and consider appropriate support approaches.
- Grief is a natural response to loss or change. Many people learn to live alongside grief over time.
- Trauma involves an actual or perceived threat to life or bodily integrity and often includes intense fear or helplessness. If unaddressed, it can continue to affect a person’s sense of safety and connection.
Understanding Trauma: Two Case Studies
In this video, shared with permission from the Trauma and Grief (TAG) Center, Dr. Julie Kaplow explains the relationship between grief and trauma and how they can overlap while remaining distinct experiences. Using two case studies of bereaved children, she highlights that trauma is subjective and shaped by how individuals experience and interpret events.
Distinguishing Grief and Trauma in Care
Before assuming trauma, it can be helpful to listen closely for what the loss or event means to the person experiencing it.
Adult Care
When supporting adults, open-ended questions can help clarify whether someone is primarily navigating grief, trauma, or both:
- “Do you get very upset or distressed when you're reminded of what happened?”
- “How difficult is it for you to think about life without [person’s name]?”
These questions can surface whether distress is rooted in loss, threat, or ongoing fear, and can guide a more tailored response.
Pediatric Care
Children may not have the language or developmental capacity to clearly express grief or trauma, and these experiences may manifest differently than they do in adults.
Signs of trauma in children may include: nightmares, avoidance, or seeming numb at times.
Signs of grief in children (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) may include tearfulness, asking about or looking for the person who died, or worrying that other people might die too.
Implications for Grief-Sensitive Care
- Avoid rushing to label or intervene. Take time to understand the individual experience of trauma or loss.
- Ask about a variety of responses including emotional, physical, cognitive, spiritual, etc., as all can offer important context.
- Be mindful of assumptions. A sudden death does not always result in trauma, and an expected death does not rule it out.
- In pediatric care, changes in behavior, sleep, attention, or physical symptoms may signal distress and warrant closer attention.
Keeping these distinctions in mind can support care that is more responsive, individualized, and aligned with what patients and supporters need in that moment.