Supporting Bereaved Siblings 

After Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC)

Promoting Mental Wellness and Emotional Wellbeing

By: Jessica Correnti, Certified Child Life Specialist

The death of a child impacts everyone in the entire family, including siblings in the home. Grief can show up differently for children than for adults. It may look like extra clinginess with parents or other siblings, more meltdowns or behavioral outbursts, difficulty sleeping, recurrent questions about the sibling/death/or the loss, difficulty in school, a change in interest in activities, or many other reactions.

There are very intentional, supportive ways caregivers can help bereaved siblings navigate grief and support their emotional well-being. As caregivers, how we can show up matters – especially in supporting children who have experienced a Sudden Unexplained Death In Childhood (SUDC) loss, and in turn support their mental health.

Here are some ways we can care for bereaved children and teens:

• Normalize conversation about death, grief, and loss.
• Bring children and teen grief books into the home.
• Don’t be afraid to show your feelings in front of your kids.
• Model different coping skills and help them ‘try on’ different ways to cope with their grief too (e.g., movement, music, meditation, arts, support groups, therapy, reading, friends, sports, projects, fundraising, etc.)
• Engage in grief rituals together as a family
• Have your child join bereaved sibling groups

The SUDC Foundation, in partnership with the Jackson Walsh Foundation, offers The Sibling Circle—a safe, supportive, and creative space for children and teens to process their grief, express their feelings, and connect with peers who understand sibling loss.

Through guided activities and discussions, children are supported in navigating their grief and developing healthy coping strategies under the care of Jessica Correnti, a trained Child Life Specialist.

The Sibling Circle is a virtual drop-in group, where children and teens can join at any time, rather than committing to a closed group with a defined start and end date. This flexible format allows families to access support when it feels right for them.

For more information, please email: [email protected]

Jessica Correnti is a Certified Child Life Specialist with 18 years of experience. She worked in the hospital setting for 14 years prior to opening her practice, Kids Grief Support. Jessica specializes in supporting grieving families and is also a bereaved mother.

She is the author of four children’s grief books: three in The ABCs of Grief series and a book for bereaved siblings called Forever Connected. She is also the owner of the private practice, Kids Grief Support, which provides therapeutic support to grieving children and teens globally. Her professional background and lived experiences over the past two decades have shaped how she supports bereaved families with compassion and care.