A young person emerging from a dark forest into a field of vibrant sunflowers, symbolizing posttraumatic growth after loss.

Healing After Loss: How Trauma-Informed Care Helps Bereaved Youth Thrive

Lena Kashyap in Mind & Education September 2025 • 5 min read.

"Discover how addressing trauma can unlock posttraumatic growth and resilience in young people facing grief."

Grief is a universal human experience, but for children and adolescents, the loss of a loved one can be particularly devastating. While posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in bereaved youth has been extensively studied, less attention has been paid to posttraumatic growth (PTG)—the positive psychological changes that can arise from struggling with loss. Understanding and nurturing PTG is crucial for helping young people not just cope, but thrive after experiencing bereavement.

A recent pilot study by Irene S. McClatchey sheds light on the potential of trauma-informed care to promote PTG in bereaved youth. The study examines the impact of a healing camp that provides this specialized care, offering valuable insights for parents, educators, and mental health professionals seeking to support grieving children.

This article will delve into the key findings of McClatchey's study, exploring how trauma-informed interventions can help bereaved youth unlock their potential for growth, resilience, and a renewed appreciation for life. We'll examine the predictors of PTG and discuss the implications for future research and practice in the field of childhood bereavement.

Unlocking Growth: The Impact of Trauma-Informed Care

A young person emerging from a dark forest into a field of vibrant sunflowers, symbolizing posttraumatic growth after loss.

McClatchey's study involved 32 bereaved children who participated in a healing camp designed to provide trauma-informed care. The camp incorporated various therapeutic activities, including group counseling sessions led by mental health professionals, cognitive behavioral interventions, and grief-focused activities such as journaling and memorial services. The goal was to create a safe and supportive environment where children could process their grief, build coping skills, and foster positive psychological changes.

The study used a preexperimental, pretest-posttest design to measure PTG among the children before and after attending the healing camp. Participants completed the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory for Children (PTGI-C) to assess their levels of PTG across five domains: new possibilities, relating to others, personal strength, appreciation of life, and spiritual change.

Statistically Significant Growth: The results showed that children participating in the camp experienced a statistically significant increase in their PTG scores. This suggests that the trauma-informed care provided at the camp had a positive impact on their ability to find meaning and growth in the aftermath of loss.
Circumstances of Death Matter: The study also identified circumstance of death (sudden or expected) as a predictor of PTG. Children who had experienced a sudden or unexpected death reported higher PTG scores, indicating that the nature of the loss can influence the potential for growth.

These findings highlight the importance of addressing trauma in bereaved youth. Trauma-informed care recognizes that grief can be a traumatic experience, particularly when the loss is sudden or violent. By providing a safe and supportive environment and using evidence-based interventions, trauma-informed programs can help children process their grief, build resilience, and unlock their potential for posttraumatic growth.

Looking Ahead: Implications for Research and Practice

McClatchey's pilot study offers encouraging evidence for the effectiveness of trauma-informed care in promoting PTG among bereaved youth. However, the author acknowledges several limitations, including the small sample size and the preexperimental design. Future research should use larger, more diverse samples and rigorous research designs to confirm these findings and explore the long-term effects of trauma-informed care.

Despite these limitations, the study has important implications for practice. The results suggest that trauma-informed care should be an integral part of bereavement support services for children and adolescents. This includes creating safe and supportive environments, using evidence-based interventions, and addressing the unique needs of children who have experienced different types of loss. Clinicians should also be aware of the potential for PTG and help children identify and cultivate positive changes in their lives.

Ultimately, by embracing trauma-informed principles, we can help bereaved youth not just survive, but thrive in the aftermath of loss. By providing the right support and resources, we can empower them to build resilience, find meaning, and create a brighter future for themselves.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1177/0030222818804629, Alternate LINK

Title: Trauma-Informed Care And Posttraumatic Growth Among Bereaved Youth: A Pilot Study

Subject: Life-span and Life-course Studies

Journal: OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Authors: Irene S. Mcclatchey

Published: 2018-10-10

Everything You Need To Know

What is trauma-informed care, and how does it help bereaved youth?

The study highlights that trauma-informed care can be highly effective in helping bereaved youth, those who have experienced the loss of a loved one, to process their grief and foster resilience. The healing camp, which is a key component of trauma-informed care, provides a safe and supportive environment where children can engage in therapeutic activities. These include group counseling sessions, cognitive behavioral interventions, journaling, and memorial services. The aim is to support emotional healing and promote positive psychological changes, ultimately leading to a renewed appreciation for life.

What is Posttraumatic Growth (PTG), and why is it important in the context of the study?

Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) refers to the positive psychological changes that arise from struggling with loss. In the context of the study, PTG is crucial because it signifies that bereaved youth are not just coping with grief but are also finding meaning, strength, and a renewed appreciation for life following their loss. The study specifically assessed PTG across five domains: new possibilities, relating to others, personal strength, appreciation of life, and spiritual change. Nurturing PTG is significant because it helps young people thrive, fostering long-term well-being rather than just surviving the bereavement experience.

What is the role of trauma-informed care in supporting bereaved youth?

Trauma-informed care is an approach that recognizes grief, especially for children and adolescents, can be a traumatic experience. The study emphasizes that the healing camp incorporated various therapeutic activities and a supportive environment to help children process their grief. It acknowledges that the circumstances of death, such as sudden or unexpected loss, can influence the potential for PTG. By using evidence-based interventions, trauma-informed programs help children build resilience and unlock their potential for growth. The implications are that it is a structured approach that is effective in the context of childhood bereavement.

How was Posttraumatic Growth measured in the study?

The study used the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory for Children (PTGI-C) to measure PTG. The PTGI-C assessed PTG across five key domains: new possibilities, relating to others, personal strength, appreciation of life, and spiritual change. The results showed a statistically significant increase in PTG scores among children who participated in the healing camp. This demonstrates the positive impact of trauma-informed care on their ability to find meaning and growth after their loss. The use of PTGI-C enabled researchers to quantify the positive changes experienced by the children, providing empirical support for the effectiveness of the trauma-informed care approach.

How did the circumstances of death influence the outcomes of the study?

The circumstances of death, specifically whether the death was sudden or expected, were identified as a predictor of PTG. The study found that children who experienced a sudden or unexpected death reported higher PTG scores. This finding suggests that the nature of the loss can influence the potential for growth, potentially because such deaths may be more traumatic. This highlights the importance of considering the specific circumstances surrounding a loss when providing trauma-informed care, as the nature of the loss impacts the child's healing journey and potential for positive psychological changes.