The grief process in bereaved children is conceptualized as a series of psychological tasks that must be accomplished over time. Early tasks include understanding and self-protection; middle-phase tasks include acceptance and reworking; late tasks pertain to identification and development. This timing model has practical implications for the conduct of psychotherapy at different times during the grief process.

Facilitating and listening to bereaved families tell “The Story” of their loss is an important component of therapeutic work with bereaved families. Following a discussion of the general functions of stories, the authors use a variety of case examples to illustrate how “The Story” can be used as an assessment device, as an initial intervention, and as a gauge of the progress of treatment. Family stories of loss are conceptualized as constructions, and the emphasis is on how individual and family context affect and are affected by these stories. Throughout the paper, particular attention is paid to ways stories canbe useful for children in families.

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