Resources

Helpful resources after child loss

A Helping Hand

When my son died unexpectedly, suddenly and tragically, I was desperate for any resource I could find to help me navigate the unknown territory of trauma and child loss. With my life turned upside down and the desire to never wake up again, I took to books, podcasts and websites to offer guidance, direction, encouragement and hope to help me make it from one moment to the next. Below are my recommendations and resources that have been a lifeline to me when I didn’t think I would, or could, survive the death of my son. In person counseling with a trauma therapist, EMDR and Brain Spotting Therapy have been necessary in my healing journey. If you haven’t connected with a counselor yet, I lovingly encourage you to do so.

Books

Lament for a Son. By: Nicholas Wolterstorff
How to Survive the Worst That Can Happen: A Parent’s Step by Step Guide to Healing After the Loss of a Child. By: Sandy Peckinpah
A Grief Observed. By: C.S. Lewis
The Bereaved Parent. By: Harriet Sarnoff Schiff
Heaven for Kids. By: Randy Alcorn
Rare Bird: A Memoir of Loss and Love. By: Anna Whiston-Donaldson
Shattered: From Grief to Joy After My Son’s Suicide. By: Rebecca Tervo
Hope When it Hurts. By: Kristen Wetherell and Sarah Walton
When Tragedy Strikes: Rebuilding Your Life With Hope and Healing After the Death of Your Child. By: Laura Diehl
A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows Through Loss. By: Jerry L. Sittser
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body Healing After Trauma. By: Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.
The Unspeakable Loss: How Do You Live After a Child Dies? By: Nisha Zenoff, Ph.D
Shattered: Surviving the Loss of a Child. By: Gary Roe
Colors of Goodbye: A Memoir of Holding On, Letting Go and Reclaiming Joy in the Wake of Loss. By: September Vaudrey
Suffering. By: Paul David Tripp
The One Year Book of Hope. By: Nancy Guthrie
This Too Shall Last: Finding Grace When Suffering Lingers. By: K.J. Ramsey
And Still She Laughs: Defiant Joy in the Depths of Suffering. By: Kate Merrick
When Bad Things Happen to Good People. By: Harold S. Kushner
Life After the Death of My Son: What I’m Learning. By: Dennis L. Apple
Try Softer. By: Aundi Kolber, MA LPC
Always We Begin Again: Stepping Into the Next, New Moment. By: Leeana Tankersley
When Your Family’s Lost a Loved One: Finding Hope Together. By: Nancy Guthrie
When it Feels Like the Sky is Falling in: How to Find Hope in an Uncertain World. By: H. Norman Wright
Beyond Tears: Living After Losing a Child. By: Ellen Mitchell
Transforming Traumatic Grief: Six Steps to Move from Grief to Peace After the Sudden or Violent Death of a Loved One. By: Courtney M. Armstrong, LPC
Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament. By: Mark Vroegop
A Chronicle of Grief: Finding Life After Traumatic Loss. By: Mel Lawrenz
Child Loss: The Heartbreak and the Hope. By: Clara Hinton