According to research, unaddressed grief among children and teenagers can seriously affect their functioning and personality. When youth do not have the coping skills necessary to adequately process grief, they fall into violence, drugs, or alcohol. I Have a Friend offers a safe space for these children to express their grief and the opportunity to form a real bond with someone who has been through the same deep loss. Knowing the significance of the program, Kenny Slaught writes, “Recognizing that the child’s life will never be the same, the mentor offers a positive example for how to process and deal with the pain of loss. The mentor serves as a symbol that happiness and wholeness can be achieved no matter how the child may feel in the years immediately following a major loss.”
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