Lesson Plan

Finding Hope After Loss

Guide a 7th grade student through identifying and expressing feelings of grief, exploring healthy coping strategies, and developing a personalized action plan to navigate loss.

Adolescents often struggle to understand and express grief; this lesson provides support to normalize their emotions, build resilience, and equip them with practical tools to manage loss constructively.

Audience

Time

Approach

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials and Environment

5 minutes

Step 1

Build Rapport and Set Goals

5 minutes

Step 2

Explore the Nature of Grief

8 minutes

Step 3

Identify and Practice Coping Strategies

8 minutes

Step 4

Develop a Personalized Action Plan

7 minutes

Step 5

Close and Commit to Next Steps

2 minutes

Slide Deck

Finding Hope After Loss

Welcome the student and introduce the session. Emphasize safety, empathy, and confidentiality.

Session Objectives

Review each objective with the student to set clear, shared goals.

Today's Roadmap

Walk through the agenda so the student knows what to expect.

How Are You Feeling?

Invite the student to open their journal and share without judgment.

What Is Grief?

Refer to the handout to guide discussion of key grief stages.

Measuring Emotion Intensity

Help the student place their current feeling on the mood thermometer.

Healthy Ways to Cope

Discuss examples in each category and guide the student to select a few.

Try It Out

Facilitate a short role-play or guided visualization of the chosen strategy.

Your Personalized Action Plan

Ensure the student includes concrete details: who, what, when, where.

Next Steps & Closing

Summarize progress, encourage practice, and set a follow-up.

Lesson Plan

Finding Hope After Loss

Audience

Time

Approach

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials and Environment

Step 1

Build Rapport and Set Goals

Step 2

Explore the Nature of Grief

Step 3

Identify and Practice Coping Strategies

Step 4

Develop a Personalized Action Plan

Step 5

Close and Commit to Next Steps

Slide Deck

Finding Hope After Loss

Session Objectives

Today's Roadmap

How Are You Feeling?

What Is Grief?

Measuring Emotion Intensity

Healthy Ways to Cope

Try It Out

Your Personalized Action Plan

Next Steps & Closing

Worksheet

Worksheet

Worksheet

Journal

Finding Hope After Loss

Alyssha Walker