Dawn Friedman hosts the Tell Me It Will Be Okay podcast and interviews therapist and adult and child psychiatrist Dr. Elena Lister about her book Giving Hope: Conversations with Children about Illness, Death and Loss (co-written with Michael Schwartzman and Lindsay Tate). Lister explains that asking children about difficult subjects—including death and suicidal feelings—doesn’t “put ideas in their head,” but builds trust and opens communication, noting kids already think about these topics through experiences like Disney movies, nature, and news events. She emphasizes caregivers being grounded and “steady and sturdy,” using delaying or revisiting conversations when needed, admitting mistakes, and allowing children to set pace while keeping doors open. Lister shares her family’s experience when her daughter Liza was dying, discusses talking about uncertainty and differing beliefs about afterlife, offers guidance on cremation and funerals, and highlights that mentionable is manageable.
00:00 Welcome and Guest
02:55 Fear of Saying It
05:53 Disney and Death
07:42 Start Before Loss
10:50 Grounded Parent Mindset
12:43 Deer in Headlights
15:42 Good Enough Parenting
16:44 Classroom Disclosure Story
23:24 Anger and Humanity
26:55 Distress Tolerance Check
30:19 Death in the News
35:00 Living With Mortality
37:05 Aging and Nature
37:58 Afterlife Questions
40:26 Family Beliefs Clash
42:02 Living With Uncertainty
43:01 Grief Work Origin Story
45:25 Schools Can Talk
47:47 Let Kids Set Pace
53:41 Child Life Support
55:47 Cremation Explained
57:55 Funerals and Rituals
01:02:09 Preparing Kids for Loss
01:05:46 Final Thanks and Wrap
Mentioned in this episode:
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