Week 10: Interview Analysis!
Amita B -
Hi everyone!
This week I’ve been conducting interviews for my research and asking past volunteers from Monday night grief groups to share their experiences.
It’s been really interesting to hear how different the experiences can be depending on the age group the volunteer worked with. For example, one volunteer who has only worked with teens over the past six months shared that teens tend to stay more surface-level and aren’t always comfortable going deeper with their emotions. She noticed a lot of withdrawal in the beginning and said that even though she had never volunteered in a grief setting before, she was surprised by how much the teens eventually participated.
She said:
“I’ve been surprised by how much they participate. With teens, it’s often harder to get them to open up, but once they start talking and build rapport, they do open up. It’s been really rewarding to see that.”
I thought that was really beautiful to hear.
On the other hand, another volunteer had worked mainly with younger kids ages 7–11 and had experience at two different grief support centers. She’s been in this type of work for over four years, so it was fascinating to hear how her insights lined up—or didn’t—with what I’ve been researching.
One thing that came up in my past research is how grief can show up in physical ways, like stomachaches or headaches. I asked her if she had seen anything like that, and she said:
“I haven’t seen much of that personally, but I definitely believe it happens. The brain and body are so interconnected, and sadness can manifest in surprising ways.”
A key theme across all the interviews was that kids are much more open to sharing than people expect. One volunteer said:
“A lot of people expect grief groups to be somber, but kids are so talkative and open. Some come in laughing and chatting. One girl said it felt good to be with other kids who had gone through something similar. It made her feel normal, not alone. That’s huge.”
Hearing this was not only heartwarming but also really helpful—it’s allowing me to compare real-life experiences with what I’ve found in my research so far and see what lines up or challenges my assumptions.
Thank you for reading!
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