Background and aims Abraham Maslow (1943) proposed that motivation is a result of a person’s attempt to fulfil five basic needs. This five-tier model suggests that needs lower in the hierarchy need to be met before you can move up the ladder. This motivation theory is person-centred and I have looked at how it can be transferred to working with children pre- and post- bereavement to achieve a positive outcome.

Pre-bereavement work with children and families takes on a similar trajectory beginning with basic needs/information about the illness and its effects, leading to self-actualisation/realisation of death and dying with memories and treasures to keep in place. The aim is to support children step-by-step through bereavement. In my case study the aim was to create treasures to keep, make memories and understand about death and dying.

Case study/methods (see table 1 below).

Conclusion Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory enables a step-by-step pre-bereavement method that supports both the child and the family.