The Emotional Energy Check List (EECL) is the primary tool used in the Helping Children with Loss Program to help adult caregivers and professionals imagine what aspects of a loss situation might produce emotional energy in the child(ren) in their lives.
By listing these areas of potential emotional energy, the adult is better prepared to hear what their child is saying or asking when they speak. The adult is then asked to engage in conversation with their child, asking open-ended questions to continue to identify the nature of that energy and to help lessen it by helping the child give voice to their experiences and the accompanying emotions.
EECLs should be constructed for each grieving situation and for each child, as the age, gender, and nature of the relationship will be different for each child resulting in differing sources of emotional energy.