Perhaps what these counselors also need to talk to children about is the difference between fiction and reality. From Bloomberg:
July 20 (Bloomberg) — A U.K. children’s charity has brought in extra staff to man its phone lines in expectation of a deluge of calls from distraught youngsters if Harry Potter dies.
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” the seventh and final book in J.K. Rowling’s series of adventures about the boy wizard and his friends at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, goes on sale tomorrow.
“For many children, Harry Potter and his friends have become a major part of their childhood,” said Kate Trench, a spokeswoman for ChildLine, based in London, which provides telephone support services for children. “Excitement could give way to sadness for those caught up in the huge build-up to the seventh and final book.”
Speculation about the book’s ending has been rife after Rowling admitted two characters perish, with many predicting that Harry himself will die. The New York Times, which said it bought a copy of the book this week in New York, described the ending as “a big screen, bone-chilling confrontation,” providing “an epilogue that clearly lays out people’s fates.”
The charity deals with reactions to the fate of fictional and real people alike, according to Trench. “When boy band Take That split up, hundreds of distraught children contacted ChildLine,” Trench said in a statement today. “Last year we spoke to more than 6,000 children about bereavement, and many more may call this year in relation to death of characters in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” [full text]
I have never been able to get into the whole Harry Potter thing, but offer the comments section of this post for anyone who wants to share their fascination, their grief, or their theories for how the plots will all finally resolve themselves.
Thanks to JJC for the heads up about the Harry Potter grief counselors.
Kmareka.com 
I’ve loved the Harry Potter books & I bought mine at midnight. But for young readers? I don’t think so. Even adults would have some difficulty with the many British euphenisms.
I’ve enjoyed the many classical/mythological references. They were just plain fun with lots of imagination. I’ll be sorry to see the series end. And I have no idea what that will be. That’s the run of reading them.
I hate when authors say they “have” to kill off certain characters. I was in shock when I first read “Charlotte’s Web” by the light of a small blue night light & Charlotte died. I still haven’t forgiven the author.
If I need help for the grieving process, you’ll be the first place that I rant about the author.
Do you think that I could call them & complain about the breakup of the Beatles? I’m also still upset about that. What a waste.
The Harry Potter rage has amazed me, reaching here, far from the main paths of America. Eagerly at midnight, my last two teeners at home went with their older sibs into a town that closes down at 8 PM, and amazingly there was a line at the local Smiths! It seems to me that if there are books with hundreds of pages and weigh pounds still excite our kids, the news is good. Whether or not we like the themes of the multivolume Potter series, I suggest we should be pleased our kids are reading. Perhaps we should look more closely at why they are NOT reading more significant material, but for the moment let them read Potter.