The loss of a loved one or friend can hit a teenager hard, but many find it difficult to show their emotions because they feel childish or embarrassed.

In these cases, special grief counseling for teenagers can help. Counselors can offer impartial yet caring advice and provide someone for teens to talk to without feeling they are burdening other family members with their troubles.

Just like anyone who is grieving teenagers will need to work through the stages of grief in their own time. These stages usually include denial followed by acceptance of the loss and a feeling of pain and perhaps anger which then gives way to a feeling of being able to live with the loss and move forward.  Children and adolescents often experience these stages with more intensity than adults do so specific grief counseling for teenagers may be a good option.

Your teenager may also need time to come to terms with the fact that other people are grieving and may need support themselves. Adolescence is a time of great development and events such as the death of a loved one are often the first time a teenager realizes that their parents also need support and that they may need partly to take on that role.

It is also important to remember that teenagers are not young children. While it is tempting to try to protect them from hurting by shielding them from information, your teenager may actually want to feel the emotions and understand what is going on. Honesty is often the best policy so it is important to talk to a child about what happened and what it means for the future. Individual counseling can often provide a clearer explanation of these things than a family member who is also upset and can help your teen see that their emotions and behavior are a normal reaction to grief.

Many adolescents are reluctant to talk about personal issues, but a therapist experienced in grief counseling for teenagers will be able to explore a range of ways to help your child express their emotions. This can include things such as expressing emotions through art or writing a journal, talking with a special friend or a peer support group, and role-playing.

After their denial, it is likely that your teen will start to accept what has happened and begin to deal with the pain they may be feeling. At this stage, they may wish to be alone, however, it is important to make sure they do not become withdrawn and isolated.

Once your child has begun to accept the loss, grief counseling for teenagers can help them move forward with their own life. A counselor can help develop strategies for coping without having a loved one around anymore and adjusting to a new life. If they have lost a parent, many teenagers think that have to take on a more adult role, so counseling can help them come to terms with the new family dynamic and give them the support to be a teenager still rather than having to grow up too quickly.

An important part of this counseling process is finding a way to remember the person who has been lost while still being able to continue with everyday life. This might be writing a weekly letter to them, creating a memory board of special photographs, or visiting a place that holds special significance for the relationship. This enables your child to move forward without feeling as if they are forgetting the person who has died.

You might think that grief counseling for teenagers is unnecessary and that you can deal with it yourself, but having a professional guide your child through the stages of grieving could play a big part in the success of their life in the future.

*The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only. Never substitute, disregard, or delay seeking professional medical advice and assistance for any health or mental issue(s) you have or are concerned about because of something you have read.