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How to Understand Grief as a Teen

teenage girl seated on couch looking distraught with her head in her hand and struggling with how to understand grief as a teen

Dealing with a loss can be hard on anyone emotionally, but especially so on adolescents. If your teen has been struggling with grief or loss, professional help is available. Grief and loss therapy programs exist to assist teens in managing what are probably unfamiliar emotions. Learning how to understand grief as a teen is critical. Learning coping techniques to manage these emotions in the future—as they mature—will better serve them socially, emotionally, and physically. Enrolling in a therapeutic program that is designed just for teens, among peers their same age, will make your teen feel more comfortable as they go through the process.

Call Imagine Omaha to learn more about grief and loss therapy. The treatment team is available to chat with you at 888.306.2681.

How to Understand Grief as a Teen

Learning how to understand grief as a teen is not easy. The teenage years are a roller coaster of emotions as it is. Plus, everyone’s response to grief and loss is different and unique to them and their feelings. Teens may not know what to do with their challenging feelings after a loss. This can cause them to react in unexpected ways. Reactions can include everything from reclusiveness to acting out in destructive ways. Other reactions your teen may exhibit following a loss can be:

  • Profound sadness
  • Intense anger
  • Avoiding social interactions
  • Poor academic performance
  • Change in sleep or eating habits

While these reactions are not abnormal in some teens, they may be out of the ordinary for them. They may also not understand why they are reacting the way that they are. Therapy can help them work through understanding and overcoming grief with the right coping techniques.

What Is Grief and Loss Therapy?

This type of therapy pinpoints how a teen processes grief. Losing someone you care about can be traumatic, especially if it is unexpected or tragic. Therapy will focus on helping teens develop healthy coping techniques that help them accept the loss, heal, and move forward in a productive way. In a program designed for teens, they will have the opportunity to share and learn among peers who are going through similar experiences. This is all done under the supervision and guidance of therapeutic professionals.

Experiencing grief and loss can be a result of many different situations. While the death of a loved one is one of the most common scenarios, grief can also be experienced after other types of loss as well. Events that can cause a teen to experience grief and loss include:

  • The death of someone close to them
  • The divorce or separation of their parents
  • The financial strain on the family that causes major changes in their life
  • A significant move, taking them away from friends and familiarity

No matter the kind of loss a teen experiences, help is available through effective grief and loss therapy.

Schedule a Consultation Today at Imagine Omaha for Grief and Loss Therapy

Grief is something we will all experience in life, but it can impact teens much more significantly as they learn to manage emotions in their teenage years. The way they learn to manage grief and loss can carry with them into adulthood. So, learning healthy coping techniques at an early age can help teens better manage emotions in the future and build a healthy mental health foundation.

In addition to grief and loss therapy, Imagine Omaha offers a variety of programs and services, including mindful meditation therapy, teen relationship counseling, and crisis intervention.

To learn more about our teen-specific programming, contact Imagine Omaha online or call the treatment team at 888.306.2681.

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