HealthInfo Canterbury
Helping your teenager grieve
Grief is a natural and normal human response to losing something or someone important. It is a very individual process, and how one person grieves differ from others. There is no set time or way to do it – grieving and healing take as long as they take. For some that could be weeks, for some months and others longer still.
If you are worried that your young person is taking a very long time to start feeling better, or their behaviour or mood is getting in the way of their day-to-day life, it's important to talk with them and follow up with their doctor.
Most people don't need medication to help them recover from grief, but it's important to follow up any concerns you may have. Managing grief can also sometimes be easier and faster with professional support.
The pages below include lots of practical advice on ways you can help.
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
- Mental Health Foundation – Grief and loss
General information about grief, including how to support someone who is grieving,
- Reachout.com – Loss and grief
Reachout is an Australian online mental health resource for teenagers and young people. It has specially targeted information and practical tools to help young people. It includes a page of strategies for coping with grief.
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Page created March 2016.
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Review key: HIGYT-53204
