1) Grief counseling for teens faces barriers like their developmental stage between childhood and adulthood and intense emotions. 2) Strategies for counseling grieving teens include relationship building, normalizing their experiences, and providing creative outlets like art, music, books and groups. 3) Support groups help teens by allowing them to openly express feelings amongst peers in a safe environment and realize their grief experiences are normal.

1. I’m NOT Talking to a Grief Therapist: How to Work with Grieving Teens Monica Coreman MA, PCC-S Grief Counselor Hospice of the Western Reserve 216-486-6250 [email_address]

2. … a community-based grief support program that provides services throughout Northern Ohio to anyone who has experienced a loss due to death

4. Barriers to Grief Counseling

7. Grief comes in waves. Frequency of “grief attacks” decrease over time.

8. Characteristics of Teen Grief

9. Intense all or nothing emotions Characteristics of Teen Grief

16. It’s okay if they don’t tell YOU everything, BUT…. help them identify others they may use as supports.

17. What not to do… a.k.a. How to not dig a big hole

18. Specific Interventions Creative Ways to Process Feelings

19. Groups

22. Relaxation Exercises

24. Books

25. Art/Projects Trust the process.

26. Comments, Criticisms, Witticisms…

27. References Bobby’s Books: bobbysbooks.org Corr, C.A. & Balk, D.E. (Ed.).(1996). Handbook of Adolescent Death and Bereavement. New York: Springer Publishing Co. Doka, K. & Tucci, A.(Ed.).(2008). Living with grief: children & adolescents . Washington D.C. : Hospice Foundation of Dyregrov, A. (1991). Grief in children: A handbook for adults . London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Huntley, T.(2002). Helping children grieve: when someone they love dies. Revised ed. Minneapolis: Augsburg Books. Mahon, M. M. (2009) ‘Funeral direcetors and Bereaved Children Beliefs and Experiences’, Death Studies, 33:9, 828-847. National Child Traumatic Stress Network: www.nctsn.org Rando, T. (1993). Treatment of complicated mourning. Champaign, IL: Research Press. Schaefer, D. & Lyons, C. (2001). How do we tell the children? A step-by-step guide for helping children to teen cope when someone dies. 3rd ed. New York: New Market Press

28. References Servaty-Seib, H.L. & Pistole, M.C. (2006-2007). Adolescent grief: relationship category and emotional closeness. Omega 54(147-167). Silverman, P.R. (2000). Never too young to know: death in children’s lives . New York: Oxford Press. Weber, Z.W., Rowling, L. & Scanlon, L. (2007). It’s like …a Confronting Issue: Life Changing Narratives of Young People. Qualitative Health Research , 72(7), 945-953. Wolchik, S.A., Ma, Y., Tein, J, Sandler, I.N.& Ayers, S. (2008). Parentally bereaved children’s grief: self system beliefes as mediators of the relations between grief and stressors and caregiver-child relationship quality. Death Studies, 32(7): 597-620. Wolfelt, A. (1996). Healing the bereaved child . Fort Collins, Colorado: Companion Press. Worden, J.W. (2002). Grief counseling and grief therapy: a handbook for the mental health practitioner, 3rd ed. New York: Springer Publishing Company.