Adolescence is a critical time in which young men and women begin to shift their self-conception from one based in a world of childhood to one based in adulthood.  At this stage, adolescents begin to form their identity that will define them for a lifetime.  For teens facing loss, this can be an overwhelming time.

Teens grieve deeply but often work very hard to hide their feelings. Fearing the vulnerability that comes with expression, they look for distractions rather than stay with the grief process long enough to find real relief. Feelings can be turned off quickly, much like flipping a light switch. Teens can act as if nothing has happened while they are breaking up inside. You may observe teens who take on the role of caregiver to family members or friends, in effect denying their own grief.

When a parent, sibling, friend or relative dies, teens feel the overwhelming loss of someone who helped shape their fragile self-identities. And these feelings about the death become a part of their lives forever.

Signs a Teen May Need Extra Help

There are many reasons why healthy grieving can be especially difficult for teenagers. Some grieving teens may even behave in ways that seem inappropriate or frightening. Be on the watch for:

• symptoms of chronic depression, sleeping difficulties, restlessness and low self esteem
• academic failure or indifference to school-related activities
• deterioration of relationships with family and friends
• risk-taking behaviors such as drug and alcohol abuse, fighting, and sexual experimentation
• denying pain while at the same time acting overly strong or mature.

To help a teen who is having a particularly hard time with his or her loss, explore the full spectrum of helping services in your community. School counselors, church groups and private therapists are appropriates resources for some young people, while others may just need a little more time and attention from caring adults like you. The important thing is that you help the grieving teen find safe and nurturing emotional outlets at this difficult time.

If you find that your teen is having difficulty coping with the loss of a loved one, the counselors at Front Range Counseling Center (FRCC) are trained to help your teen through this difficult time. Once treatment begins, parents remain involved, giving the therapist feedback and sharing how your teenager is doing at school and at home. In addition, you may be assisted by the therapist in how best to help your adolescent as well as have the opportunity to address any parenting questions that you may have.

Teenagers are generally treated once weekly in individual psychotherapy with check-ins held separately with the parent to address your teen’s functioning.

If you are wanting help, our counseling center provides individual, group, couples, and family counseling.

There are two ways to setup an appointment with one of our counselors:

1) Fill out the Contact Form and a counselor will call you with 24-hours; 2) Call our offices at 303-933-5800.