Leadership

Soothing Sorrow: Supporting Grieving Teens

Grief can have a profoundly detrimental effect on teens’ performance, but Dawn Jotham has seen that effective support and understanding can help them go on to pursue their goals and help them reclaim the focus and determination they need to succeed.
Psychiatrist and patient woman

Irrespective of age, bereavement is a dreadful and stressful situation with the potential to leave anyone feeling lost and hopeless. The devastating reality of coping with the shock and sense of loss, on top of the indescribable sadness, is something that no one can possibly begin to comprehend until it is experienced first-hand.

For a teenager, the mix of emotions that accompany grief, as well as hormones and the pressures of school, friendships and home life can be an overwhelming whirlwind that consumes their last years of childhood and follows them through to adulthood. This is often something which detracts their focus from everything else, making it have a significant impact on their education.

While bereavement is a personal experience, and no two stories are the same, there are emotions that regularly surface during the stages of grief which can often be indicators of how a person is coping with the loss of a loved one. Being aware of these emotions that can be linked to this process can help teachers and school staff support teenagers to manage bereavement more effectively.

Understanding grief 

Death is an inventible part of life and is something which will, more times than not, result in grief for those closest to the individual. When faced with death, it is normal to experience a range of emotions which culminate in grief.

Additionally, younger people can find it difficult to verbally communicate their feelings, so when faced with bereavement there is a tendency to battle with their emotions internally and not actively seek the support of those around them. Subsequently, when this grief is not appropriately expressed, it can impact all aspects of daily life and result in emotional turmoil for the individual.

Many people who have experienced grief at different stages of their life often recall similar feelings and these reports can be used to identify some common signs of grief which teachers and staff should be aware of with students.

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