Ages 13 to 17

Many bereaved teens go quiet, lock the bedroom door, and stop talking to family. This isn’t personal. Adolescents grieve in private, in flashes, often with friends rather than family. Your job is not to break in — it’s to leave the door open.

Teen grief often comes out sideways as irritability, snappishness, or rage. Try not to take it personally. Underneath it, they are usually frightened, exhausted, and grieving harder than they know how to say.

Some bereaved teens pull away from anything risky. Others lean into it — drinking, driving fast, skipping school, hooking up. Both responses are about trying to feel something, or feel less. Stay close. Stay non-judgemental. Get professional help if you’re worried.

• headspace.org.au — free mental health support for 12–25 year olds
• Kids Helpline — 1800 55 1800, 24/7
• Lifeline — 13 11 14, 24/7 (older teens)
• A GP visit for a Mental Health Care Plan

Some teens look completely unaffected. They go to parties. They scroll their phone. They don’t cry. This often masks grief, especially if they’re trying to protect a parent. The grief usually arrives later — at the next milestone, the next anniversary, the next loss.

• Their own space + the door left open
• Permission to grieve in their own way and on their own timeline
• A trusted adult outside the family — an aunt, a coach, a youth worker
• Peer programs for bereaved teens (Canteen, Feel the Magic)
• Headspace or a private psychologist for ongoing support
• Watching for: long-term withdrawal, hopelessness, self-harm, talk of not wanting to be here