Young, Grieving and Often Unseen: Teenage and Young Adult Grief

Workshop Overview

Adolescence and young adulthood are some of life’s most significant periods of growth. During these years, young people are discovering who they are, developing independence, forming deep friendships, exploring relationships and beginning to imagine their future.

When death, serious illness or significant loss occurs during this stage, it can profoundly disrupt that journey.

Young people may be grieving the death of a parent, sibling, grandparent, friend, partner, classmate or teammate while still expected to attend school, complete assignments, go to work, socialise and continue with life as though everything is normal. Many feel isolated because their peers cannot fully understand what they are experiencing.

Unlike children, teenagers and young adults often have a greater understanding of the permanence of death, yet they may not have developed the emotional skills, life experience or confidence to express what they are feeling. Their grief may appear through anger, withdrawal, risk-taking behaviours, changes in friendships, declining motivation or simply pretending they are coping when they are not.

This workshop explores the unique ways grief is experienced during adolescence and young adulthood and provides practical strategies for supporting young people with compassion, understanding and confidence.

Participants will learn how to recognise grief responses, understand the challenges young people face, and create environments where grief can be acknowledged rather than hidden.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:

• Understand how grief affects adolescents and young adults differently from children and older adults.
• Recognise common emotional, physical, behavioural and social grief responses.
• Understand how grief impacts identity, independence and future planning.
• Recognise the influence of friendships, peer groups and belonging after a death.
• Support young people returning to school, university, apprenticeships or work.
• Respond compassionately without trying to “fix” grief.
• Identify signs that additional professional support may be beneficial.
• Increase confidence in supporting grieving teenagers and young adults.