The laughter and the tears: Getting behind the mask in adolescent grief

Bereaved young people report incredible loneliness and often see themselves as the forgotten mourners. Their outward reactions can often mask what is happening inside. High levels of psychological and social distress have been reported in some groups of bereaved adolescents. The majority appear to demonstrate great resilience in the face of adversity, although research is very limited in this area. Getting behind the mask is not always easy. Traditional ways of establishing rapport in counselling has had limited success with adolescents. It is argued that grief is a part of life and as such the strategies to support bereaved adolescents need to reflect healthy and accessible ways of living with loss. Promoting caring and supportive environments for young people to enable them to tell their stories, have their experience validated, their pain acknowledged and healthy action resourced are promoted. The impact of bereavement on adolescent development and family, and peer interactions is explored. Increasing health literacy around adolescent grief in the whole community, consulting with young people themselves, promoting resilience and well being and exploring youth friendly methods of engaging bereaved adolescents in healing opportunities are seen as ways of improving their emotional and social well being.