If you get anything from this, it is that your friend just needs you to be there, and to not be afraid of their big feelings. If you can be the safe and steady person who loves them through every part of the grief, you can help them feel less alone in all of this. Compassion is the greatest gift you can give to your grieving friend.

Let me be clear: I’m not a talk therapy hater. I am also a talk therapist, after all, and have seen incredible moments of peace and clarity come from talking it out. But I also know how incredibly frustrating it is when someone is expecting you to have words for what you experienced or what you are feeling and you just… can’t. You know that there is something there but words just don’t quite capture it. Or you have talked it over endlessly and still aren’t feeling relief. That is where expressive arts therapy shines; in those moments where words aren’t working and we need to go deeper. Music therapy excels at that piece specifically, because of the neuroscience behind music and how it impacts the traumatized brain.

My approach to therapy with teens honors who they are, what they want, and all the messy questions that come with being an adolescent. I trust that their feelings are genuine; that the heartbreak is real, the world really can be that scary, and their hopes for the future matter. I treat all my clients the way they deserve; with respect, compassion, and safety. My hope is that your child feels heard and valued for who they are. By balancing their developmental needs with their desires to be as adult as possible, therapy can help them overcome the barriers that they are facing in their mental health.

Your brain isn’t working, people are saying stupid things, now you have to figure out how to pretend to not be sad because everyone expects you to be ok, you still have a job and other people you love and have to take care of (don’t even get me started on how 2 weeks off from work isn’t nearly enough), bills keep coming, and the world keeps spinning.

Feeling overwhelmed is an understatement. Of course your nervous system isn’t functioning.