Teens – ElesPlace

Support for Teens & Young Adults

You Are Not Alone, We Can Help

You’ve lost someone special. Words can’t describe the experience. It’s hard to talk, hard to think, hard to get out of bed sometimes. And it’s impossible to understand unless you’re living it. Which is why so many people feel so alone with death.

You don’t have to. Other people your age are living with the same thing. Talking to them can make a big difference. It won’t stop the pain, but it might make it easier to live with.

Many feelings, some scary, some confusing, some even happy, may run through your brain after the death of someone you love. Feeling sad, tired, angry, hurt, numb, angry, frustrated, scared, guilty or empty is very normal. It may take several weeks or even months before you start to feel “sad” – other feelings, or a feeling that you should “look” sad, may take over before the sad feeling starts. You might have trouble eating or sleeping, or not want to do the things you used to enjoy. This is normal, too. The important thing to remember is that you are not alone. In our country, 9 out of 10 people will have experienced the death of a person significant to them before they turn 18. As you learn to navigate life after the death of your loved one, it can be helpful to talk with others your own age about experiences you have had or feelings you are having since your loved one died.

Just remember: ALL feelings are okay, but if you ever think you might hurt yourself or someone else, you need to talk to an adult you trust right away. If you feel completely alone, please call the National Suicide Hotline to talk to a counselor at 1-800-273-TALK.

Please read on for some common topics Ele’s Place has discussed with other grieving teens.

“When my dad died, I was so angry and confused and empty-all at the same time”

“At Ele’s Place there were people my age who were going through the same exact thing as me, and it was a relief to have friends that knew how I felt for once.”

Q: Since my brother died, I don’t feel like anyone understands me. I don’t want to go to school and pretend things are normal.

A: You’re not the same person you used to be. Your brother’s death has changed you, and it might take a while to get used to yourself again. Take it slowly, and try to keep your routine as normal as possible, but don’t bother pretending. It’s too much work. Just tell other people exactly what you need and be the person you feel like being. It might also help to talk about your memories with others or write them down somewhere. Just getting them out usually helps.

Q. Sometimes I think about hurtng myself. What should I do?

A: Grief can be very painful, but if you’re thinking about hurting yourself, you need to talk about it with a parent or other adult. You’re not alone-help is there for you. If you feel like you have no one to talk to and are having thoughts to hurt yourself, please call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK.

Q: The day my best friend died she and I had a huge fight. I know it’s not my fault she died, but I feel so guilty. How will I get past it?
A: Regret for what was said or done (or not said or done) is a normal but painful part of grief. It usually helps to talk to someone you trust, keep a journal or do something physical or creative. Eventually your heart will accept what your head already knows – that you’re not at fault.

“When my dad died, I was so angry and confused and empty-all at the same time”
– Joe 15

“At Ele’s Place there were people my age who were going through the same exact thing as me, and it was a relief to have friends that knew how I felt for once.”
– Katelyn 17

Support Groups

Ele’s Place offers support groups where you can share your feelings and memories with others your age who have had someone close to them die. It’s free and it’s confidential, so whatever you talk about stays in group. As time goes by, you’ll probably find a strong connection to others in the group that you can’t find anywhere else.

Q: My dad died and I haven’t even cried. In fact, I’m angry all the time. What’s up with that?

A: Lots of people feel angry when somebody close to them dies. They’re not angry at anybody in particular, just angry. That’s because death is intense, and it causes intense feelings. The trick is to understand and accept the anger, and to let it out in ways that won’t hurt you or somebody else. If you try and you just can’t control it, you need to talk to an adult you trust.

Q: The day my best friend died she and I had a huge fight. I know it’s not my fault she died, but I feel so guilty. How will I get past it?

A: Regret for what was said or done (or not said or done) is a normal but painful part of grief. It usually helps to talk to someone you trust, keep a journal or do something physical or creative. Eventually your heart will accept what your head already knows – that you’re not at fault.

Q: It’s been two years since my mom died and I thought I was doing better, but it seems like I still can’t enjoy the holidays or my birthday. Will I ever get over it?

A: Grief isn’t something you ever totally get over, but it does become less intense over time. Still, most people have times when their grief bursts out and comes back as strong as ever. Grief can come out of the blue or be triggered by holidays or the anniversary of the death. It might help to plan ahead, to honor your memories on special occasions in a way that’s special to you.

Suggestions from Teens at Ele’s Place

Rapid growth as teenagers approaches adulthood is hard enough. In a period of life where no one wants to be “different,” suffering a significant death can make a teen feel and become isolated. At Ele’s Place, everyone has experienced the death of someone close to them and can relate with many common difficulties that come with learning to navigate life after loss. Teens at Ele’s place frequently comment on the fact that they like being with people who just “get it,” who understand the emotions they are going through, and who understand how quickly those emotions can change throughout each day. Week after week, these teens meet at any of our four Ele’s Place branches to share their stories, the story of the person who died, and talk with each other – about their lives, about good days and bad days, things that help and don’t help, and everything in between.

The teens at Ele’s Place suggested the following helpful/unhelpful items to help them as they grieve.

Things That Help:

Send a card or flowers
Come to the visitation and/or funeral
Talk about the good memories of the person who died
Offer to listen – and let me talk if I need to
Listen – Some days I may want to talk and other days I won’t. Some days I won’t know what I want, but I will try to communicate my needs
Ask how I’m doing, but don’t press for an answer
Acknowledge days that are special to me
Understand if I have a bad day
Treat me normal

Things That Don’t Help:

Don’t avoid me
Don’t ask a lot of questions
Don’t be “mushy” about it or baby me
Don’t walk on eggshells around me
Don’t tell me things like, “It’s going to be okay” or “I know how you feel”
Don’t talk about your loss while I grieve mine
Don’t act like I’m grieving just for the attention
Don’t assume I’ll have problems or act out
Don’t make me talk about it unless I want to
Don’t change the subject when I talk about my loss

How Can Ele's Place Help?

Support Groups

Call Ele’s Place for more information

There may also be support groups held right at your school with students who feel just like you. Meeting with them can help. Ele’s Group meets during school hours and it’s confidential-names of members and what is said in the group are never shared with outsiders. Ask your school counselor or social worker for information on how to join.

If you ever feel that you are in danger of harming yourself, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-TALK (8255). The hotline is staffed with caring individuals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Does Ele's Place Help Parents and Guardians?

Yes! Parents and guardians have the chance to interface with others who care for bereaved children and share their own stories and experiences as they make their way through the various emotions, struggles, and triumphs that death has raised for them.

Ele’s Place not only provides insight into this process for the adults in the child’s life, but also offers structured adult groups concurrent with our children’s programming to not only work through their own grieving process, but also affords those parents and guardians a forum in which to discuss the variety of challenges presented to those caring for a grieving child.

Helping a Grieving Friend

When children watch their friends going through the emotions that arise after death, they are naturally going to be curious, but they may also choose to maintain a distance between themselves and that friend. Because death is a relative unknown for most children, they are unlikely to know how best to approach their friend who has experienced a death (and not likely at all to know that most adults suffer this hesitancy as well).

Understand that some days your friend will want to talk about or share feelings about the person who died – be a good listener! Other days, they may not want to talk about them at all – enjoy their company!

Click Here

Make a card for your friend

Click Here

Go to the funeral or memorial.

Click Here

Ask if your friend wants to talk about the person who died Be a good listener when your friend talks about the loss – even if you don’t know what to say. It is okay to tell them that you don't know what to say but you care about them and how they feel. If you knew the person who died, talk with your friend about good memories of that person Invite your friend to do something fun with you Include your friend in activities Treat your friend the same as always Understand that your friend might have good days and bad days Be patient and forgiving when your friend is upset or seems different Ask what you can do to help Remember that holidays and special days might be difficult for your friend, and ask how he or she is doing Say, “I don’t know how you feel, but I care and I’ll try to understand.” Tell your friend it’s OK if he or she cries. Also let them know that it is okay to have fun and smile and laugh still. If you feel worried or sad about the death in your friend’s family, talk with your parent or another adult.

Click Here

Support for Teens & Young Adults

You Are Not Alone, We Can Help

Support Groups

Things That Help:

Things That Don’t Help:

How Can Ele's Place Help?

Support Groups

Call Ele’s Place for more information

Does Ele's Place Help Parents and Guardians?

Helping a Grieving Friend

© 2026 Ele’s Place, Inc. All rights reserved.

Subscribe us for more update & news !!

Locations

Cars & Cocoa

Derby Day Soirée

This is a title