How to Support a Grieving Teen or Child | Parenting Through Loss

Grief can look very different in children, tweens, and teens — and many parents are left wondering how to best support their child while navigating their own loss at the same time.

In this episode of The Parenting Pair Podcast, Dr. Annalise Caron and Dr. Suzanne Allen sit down with grief expert Dr. Julie Kaplow to discuss how grief shows up in adolescents and families, what healthy grieving can look like, and how parents can respond with compassion, flexibility, and support.

Together, they explore:

• How grief presents differently in kids, tweens, and teens
• Why there is no “right way” or timeline for grieving
• When therapy may or may not be necessary
• How parents can support grieving children while managing their own emotions
• What happens when family members grieve differently
• Why some teens hide their distress to protect their parents
• Community grief and collective trauma
• Signs a child or teen may need additional mental health support
• Helpful coping strategies and grief resources for families

Highlights from this episode:

00:00 — Everyone Grieves Differently: Understanding Loss as a Family

00:25 — Parenting Through Grief: Supporting Kids After Loss

01:07 — Meet National Grief Expert and clinical psychologist Dr. Julie Kaplow

02:04 — How Grief Shows Up in Children, Tweens, and Teens

04:43 — Does Every Grieving Child Need Therapy?

06:43 — How Parents Can Support Kids Through Grief and Loss

09:55 — Practical Ways to Help Children Cope With Grief

12:33 — When Family Members Grieve on Different Timelines

15:01 — Letting Go of Pressure During the Grieving Process

17:15 — When Parents Are Grieving Too: Supporting Your Child While Struggling Yourself

20:23 — Healthy Coping Strategies for Grieving Children and Teens

22:17 — Why Teens May Hide Their Grief From Parents

27:15 — Navigating Community Grief and Collective Loss

29:35 — Signs a Grieving Child or Teen May Need Extra Support

31:37 — Helpful Grief Resources for Parents and Families

33:46 — What If You Feel Like You Handled Grief “Wrong”?

This conversation offers practical parenting guidance, emotional reassurance, and evidence-based insight for families coping with loss, grief, trauma, and major life transitions. Whether your family is navigating the death of a loved one, community tragedy, divorce, illness, or another profound loss, this episode aims to help parents feel more supported and less alone.

Resources discussed in this episode:

TAG Center Virtual Learning Library- contains a number of free webinars and resources for parents (including the Power of Parenting series designed to help parents support their children after various types of deaths):

https://mmhpi.org/work/trauma-grief-center/virtual-learning-library/

Lucine Center for Trauma and Grief- provides teletherapy to children and adolescents who have experienced trauma or loss:

https://lucinecenter.com/

The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute works at the intersection of policy and programs to create equitable systemic changes so all people in Texas, the nation, and the world can obtain the health care they need.

https://mmhpi.org/

The Hackett Center’s mission is to provide independent, non-partisan, and trusted policy and program guidance in Greater Houston and the Gulf Coast region to improve services and systems so that all Texans can obtain effective mental health care.

https://mmhpi.org/work/the-hackett-center/

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DISCLAIMER: The Parenting Pair Podcast is designed for informational and educational purposes only. Do not rely
 on the information presented in this podcast as as a substitute or replacement for professional -- psychological or medical -- advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have concerns about you or a family member's well being, please contact a licensed mental health professional or physician.