Teenagers 14 to 18 are grouped together. The teen groups get a chance to talk to each other and participate in various activities for 75 minutes every other week.
All groups are facilitated by trained volunteers who are coordinated by the Executive Director of The Solace Tree.
The Solace Tree refers children and teens to therapists and counselors who specialize in grief and loss, if needed.
“What helped me was to have my daughter participate with other teens who have the same experiences.” – Lisa C
“Solace Tree has helped us both process the tragedy and move forward with life… Knowing my son is getting the help he needs. Getting understanding and support from peers….unconditional.” – Adrienne W
Teen Grief Activities
- Take a memory walk along a familiar path with the person who died. Remember things you did and talked about together.
- Remember angry words or a major conflict you had with the person who died. Write a letter to the person resolving the conflict, or put an empty chair in front of you and imagine the person who died is sitting in that chair. Now speak frankly to him/her about the conflict you had.
- Make a memory box. Take a shoebox and decorate it inside and out any way you’d like. Place things inside the box that help you remember the person who died, such as pictures, shoestring, rock, favorite CD, etc.
- Create a cartoon strip describing a funny experience you had with the person who died.
- Cut out pictures from magazines and make a collage about your loved one.
- Create a newspaper page with headlines and stories about how you found out about the death of your loved one and how you felt.
- Write a poem about a favorite thing the person who died enjoyed doing.
- Start a journal to record your thoughts and feelings every day, using words or drawings.
- Write a song about your loved one.
- Write a story about what’s happened in your life. It can be real, or you can change the circumstances and outcomes of some events.
- Kick a can. Find an empty pop can, wear sneakers, and find a field or a safe place outdoors where you can be alone. Kick the can as hard as you want, as far as you can, as many times as you choose. While you’re kicking it, feel the feelings and think the thoughts you have regarding the loss of the person who died.
- Choose words from the list below that describe how you feel right now. Write a journal entry, a poem, or song to describe your current feelings.
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