Grief and Loss Therapy for Teens and Young Adults in Centreville, VA
Therapy for Grief and Loss
Led by Beth Lang, Licensed Professional Counselor | VA LPC #(571) 583-5210
You Know Exactly When Your Child Changed
There is no mystery about what happened. You can name the day. The phone call, the conversation, the moment everything split into before and after.
Maybe it was a parent who died. A grandparent. A friend. A pet they grew up with. Maybe it was a move that pulled them away from everything familiar. A divorce that rearranged their whole life.
You expected the grief to pass. For a while, maybe it looked like it was. They went back to school. They showed up for the routine. Then something shifted. Anger that does not match the moment. Silence that goes on too long. Flatness where there used to be light.
You have tried to be there. Nothing seems to land. And maybe you are carrying your own grief at the same time.
Individual Grief Therapy for What Cannot Be Processed Alone
Some grief needs more space than a group setting or a dinner table conversation can provide. Individual therapy gives your child a place to sit with what happened, one on one, with someone who will not rush them through it.
Not every teenager grieves the same way. Some need to talk. Some need to draw or move. Some need to sit in silence with someone who can handle the silence. We follow your child's lead.
Loss is not limited to death. A parent who deployed. A move that erased every friendship. A divorce that split their world in two. For a teenager, these are real losses and they deserve real care.
Sometimes grief gets tangled up with anxiety, depression, guilt, or anger that has nowhere to go. Individual therapy works with the full picture.
Is This Right for Your Teen?
You might recognize some of this in your child.
- They experienced the death of a parent, grandparent, family member, or close friend
- They lost a pet who was a daily part of their life
- Your family went through a major disruption and your child has not been the same since
- They seemed okay at first but changed in the weeks or months after
- They are angry, withdrawn, or emotionally flat since the loss
- They refuse to talk about it or pretend it did not happen
- They are clingy or behaving younger than their age
- You are carrying your own grief and cannot be their therapist too
If your child's loss is still affecting how they live, it is not too late. It is also not too early.
Contact Me Today
Reaching out for your child while carrying your own grief is hard. You do not have to have it figured out first.
How We Work With Your Teen
Individual therapy is usually weekly, in person or online. Your teen will be matched with a clinical resident I have trained to work with grieving young people.
Grief therapy moves at the child's pace. Their therapist will not push them to talk before they are ready. The first job is trust. Once your child feels safe, the grief surfaces naturally.
My school counseling background matters here. I have seen grief walk into a classroom more times than I can count. The kid who came back after summer a different person. The kid whose family moved and lost every anchor. I train our team to see those kids.
We also support you as the parent. How to be present without trying to fix it. When to bring it up. When to let it be. That guidance matters, especially when you are grieving too.
Why Creative Connections for Grief
Beth Lang, LPC | Licensed Professional Counselor | Centreville, VA
Grief in young people is unpredictable. It does not follow the stages or resolve on a schedule. It shows up as anger, silence, regression, or a kid who looks fine to the world and is falling apart inside. I have worked with grieving kids throughout my career, in school settings and in clinical practice, and that experience shapes how I train our team.
Our residents work with your child individually and I supervise every case. Your teen gets someone who is fully present with them, backed by a clinician who knows what grief looks like when it has nowhere to go.
Questions Parents Often Ask
Here is what other parents have asked me about grief therapy at Creative Connections.
How do I know if my child needs individual grief therapy or a grief support group?
Individual therapy is usually better if the grief is very fresh, if there is trauma on top of the loss, or if your child will not open up in front of peers. A support group works well when they are ready to connect with others who have been through something similar. Some kids do both. We also offer a Grief and Loss Support Group if that feels like the right fit.
My child will not talk about what happened. Will therapy still help?
Yes. Not all grief therapy is verbal. Some teens process through art, movement, or just being in a room with someone who is not going to force anything. The silence is not a barrier. Over time, most kids open up once they feel safe enough.
My child's loss was not a death. Is grief therapy still appropriate?
Absolutely. A military move. A divorce. A pet. A friendship that ended. A sense of safety that disappeared. What qualifies your child is not the type of loss. It is how the loss is affecting them.
How long does grief therapy take?
No set timeline. Some kids process what they need in a few months. Others benefit from support through specific milestones: the anniversary, the birthday, the holidays. Grief does not follow a schedule and neither do we.
Contact Me Today
You cannot take away what happened. But you can make sure your child has someone to sit with them in it who knows how to help.
