Grief Counseling for Children & Families

Grief Counseling for Children & Families in Ocean & Monmouth County, NJ

When a child loses someone they love — a parent, a grandparent, a sibling, a friend, even a pet — grief rarely looks the way adults expect. At Preferred Behavioral Health Group, our licensed, trauma-informed clinicians help children, teens, and the families around them move through loss. We see children as young as three, and we work with families at our Brick, NJ office, serving communities across Ocean and Monmouth Counties.

Grief is not a problem to be fixed — it is something to be walked through.

When a Child Is Grieving

Grief Looks Different in Children Than in Adults

Children rarely grieve in a straight line. A child may seem fine one hour and fall apart the next, or return to play in a way that looks like they “aren’t sad” — when in fact they are processing loss in the only language they have. Younger children may not understand that death is permanent. Teens may pull inward, act out, or worry about who else they might lose. All of this is normal grief — and all of it is easier to carry with support.

For the Youngest Children, We Start With You

For very young children — around ages three to five — much of the work happens through the parent. We meet with you to help you talk about death in a way your child can understand, answer the hard questions, and hold steady while your own heart is breaking. At this age, you are your child’s most important source of comfort and security, and supporting you is how we support them.

Signs Your Child May Need Extra Support

Reaching out is not an overreaction. Consider grief counseling if your child shows:

Persistent sadness or anxiety that isn’t easing
Trouble sleeping or nightmares
A drop in school performance or withdrawal from friends and activities
New anger or behavioral changes
Fear of being away from you
Physical complaints (stomachaches, headaches) with no medical cause
Guilt that the loss was somehow their fault

If the death was sudden, violent, or one your child witnessed, trauma-informed support is especially important.

How We Help Children and Families Through Loss

Our licensed, trauma-informed clinicians meet your child where they are, in the format that fits.

Individual Counseling for Children and Teens

One-on-one sessions give your child a safe place to put words — or, for younger children, play — to feelings that are hard to say out loud. Our clinicians use child-centered play and sand tray therapy with younger grievers, and talk-based approaches as children grow, building coping skills for the waves of grief that come and go.

Family and Parent Support

When a family loses someone, everyone grieves at once — and differently. Family and parent sessions help you grieve together, rebuild routine and stability, and give parents concrete guidance on the hardest questions: what to say, how much to share, and how to support a grieving child while carrying your own loss.

When Loss Is Traumatic: Trauma-Focused Care (TF-CBT)

Some losses carry trauma — a sudden death, an overdose, a suicide, an accident, or a loss your child witnessed. Our clinicians are trained in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), an evidence-based treatment that helps children process what happened, manage overwhelming feelings, and rebuild a sense of safety, with a parent component built in. Trauma-informed care for loss is at the center of what we do.

When Grief Becomes Complicated

Sometimes grief doesn’t ease with time — it lingers, intensifies, or starts to interfere with everyday life. Our clinicians recognize when a child’s grief has grown complicated or prolonged and adjust their care accordingly, so your child gets the right level of support rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Part of a Full Continuum of Care

Grief counseling is a starting point. If your child would benefit from additional support — for example, a psychiatric evaluation — our clinicians can connect you with PBHG’s child and adolescent psychiatry team, without sending you elsewhere. Evaluation, therapy, and any step up or down in care happen under one roof, as part of our broader children’s therapy program.

Getting Started

Scheduling, Insurance & Access

Your Next Step

If your child is grieving and you’re not sure how to help, you don’t have to figure it out alone. We serve families throughout Ocean and Monmouth Counties from our Brick office. No referral is needed — you can contact us directly.

Call 732-367-4700 to schedule your child’s first appointment.

Grief Counseling for Children & Families