What would be good and healthy for one person could be threatening and life-sapping for someone else. You don't really have the answers for someone else. There is often the temptation to stamp your own mark of approval or correctness on a situation. It is corrosive to hurl judgments, and ultimately may handicap the person in crisis. In our busy lives we tend to be brisk and very much agenda-oriented.
Time slows, however, for the hurting person.
Numbness takes over, and the motions of living are gone through without much thought. The normal grief process for a severe loss, the death of a loved one, for example, takes at least two years. A hurting person also needs time to sort, search and regain strength to go on with life. Many times the best help comes from those who assume the role of listener and facilitator . It is a role similar to that of a travel agent for the would-be traveler.