Never use the word “but” in your responses... whenever you use the word “but”, you cancel out anything you said previously that validated his feelings. If you find yourself wanting to use “but”, use the word “and” instead. It’s not a terrible thing if you have no response. Not everything requires a response and too often, peoples’ responses are made in an effort to defend themselves as oppose to validate. Sometimes all you need to do is nod your head.
Your H sounds like he has a lot going on to have been moved on for more specialized care. There may be some things going on from a mental health perspective that you are not yet privy to. I would give him as much time and space as possible to give him a chance to work things out with a therapist.
