Grief – support services
Grief – support services
Grief is our response to loss. Everyone will experience loss at some stage in life. The death of a loved one is a particularly difficult experience for many people. Grief support services provide counselling, support and education to bereaved individuals, children and families. The opportunity to talk things over with a professional counsellor may help you to make sense of your feelings.
Grief can be triggered by different experiences
The death of a family member, friend or other close person can trigger grief.
A number of other experiences can also cause feelings of loss and grief. These experiences might include:
separation, divorce or relationship breakdown
loss of possessions through disaster or theft
children leaving home
placing your child(ren) into someone else’s care
unemployment, retrenchment or retirement
death of a pet
infertility
, stillbirth,
miscarriage
or
abortion
the loss of a person who is missing.
Support is important when you’re grieving
People who are well supported by family and friends are less likely to suffer poor health as a consequence of bereavement and loss. However, some grieving people may also benefit from professional grief support and counselling.
Bereavement counselling for grief
Grief support services provide counselling, support and education to bereaved individuals, children and families. The opportunity to talk things over with other a professional counsellor may help you make sense of your feelings.
Counsellors
can offer you encouragement and support and through the grieving process. They will not tell you what to do or how you should be feeling, but they may put forward ideas and strategies to help you cope.
Support can help you cope with grief
Grief support services aim to:
assist and guide people through the grieving process
help with complicated grief issues to prevent physical and mental health problems occurring.
Support is available in most communities
Community organisations, agencies and groups are often involved in grief support services. These organisations may include:
hospitals
and community health centres
palliative care
agencies
volunteer groups
church and religious organisations.
Specialist services for grief
There is a range of specialist grief support services available. For example, if you have experienced the death of a child or baby, assistance is available from
Red Nose Grief and
Loss
External Link
.
There are also grief support groups for families of people who have taken their own life, victims of homicide and people experiencing
trauma
as a result of road accidents. Sometimes specialist services are established in response to a particular traumatic event or disaster such as a bushfire or flood.
Services for children who are grieving
Children can experience loss and grief from a very young age. Their feelings might be triggered by the death of a parent or close relative, family separation, the death or loss of a pet or many other situations.
T
External Link
he Victorian Government funds
Grief
Australia
External Link
to provide a statewide specialist bereavement service for individuals and families who need help following the death of someone close to them. This service operates throughout Victoria and provides a range of bereavement support programs for both children and adults, including face to face counselling and support groups. Telephone or online counselling (by appointment) is also available to clients in more remote areas.
Kids
Helpline
External Link
offers a confidential 24-hour counselling service for children and young adults aged from five to 25 years. They can call from anywhere in Australia for free on Tel.
1800 551 800
.
Where to get help
Your GP (doctor)
Palliative Care Advice
Service
External Link
Your local community health centre, hospital or palliative care service
A trained bereavement counsellor
End of life and palliative care services
Griefline
External Link
provide a national toll-free helpline 8 am to 8 pm 7 days a week, 365 days a year. (AEDT/AEST) Tel.
1300 845 745
.
There is also a free
Request a callback
service
External Link
allowing help-seekers the option to schedule a Grief Support Call from a specially trained Griefline telephone support person.
Nurse-on-Call
Tel.
1300 60 60 24
– for expert health information and advice (24 hours, 7 days)
Grief
Australia
External Link
– bereavement counselling and support services Tel.
(03) 9265 2100
or
1800 642 066
The Compassionate Friends
Victoria
External Link
– grief support after the death of a son, daughter, brother or sister Tel.
(03) 9888 4944
or
1300 064 068
Mercy Grief
Services
External Link
– for people living in the western region of Melbourne Tel.
(03) 9313 5700
Hope Bereavement
Care
External Link
– for people living in the Barwon region Tel.
(03) 4215 3358
Kids
Helpline
External Link
– telephone counselling Tel.
1800 551 800
(24 hours, 7 days)
Lifeline
External Link
– crisis support and suicide prevention services Tel.
13 11 14
(24 hours, 7 days)
MensLine
Australia
External Link
Tel.
1300 789 978
(24 hours, 7 days)
Parentline
Victoria
External Link
Tel.
13 22 89
(8 am to 12 midnight, 7 days a week)
SuicideLine
Victoria
External Link
Tel.
1300 651 251
– for counselling, crisis intervention, information and referral (24 hours, 7 days)
Red Nose Grief and
Loss
External Link
Tel.
1300 308 307
(24 hours, 7 days)
Very Special
Kids
External Link
(Bereavement Support Program) Tel.
(03) 9804 6253
or
1800 888 875
Victims of Crime
Helpline
External Link
Tel.
1800 819 817
Amber
Community
External Link
– road incident support and education Tel.
(03) 8877 6900
or
1300 367 797
Support After
Suicide
External Link
Tel.
(03) 9421 7640