Your Health

Grief and loss

Grief is a response to loss, particularly the death of a loved one that will often affect thoughts, feelings, behaviours, beliefs and relationships with other people. Many people experience feelings of sadness and anxiety, and the process of grieving can continue for a long period of time, coming and going in waves. Grief is a normal experience, and the process of grieving does require experiencing the pain of loss. Grief is a process and not an event and most people will continue to grieve in subtle ways for the rest of their lives.

There are several national support organisations with local representation around the country for grief and loss.

Lifeline offers telephone counselling services across Australia and face-to-face counselling services in some areas. You can call Lifeline's 24 hour counselling service on 13 11 14.

Grieflink is a death-related grief resource for both the community and mental health professionals. It includes easy-to-read information on various grief-related topics, and can advise you on where to find other resources such as books and videos.

The Centre for Grief Education is another independent, non profit organisation and is the largest provider of grief and bereavement education in Australia. It details counselling services, education courses and support information.

For additional information you can also visit HealthInsite.