Services

Grief & Loss Counselling in Narre Warren

Man with hands clasped in front of his mouth, deep in thought, reflecting the weight of grief and loss

Carry Loss Without Being Consumed By It

Grief is not a problem to be fixed, it's a process to be moved through, at your own pace, with the right support.

Grief is the natural response to loss, most often the death of someone close to us, but also the loss of a relationship, health, identity, a pet, a pregnancy, or a future that was expected but didn't happen. At Thoughtful Strides Counselling and Psychotherapy, we support people through all forms of grief and loss, using well-established, evidence-informed models alongside a genuinely person-centred approach.

There is no single right way to grieve, and no fixed timeline. Grief can show up as sadness, anger, guilt, relief, numbness, or a mix of all of these, sometimes all in the same day. Our role is to walk alongside you as you find your own way through it.

Have a specific question? Jump straight to the FAQs below.

Forms of Grief and Loss We Support

Grief takes many forms, not all of them following a death. Here's how they tend to group.

Loss Through Death

Bereavement The death of a parent, partner, child, sibling, friend, or other loved one.
Sudden or Traumatic Loss Sudden, traumatic, or violent loss, including suicide bereavement.
Anticipatory Grief Grieving in advance of an expected death or decline.
Complicated Grief Complicated or prolonged grief that hasn't eased with time.

Loss Beyond Death

Disenfranchised Grief Losses not widely recognised or socially supported, such as miscarriage, pet loss, or estrangement.
Ambiguous Loss Loss without closure, such as estrangement, dementia, or a missing person.
Non-Death Loss Divorce, infertility, chronic illness, job loss, or loss of identity and independence.
Cumulative Grief Compounded grief from multiple losses.

Signs Grief Counselling Could Help

  • Grief that feels stuck, or as intense today as it was months or years ago
  • Avoiding reminders of the loss, or being unable to think about anything else
  • Difficulty accepting the reality of the loss
  • Intense guilt, anger, or yearning that isn't easing
  • Withdrawing from relationships, work, or activities you used to enjoy
  • A loss that isn't being acknowledged or supported by the people around you
  • Wanting a safe, unhurried space to process a loss, even a long time after it happened

Our Approach

With 20 years of clinical experience, our grief work draws on the two most influential frameworks in the field, alongside trauma-informed and evidence-based modalities suited to your specific situation.

Grief-Specific Frameworks

Worden's Tasks of Mourning

Accepting the reality of the loss, processing the pain, adjusting to a world without the person, and finding a way to carry their memory forward while continuing to live.

Rando's Six 'R' Processes

Recognising the loss, reacting to the separation, recollecting the relationship, relinquishing old attachments, readjusting to a changed world, and reinvesting in life.

Therapeutic Approaches

EMDR Particularly helpful for grief involving trauma, sudden death, or intrusive images, part of our trauma therapy work.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Addressing unhelpful thinking patterns, guilt, or avoidance that can prolong grief.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Building the capacity to carry grief while re-engaging with a meaningful life.
Schema Therapy Where early attachment patterns are shaping how a current loss is being processed.
Solution Focused Therapy For practical support in rebuilding routine and daily functioning.

When Grief Becomes Complicated

For most people, grief eases gradually over time, even though it never fully disappears. For a minority, grief remains intensely disruptive well beyond what's culturally expected, now recognised in the DSM-5-TR as Prolonged Grief Disorder. This isn't a sign of doing grief wrong, it's a recognised, treatable clinical presentation, and targeted support can make a significant difference.

Grief is not something to get over. It is something you learn to carry differently, until it becomes part of how you move forward rather than what holds you back.

What to Expect

Sessions are 60 minutes, available in person in Narre Warren or via telehealth Australia-wide. We start by understanding your loss, your history, and what support looks like for you, whether that's a handful of sessions to help you through a difficult period, or longer-term work with a more complicated or compounded grief. Where grief is connected to relationship strain, relationship counselling may also be worth considering alongside this work.

Wondering about cost? Session fees and private health insurance rebate details are on the Fees page.

Whatever form your loss has taken, you don't have to carry it alone.

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Common Questions

Grief & Loss Counselling FAQs

Grief counselling is professional support for people processing the death of a loved one or another significant loss. It helps people understand their grief, work through difficult emotions, and adjust to life after loss, using approaches such as Worden's Tasks of Mourning and Rando's Six 'R' Processes.

There is no fixed timeline for grief. For most people, the intensity gradually eases over the first one to two years, though grief can resurface around anniversaries, holidays, and other reminders indefinitely. Grief that remains severely disruptive well beyond what's culturally expected may indicate Prolonged Grief Disorder, which responds well to targeted support.

Grief is a natural response to loss that usually comes in waves and is focused on the person or thing lost. Depression tends to be more persistent, low mood affecting most areas of life, and can occur alongside grief or independently of it. A counsellor can help clarify which you may be experiencing and the right support for it.

Prolonged Grief Disorder is a diagnosis included in the DSM-5-TR for grief that remains intensely disruptive for at least 12 months after a loss, six months for children, well beyond expected social, cultural, or religious norms. It involves persistent yearning, preoccupation with the deceased, and difficulty resuming daily life, and is a recognised, treatable condition.

Disenfranchised grief refers to loss that isn't openly acknowledged or socially supported, for example miscarriage, pet loss, the death of an ex-partner, or estrangement. Because these losses often go unrecognised by others, grief counselling can provide a space to process them fully.

Yes. Grief and loss counselling also supports non-death losses such as divorce, infertility, job loss, chronic illness, and loss of identity or independence, which can trigger a genuine grief response even without a death.

Yes. Thoughtful Strides Counselling and Psychotherapy offers grief and loss counselling via telehealth Australia-wide, as well as in person in Narre Warren, Victoria.

Ready to take the first step?

Appointments are available now. Reach out today and we'll find a time that works for you.

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