In-person, Telephone & Zoom Sessions Available
410 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills New South Wales 2010, Australia
My Grief: Specialist grief counselling, Sydney
Certified bereavement counsellor specialising in grief and loss
Site content: Grief & Loss Services
Prolonged Grief
Grief & Loss in Diverse Communities
Grief & Loss in Diverse Communities
Prolonged is a form of grief that is persistent and pervasive and interferes with functioning. It’s characterised by persistent intense yearning, intense emotional pain, longing and/or preoccupation with thoughts and memories of the person who died. A person may no longer know who they are, avoid reminders of the deceased, have difficulties engaging in life and may feel that life is meaningless. Prolonged grief continues to dominate the bereaved person's mind. The future seems empty, and the bereaved person feels lost and alone.
I am trained in Dr Catherine Shear's treatment for Pronglong Grief (The Center For Complicated Grief, Colombia)
Grief & Loss in Diverse Communities
Grief & Loss in Diverse Communities
Grief & Loss in Diverse Communities
It’s not unusual for the bereaved to feel disconnected from the world around them. People from diverse communities may experience a lack of resources or supports that can result in increased seclusion and isolation. While all grief is unique, everyone experiencing grief needs support and their relationships validated and accepted. People
who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, plus (LGBTI+) may have experienced widespread social stigma and discrimination. Their relationships and associated grief may be not recognised or validated leading to disenfranchised grief.
Being a part of this community I understand the importance of creating a supportive, safe space to grieve.
Companion Animal Loss
Grief & Loss in Diverse Communities
Companion Animal Loss
The loss of an animal companion can be a loss as profound and as deep as other losses. When we grieve the loss of an animal companion, the impact of the loss may not be recognised leaving us feeling isolated and unsupported. Our grief is not always understood or validated by others. One of the reasons for this is that, in the main, in our culture, and indeed in many other cultures, animals of other species are considered less important than humans, and their lives less valuable. Therefore the bond we have with our animal companions may be devalued by others.
“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” ― Anatole France
Disenfranchised Grief
Non Death Related Loss
Companion Animal Loss
Disenfranchised losses are not openly acknowledged, socially accepted or publically shared and create a paradox. We experience loss, but we come to believe we do not have the right to grieve that loss. The very nature of these losses can complicate grief, leading to a lack of support, leaving the person to suffer in silence, often having no context to understand their grief. Grief doesn’t have an absolute value. You can’t add, subtract or assign and compare different values or levels of grief. The loss of a spouse is not greater than the loss of a parent, the loss of a parent is not twice the loss of a grandparent, and the loss of an older child is not twice the loss of a younger child. A loss is a loss, and it is always felt 100%. When we attempt to compare loss, we lose the ability to really know someone else’s story. We fail to give them the permission to grieve the way they need to grieve and we fail to give them the compassion and empathy they need and deserve.
I provide a safe place for you to explore any loss and the associated grief you are experiencing.
Non Death Related Loss
Non Death Related Loss
Non Death Related Loss
Grief is a natural and often a universal response to the death of a loved one. What is less recognised is that it is also a response to circumstances that have far less social recognition and support—the loss of health to illness or injury, the demise of relationships through betrayal or separation, the erosion of financial security through unemployment or retirement, challenges to identity through loss of community, and more. Relationships die while those who were in these relationships continue to live. The world we have known can dramatically change, leaving us with a plenitude of losses we can scarcely name but are keenly felt. All of these transitions can deeply challenge our assumptions about how life is or should be, and how we see ourselves, others, and the future. Many people don't realise that there are experiences besides the death of a loved one that can cause life-changing grief. Regardless of the type of loss you’ve experienced, your grief is real.
I honour all losses. There is no hierarchy of grief and loss, there is only the impact it has on our lives.
About Paul
Non Death Related Loss
Non Death Related Loss
I am a trained and certified Specialist Bereavement Counsellor and consider it a privilege to work with people in often the most challenging periods of their lives.
I specialise in:
- Bereavement across the lifespan
- Sudden unexpected loss, via injury, illness and accidents
- Loss via suicide
- Grief and loss in diverse communities
- Companion animal loss
- Prolonged/complex grief
- Disenfranchised grief
- Non-death related losses
I am an experienced practitioner working for community organisations and in private practice in the areas of grief, loss, bereavement, relationships, family violence, crisis intervention, chronic and terminal illness. I also worked with carers of people living with issues associated with old aged, mental health issues and disabilities, and face many losses that are often unrecognised and disenfranchised.