complex grief
Grief that doesn't fit the standard narrative and the support to carry it with you.
this may be for you if...
others keep telling you it's time to move on, but the grief hasn't moved
you're mourning something that never had a funeral: a relationship, a diagnosis, a version of yourself, a future you'd planned
your loss isn't recognised or validated by the people around you
the loss has shaken not just your heart but your sense of who you are
you're grieving someone who is still alive, through estrangement, dementia, addiction, or emotional absence
you've been carrying this for a long time, and you're tired of carrying it alone
your grief feels 'stuck' or has intensified over time
you're carrying grief from migration or cultural loss
you've never had a space where the full weight of this could be held
the many faces of grief
complicated grief
When grief becomes prolonged, intensifies over time, or significantly impairs daily functioning. Not a pathology - but a signal that the loss needs more dedicated attention.
ambiguous loss
Grief for someone who is physically present but psychologically absent through dementia, addiction, estrangement, or emotional unavailability. One of the most difficult forms of grief to carry.
disenfranchised grief
Grief that is not publicly acknowledged or socially supported - a pregnancy loss, an affair, loss of an ex partner, a friendship, a pet, or a career. Real losses that often go unmourned.
migration & cultural grief
The often underestimated loss of leaving a country, a language, a community, and a version of yourself behind. A grief that can last a lifetime.
divorce or seperation grief
The layered grief of a relationship ending not just the loss of a partner, but of a shared future, a family structure, an identity, and sometimes a community.
identity & health loss
The grief of losing a former self through illness, disability, ageing, or major life change. The mourning of who you were before.
what grief therapy offers
Grief therapy is not about helping you "get over" your loss. It is about helping you carry it differently, with more understanding, more compassion for yourself, and a greater capacity to live alongside the loss rather than being consumed by it.
In our work together, we create room for the full complexity of your grief, including the parts that are inconvenient, contradictory, or socially unacceptable. We work at your pace, following the threads that matter most to you.
The goal is not a place where the loss no longer matters. It is a place where you can hold it, and still move forward
ready to talk?
I offer a brief initial conversation to explore whether this practice is the right fit for you. No obligation, no pressure.
Yolande Barkhuysen, Master of Counselling
Australian Counselling Association (ACA) | ACA College of Supervisors
If you are in crisis, please contact Lifeline 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636