Lived Experience Forum

[Dec]

Hello @Moderator 

I would like to suggest that GriefLine is a really helpful place for contributors who are grieving - the lost of family members and friends certainly and also other losses in life - employment, independence - even pets

I worked as a Telephone Counsellor for some years back in the 90s - it was a very helpful service then and I believe it has improved better now.

It can be very easy to get through during the afternoon - evenings are harder - it might take time to get through then -

And here are the details

People can find GriefLine by typing GriefLine into their browser

Telephone Counselling is available from midday until 3.00 am AEST 7 days a week and there is also an on-line Counselling Service

I hope people can find this helpful - I have suggested it to people grieving several times - it's up to other people about what they do but it is another service I know about that helped me in the past - still does on bad days and I recomend it

Dec

[Eucalypt]

Hi there  @Dec 

Great to see you sharing the details of this service that you have found useful yourself. Looking after oneself around anniverseries can be particularly important.

Compassionate Friends is another grief organisation that has been set up to offer support to parents, grandparents and siblings when a child dies. You can access their contact details here 

[Dec]

Thanks @Eucalypt 

I was a member of Compassionate Friends for many years and I was also a volunteer and wrote articles for their newsletter

After many years I grew away from it - it will be 33 years since my son died this year - hearing a lot of fresh grief was helpful for a while - I wasn't alone - and eventually I found it really hard to deal with - one at a time is really easy - all at once it tends to mean that it happened a long time ago - 

I was suggesting that GriefLine would be a great resource for other bereaved people - I tend to relate to those people - I guess I learned a lot through the years - I informed myself - it was really positive from the beginning - I was able to get a lot of pertinant material from The Compassionate Friends

Thanks

Dec

[Appleblossom]

@Dec I think it is important to keep reminding people what is available.  Rather than being stuck on labels and diagnoses and meds, we need to see the psychosocial aspects, which quite often include grief,