This factsheet details various resources for Grief and Bereavement support.

Grief and bereavement support

MND Victoria

Booklet: Motor Neurone Disease – Coping with Grief

This publication covers topics such as:

• The grieving process
• Learning to cope
• Dealing with feelings
• Helping others grieve
• Helping children and adolescents to grieve
• Solving problems and making decisions

Grief Counselling

Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement

McCulloch House, Monash Medical Centre, 246 Clayton Road, Clayton.

Provide individual grief counselling, couple and family sessions.  Support groups for younger bereaved partners, children and adults whose parent has died. Refer to private counsellors and other agencies. For any person who needs bereavement support.

Tel:  (03) 9265 2100, direct line: (03) 9265 2111

Email: click This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to email them, website www.grief.org.au

Hours: Monday to Friday (to make an appointment, after hours appointment possible)

Cost: means tested.

Also a service in: Geelong (5226 7745), Ballarat (5336 4285), Bendigo (5440 9044), Mooroopna (near Shepparton) (5825 1774) and Moe (5127 9138).

NALAG (Vic)

National Association for Loss and Grief (Vic), Suite 4, Level 1, 182 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne.

Provide a statewide telephone and referral service, which put people in contact with accredited Loss and Grief Counsellors.  These counsellors are private practitioners and professional fees for service apply. 

Tel. (03) 9650 3000, Freecall (country Vic) 1800 100 023

Email: click This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to email them, website: www.nalagvic.org.au                               

Hours: 24 hours per week, can leave message on answering machine

Cost: free service.                                                                                                       

Mercy Western Grief Service

3 Devonshire Road, Sunshine.
Provide support and counselling for people in the Western region.

Tel: (03) 9364 9838.
Hours: 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.
Cost: free service.

Calvary Health Care Bethlehem

476 Kooyong Road, Caulfield.

Provide one-on-one bereavement counselling for adults and children. The Children’s program “Helping children to heal” is free to any child in Victoria.  The counselling for adults is only for adults with a link to the hospital and is free as well.

Tel: (03) 9595 3436

Creative Therapies Program for children (Music & Art Therapy)

Tel: (03) 9595 3402.

Centacare

Provides individual grief counselling and runs a range of loss and grief programs for adults and children.  Counselling and the Loss & Grief programs are provided in a range of areas, the fee is means tested.  Contact details for the different locations are the following:

• Bendigo:           (03) 5443 9577
• Bundoora:         (03) 9466 7353
• Dandenong:      (03) 9793 2200
• Geelong:           (03) 5221 7055
• Malvern:           (03) 9576 2377
• Mitcham:          (03) 9873 4344
• Sunshine:         (03) 9313 0449
• East Melbourne: (03) 9287 5516 (administration)

Compassionate Friends

173 Canterbury Road, Canterbury. Provide support for bereaved parents and siblings. 

Tel:  (03) 9888 4944 or 1800 641 091.

Solace Association Inc

The Association runs self-help support groups in centres around Victoria for those suffering the loss of a partner. 

Tel: (03) 9590 0209 Melbourne Metro, (03) 5331 4730 Ballarat.

Private Counsellors

MND Victoria has a very limited list of counsellors who have worked with people living with MND.  For further information, please contact Inez van Polanen on (03) 9830 2122 or Freecall 1800 806 632.

Telephone Counselling

• Grief Line Inc, located at Calvary Health Care Bethlehem
                  (12pm – 3am, 7 days per week)                                Tel: (03) 9596 7799
• Lifeline: 24-hour counselling, 7 days p/w service                         Tel: 13 1114
• Kids Helpline: 24-hour counselling, 7 days p/w service                 Freecall 1800 55 1800
• Suicide Line Victoria: 24-hour counselling, 7 days p/w service      Tel: 1300 651 251

Further information about grief counselling and bereavement support can be provided by local Palliative Care services.

This Fact Sheet is one of a series intended to help people find ways of coping with the effects of Motor Neurone Disease by providing information about support services, how to find them and gain access to them.  Specific issues are covered in other Fact Sheets in the series.  The inclusion of an organisation or service should not necessarily be taken as an endorsement or guarantee of either quality or availability. If you are aware of services not listed here, or of alterations to existing listings, please pass on the details to MND Victoria. 

Please click here to download this Factsheet in PDF format.