Dates for the next group meeting are to be confirmed.  The time will be set to suit the needs of the people participating and may include weekends and evenings.   Please more sure to specify which times would suit you when you contact me and discuss.  

Each session will cost $50 per participant and/or the participant's sponsor.  Once you join the group you will be charged this amount regardless of whether or not you attend the group. 

Rebates may be available through Medicare of up to $30.10 per session with GP referral.  Rebates will only be given if you actually attend the session.

When you consider that one counselling session with me is usually $289 (and it is unlikely that you would find any qualified counsellor willing to see you for under $150 per session), I think you can agree this group is a great deal for you!   

A discount of 1 free session can also be offered to people who pay for all sessions upfront. 

Each group will meet for 90 minutes and there will be between 9 and 10 groups in the year. 

Most groups will run fortnightly for 2 school terms in the year, with catch-up dates booked for the other two terms to give a full year's support.

Medicare permits between 4 and 10 people in a group.  I will be operating groups between 6 - 10 people as a precaution because, if some people do not attend a session, the others cannot claim the Medicare rebate if the group falls below 4 people.  If fewer than 4 people arrive at a meeting, it will be cancelled.

These groups are set up in such a way that you will not be asked to tell your story.  This is to protect you and also the others in the group who may be distressed by hearing your story.   All that other participants will know is that you have lost someone that you loved to suicide. 

If you want somewhere to tell your story, especially in detail, I would recommend telling the details of your story to your individual counsellor (the group can help you find one if you do not have one for yourself).  

There may be times when you are asked to reflect on the impact of elements of your story to identify what treatments you are most likely to need.  The appropriate treatments that you can do on your own will be discussed in the group during that session, and additional support options if you are still distressed will also be offered. 

The group will learn about:

How to navigate grief in a resilient way including:

• • understanding how grief works, what is normal and what is not.

  • thinking patterns that will assist with healing through the grieving process.

  • ways of reducing the effect on the physical body from grief-related chemicals.

Yes,   groups have been set up so that people can join under a different name.   The software being used also allows for facial features to be changed if you are worried about being identified. If you are concerned about this, please contact me prior to the group's starting so I can talk you through how to protect your privacy/ anonymity. 

Yes,   this is a great idea!  If you come with a friend or family member, you are able to benefit from each other's support as well.  We only encourage you to bring family and friends who have experienced losing someone to suicide as well.  If you have adult (16+ years of age) female friends/ family who you would like in the group with you, please encourage them to register as a member of the group.   If you wish, you can contact me beforehand and ask me to hold a spot for them for a short time.

Rebates may be available through Medicare of up to $30.10 per session with GP referral.  (For more information on how to get a GP referral, please see below).

If your GP has diagnosed you with a mental health condition such as Anxiety, Depression, Borderline Personality Disorder or PTSD in the past, they may be very happy to refer you to this group. 

Your GP may wish to complete a mental health treatment plan to make this referral, and they may ask for a long appointment with you to complete this referral. 

If you have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, you are eligible for up to 10 group sessions a year and 10 individual counselling sessions.   Joining this group will not affect any individual counselling that you may get under Medicare, and better still, the group is designed to help you find individual counselling options (if you want them) that may be more appropriate for you than what is available through Medicare. 

You can provide this letter to your GP if you would like an easy way of explaining to them what you want/ need in order to claim your Medicare rebate for this group.

If you are a family member or friend of someone who you would like to support to attend this group, you can reach out to me separately to organise how you can pay for their attendance.   Please note, however, that should they also get a Mental Health Plan, the Medicare rebates will go back into their account.   You may wish to use this to encourage them to attend sessions (as the rebates will only go in if they attend).   You may also want to talk to them about paying you back this money to reduce your costs, but this agreement will need to be between you and them. I cannot take part in those discussions.

If you are an organisation wanting to organise counselling for a client (or staff member) who experienced losing someone to suicide, please reach out to me, and we can discuss if the group will meet your client or staff member's needs and any restrictions there might be on the funding that is used. 

You (or someone that you love) may have been through losing someone to suicide, and you may wish to gift this program to someone else.   If you would like to do so, please reach out to me, and we can discuss the details of what you would want for a scholarship (i.e. how many times you would like it to run) and if you want a scholarship for a new student set up in your name (or the name of someone you love).

If you would like to learn more about applying for a scholarship for yourself, a friend/family member or client, please contact me and discuss. 

Scholarships vary in their conditions.

Scholarships that are currently available include:

• The Orlando Handley Scholarship: Orlando Handley was a beautiful young soul and a musician who sadly took his life just before his 18th birthday.   His mother, Mandy Morris, benefited from attending a support group (not this one) and is very happy to see this scholarship offered in her son's name.