How we help
Grief & Bereavement Counselling Gold Coast
Grief is not an illness and it is not a problem to be solved. It is the natural response to losing someone or something that mattered, and it takes the shape of the relationship it comes from. There is no correct timeline, no set order of stages, and no point at which you are supposed to be finished.
Even so, grief can become very difficult to carry alone - particularly after a sudden or traumatic death, a complicated relationship, or when life around you has moved on while you have not. Our Clinical Psychologists at MindTree Psychology in Mermaid Beach offer grief and bereavement counselling to adults, adolescents and families across the Gold Coast, at whatever point after the loss you feel ready.
Signs and symptoms
Grief affects mind, body and daily functioning. You might notice:
- Waves of intense sadness, longing or yearning that arrive without warning
- Difficulty accepting the reality of the loss, or a sense of unreality
- Preoccupation with the person, the circumstances, or the final days
- Guilt or persistent thoughts about what you could have done differently
- Anger - at yourself, others, medical services, or the person who died
- Withdrawal from people and activities, or feeling numb and disconnected
- Disrupted sleep, appetite changes, fatigue or physical heaviness
- Difficulty concentrating and functioning at work or study
- Avoiding reminders, or being unable to move anything of theirs
- Feeling that life has lost meaning or direction
How therapy helps
The aim of grief work is never to help you get over the loss or let go of the person. It is to help you carry the loss in a way that leaves room for living - keeping the connection while gradually rebuilding a life that can hold both.
For most people, grief slowly softens with time and support. For some, it stays intense and disabling well beyond the first year, sometimes described as prolonged grief. That is not a failure of coping, and it responds well to focused therapy.
Grief-focused therapy
Structured support for working through the loss at your pace - telling the story, processing the hardest moments, and gently addressing the avoidance that can keep grief frozen in place.
Meaning-centred approaches
Exploring what the relationship meant, what continues, and how the person remains part of your life going forward. Meaning-making is a well-supported pathway through prolonged grief.
Continuing bonds and ritual
Practical, personal ways of maintaining connection - letters, anniversaries, objects, rituals - so remembering becomes something you can choose rather than something that ambushes you.
Trauma-informed therapy where needed
When the death was sudden, violent or witnessed, intrusive images and hyperarousal may need addressing first. Trauma-focused CBT or EMDR can be used before or alongside grief work.
What to expect at MindTree
- A gentle, unhurried first session. There is no requirement to describe anything you are not ready to talk about.
- No timeline expectations, and no suggestion that you should be further along than you are.
- Space to talk about the relationship as it really was, including difficulty, anger or ambivalence, without judgement.
- Support for families and couples grieving together, including children and adolescents where appropriate.
- A calm, private consulting suite at Mermaid Plaza, with telehealth available if leaving home is hard.
Frequently asked questions
How long after a loss should I seek counselling?
There is no set point. Some people find support helpful in the first weeks; others come years later, often when an anniversary or another loss brings it back. Whenever you reach out is a reasonable time.
Is my grief normal, or is something wrong?
Grief is intensely painful and varies enormously between people, and most of what feels alarming is within the normal range. Where grief remains severe and disabling long afterwards, focused therapy can help - your psychologist will discuss this openly with you.
Can you support our whole family?
Yes. Family members often grieve very differently, which can cause misunderstanding at an already painful time. We offer individual sessions and can work with couples or families together where that would help.
Speak with our team about grief and bereavement
Our reception team can help you find the right psychologist and a time that suits you.