Find a Mental Health Professional for Grief & Loss

About Grief & Loss support

Grief and loss are deeply significant experiences for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and they carry a weight shaped by both personal bereavement and the collective grief of colonisation, dispossession, and intergenerational loss. Mortality rates are higher, and loss of community members to suicide, incarceration, and preventable illness is experienced across communities repeatedly. The concept of grief for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples extends beyond individual loss to include the loss of land, language, culture, and connection. Culturally safe grief support honours both the personal and the collective dimensions of loss. Healing may involve cultural practices such as ceremony, time with Elders, community gathering, and expression through art, music, or storytelling, alongside or instead of clinical counselling. Practitioners providing support need to be guided by community knowledge and priorities rather than imposing external frameworks. In Australia, GriefLine provides national telephone support. SEWB workers in ACCHOs and community health services provide culturally grounded grief support. The Healing Foundation focuses specifically on the grief and trauma of the Stolen Generations and their descendants. Community-led healing programs have demonstrated effectiveness in supporting collective grief in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. If you or someone you know is in crisis, Lifeline (13 11 14) is available 24/7, or call 000 in an emergency.