Our grief psychologists at Chrysalis Psychology & Wellbeing in Hobart helps people navigate all forms of loss, including death, relationship breakdown, diagnosis, life transitions, and grief that does not have a clear name. We also offer telehealth psychology across Australia for those who cannot attend in person. Please contact us for more information.
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The house feels different now. You move through it doing the same things you always did, but nothing feels the same. You make two cups of coffee before you remember. You reach for your phone to call someone who is no longer there to answer.
Or maybe it is not a death. Maybe it is the end of a relationship, a job you loved, or a version of your life that is gone. The grief is just as real, but nobody has a name for it and nobody brings flowers for that kind of loss.
Grief is one of the most universal human experiences, and one of the least talked about honestly. The Australian Bureau of Statistics recorded more than 187,000 deaths in Australia in 2024, meaning the ripple effect of bereavement touches hundreds of thousands of families every year [1]. In 2022, Prolonged Grief Disorder was formally added to the DSM-5-TR, joining its earlier inclusion in the World Health Organisation's ICD-11 in 2019, a recognition that for a meaningful minority of bereaved people, grief remains intense and disabling well beyond the expected period of adjustment [2, 3].
Grief is not a single emotion. it is a process, and it rarely moves in a straight line. You might feel devastated one morning and almost normal by the afternoon. You might feel waves of sadness, anger, relief, guilt, numbness, or a strange combination of all of them at once.
The World Health Organisation's International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) and the American Psychiatric Association's DSM-5-TR now both include Prolonged Grief Disorder as a distinct clinical condition, recognising that some forms of grief require professional support to resolve [2, 3].
A 2024 review comparing the two diagnostic frameworks found that, while criteria differ slightly between them, both identify a group of bereaved people whose grief remains severe, persistent and disabling well past the point most people would expect [4]. Even grief that does not meet clinical criteria can feel overwhelming, isolating and without end.
Grief and loss may show up as:
Research published in The Lancet found that grief significantly increases the risk of depression, anxiety, and physical illness, particularly in the first year following bereavement [5]. Yet many people wait years before seeking professional support, often believing they should be able to manage on their own.
As an adult, grief can intersect with every part of your life. You may be managing work responsibilities, supporting children or other family members, or simply trying to keep functioning while carrying something enormous inside.
Adults often describe grief as coming in waves. Something unexpected, a song, a smell, a date on the calendar, can bring it rushing back without warning. Many adults also experience what is sometimes called disenfranchised grief, grief for losses that are not publicly recognised or mourned, such as pregnancy loss, the end of a friendship, estrangement from family, or the loss of a former self following illness or trauma.
The team at Chrysalis Psychology & Wellbeing provides compassionate, evidence-based grief support for adults, children, couples, and families navigating all forms of loss and life change. If you cannot attend in person, our telehealth psychologists are available across Australia.
Children grieve differently to adults, but they grieve deeply. A child who has lost a parent, grandparent, sibling, or even a pet may not have the words for what they are experiencing. You might see it instead in their behaviour, sleep, appetite, school performance, or the way they cling to familiar routines.
Older children and teenagers may suppress their grief to avoid upsetting others, or may express it as anger, irritability, or withdrawal. Some young people show delayed responses, appearing fine in the weeks after a loss but struggling significantly months later.
The Second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing found that loss and bereavement are among the most common stressors reported by young Australians [6].
At Chrysalis Psychology & Wellbeing, we provide developmentally appropriate individual therapy that helps young people process loss, maintain a sense of safety and routine, and build resilience over time.
Therapy with us is compassionate, paced, and tailored to your individual experience of grief and loss.
Creating space to grieve: We provide a safe, non-judgemental environment where you do not have to manage how you present or protect others from your feelings.
Making sense of the experience: We help you understand your grief response, including any guilt, anger, or numbness that may be confusing or distressing to you.
Addressing complicated grief: Where grief has become prolonged, frozen, or complicated by trauma, we draw on evidence-based approaches including trauma-informed therapy, EMDR, , Cognitive Behaviour Therapy -Trauma (CBT-T), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to support healing.
Rebuilding a life that continues to hold meaning: Grief does not end. But with support, it can shift. We work with you to find a way to carry your loss while also re-engaging with life, connection, and purpose.
Our psychologists draw on EMDR, ACT, CBT, Schema Therapy, and Internal Family Systems (IFS), selecting the approach most suited to your individual needs. The Australian Psychological Society recognises grief-focused therapy as an evidence-based treatment for bereavement-related distress [7].
Your first session is an opportunity to share what has happened and how you are experiencing it. There is no agenda to move you through grief faster than you are ready. We listen, we understand, and together we create a plan that feels right for your situation.
Sessions with our psychologists are available face-to-face at our Battery Point rooms in Hobart, Tasmania, and via telehealth for a telehealth psychologist anywhere in the country. Our psychologists work with Medicare Mental Health Treatment Plans, private health insurance, NDIS (self-managed and plan-managed), DVA, Open Arms, the National Redress Scheme, EAP, WorkCover, and MAIB. We also accept self-referral.
[1] Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2025). Causes of Death, Australia, 2024. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/causes-death/causes-death-australia/latest-release
[2] World Health Organisation. (2019). ICD-11: Prolonged Grief Disorder. https://icd.who.int/browse11/l-m/en
[3] American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed., text revision). American Psychiatric Publishing.
[4] Treml, J., Linde, K., Brähler, E., & Kersting, A. (2024). Prolonged grief disorder in ICD-11 and DSM-5-TR: Differences in prevalence and diagnostic criteria. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, 1266132. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1266132
[5] Stroebe, M., Schut, H., & Stroebe, W. (2007). Health outcomes of bereavement. The Lancet, 370(9603), 1960–1973. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61816-9
[6] Lawrence, D., Johnson, S., Hafekost, J., et al. (2015). The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: Second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey. Department of Health, Canberra.
[7] Australian Psychological Society. (2018). Evidence-based Psychological Interventions in the Treatment of Mental Disorders. https://psychology.org.au/for-the-public/psychology-topics/evidence-based-psychological-interventions
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