Grief Support

I understand that everyone experiences grief uniquely, so each session is tailored to meet your individual needs. My approach is warmly client-centred, allowing you to gain tools for coping, resilience and personal growth as you navigate your grief.

Grief is a deeply personal and complex experience that can affect every aspect of a person’s life. As an experienced counsellor, I understand that there is no right way to grieve, and the process can vary widely from individual to individual. Grief often encompasses a range of emotions, such as sadness, anger, guilt, confusion and sometimes even relief. These feelings can ebb and flow unpredictably, making it difficult for individuals to know how to cope.

In my role, I aim to create a secure, companionable space where you can express your emotions and explore your grief without pressure to ‘move on’ or ‘get over it’. I encourage clients to give themselves permission to feel whatever they’re feeling, while also helping them to understand that healing is not about forgetting or erasing the pain, but about learning to walk alongside it and integrate the loss into their lives.

Grief doesn’t have a timeline, and it often comes in waves. Through compassionate listening and therapeutic techniques, I can support you in navigating these waves, deeply remembering, finding meaning, rebuilding resilience, and eventually, gently healing at your own pace.

Our sessions will be free from shame, stigma and judgement. Life rarely hands us one issue at a time – you may also be facing relationship issues, chronic health conditions, pre-existing mental health issues, addiction or work/financial stress. Perhaps the person you are grieving faced some of these challenges too. Whatever the circumstances, both you and your person are welcome with me.

My professional experience includes:

• deaths to suicide, misadventure, missing persons, drug/alcohol misuse and chronic or sudden health issues
• disenfranchised grief due to distance, estrangement, infidelity or shame
• non-death losses such as loss of home/culture, loss of friendships/community and loss of identity
• working with diverse individuals, particularly autistic and other neurodivergent people, members of the LGBTQIA+ community and people with a variety of mental and physical health conditions.

I use a person-centred (led by you), integrative approach (multiple counselling styles) which enables me to tailor our sessions to your needs.

I’m here to help you navigate loss in all its forms. We’ll begin by meeting you where you’re at, because grief has its own shape and timeline. There’s no right way to grieve (our internal experience) or mourn (the outward expression of grief). Our work will focus on your present experience, because effective counselling prioritises what’s happening now over explanations. Rather than being told—often by well-meaning family or friends—how you should feel or what you should do, we’ll explore what’s unfolding for you. This approach helps make sense of the overwhelm and enables gentle reconnection with strengths that grief can temporarily compromise. Our work is tailored to you, grounded in relationally deep listening within an evidence-based grief counselling framework.

Grief also involves finding meaning in what can feel like an insurmountable loss. This isn’t only an emotional process—it’s a physiological one. Loss affects how the nervous system and brain respond to emotional pain, often leaving people feeling flooded, numb, or disoriented. Talking with someone trained to understand how mind and brain respond to grief can be deeply stabilising. Over time, this helps the brain and body adjust to an irreversibly changed reality, allowing emotions, memories, and meaning to be held more safely.

Grief is not necessarily about “moving on.” In fact, the idea of closure can sometimes be an illusion. Instead, grieving is about moving through—learning to carry the experience of the person we’ve lost (or are about to lose) as we adapt to life without them. Together, we’ll unpack the emotions, memories, questions, doubts, and overwhelm that often accompany life-changing loss.

Alongside my role at Bare, I also work as an EAP counsellor, operate a private psychotherapy practice for longer-term clients, and teach several subjects in counselling/psychotherapy at a tertiary education level.

Renée has volunteered with the National Association for Loss and Grief (NALAG) for four years and is in private practice in Mudgee. Her special interests are loss and grief, couples counselling (Level 2 Gottman trained), LGBTQIA+, disability and carers, and trauma support.

She has supported adults, adolescents and children in bereavement, loss and grief, and understands the process of moving through the stages of grief.

Renée works with various modalities with clients experiencing bereavement, loss and grief. Depending on the client’s circumstances, these can include narrative therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, solution-focused therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy. She is always respectful, compassionate, non-judgmental and offering hope for the future.

Renée has two adult children and two very cute dogs, Daisy and Cookie. She enjoys bush walking with her dogs, gardening and travel. She has travelled widely in Australia and Europe.

Drawing on my professional and my own experiences with grief & loss, I offer a blend of traditional and contemporary counselling techniques. I support clients through the natural ups and downs of grief, recognizing that mourning is a unique journey filled with fluctuating emotions. I emphasize the importance of being fully present with each client, creating a safe and non-judgmental space where they can express their feelings without fear of suppression or dismissal. Grief often involves a mix of sadness, anger, guilt, and even moments of relief, and I encourage clients to allow these emotions to flow freely rather than holding them in or pushing them away.

I have supported individuals through their grief after the loss of a loved one, whether due to a prolonged illness, a sudden traumatic death, or the devastating impact of suicide. My compassionate approach helps them navigate the complex emotions and challenges associated with these deeply personal and varied experiences of loss.

Ultimately my goal is to help individuals find peace, acceptance, and a renewed sense of connection – both with themselves and with the memory of their loved ones – while navigating the profound transformation that comes with loss.

As a registered counsellor with the Australian Counselling Association, I offer a calm, supportive space where you can safely explore your grief and begin to make sense of life after loss. With eight years’ experience in counselling, I work collaboratively with you at the centre of each session. Honouring your pace, your story, and your evolving sense of what healing might look like.

Drawing on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and grounded in trauma-informed practice, we’ll gently explore the emotional upheaval that grief can bring. I’m here to listen deeply, support you, and guide your healing journey, when you are ready.

You are not alone. Together, we can find meaningful ways to honour your loved one and begin rebuilding a life that feels whole again.