Frequently asked questions
Does Hope Bereavement Care provide its bereavement counselling services only to parents following the death of a baby or young child, or do you also support people after the death of an adult?
While much of our service is focused on providing support following the death of an infant or young child, we also help people dealing with the death of an adult. After all, adults are somebody’s child and Hope Bereavement Care supports and cares for people dealing with grief after the death of a child, no matter the age.
My children are upset and confused that their baby brother is no longer with us. We know there are SIDS counselling and other grief counselling services in Geelong for parents but are there bereavement support groups to help children?
Contact Hope Bereavement and we will provide you with an overview of the support available, how it works and how to get your children involved. We also offer a Children’s Memory Morning during the school holidays.
A family member took his own life after years of battling personal demons. Because he suicided and caused a lot of heartache during his life, nobody in our family wants to talk about him, about his life and especially about his death. But I miss him, I need to talk about him and grieve him. Can you help me?
Sadly, suicide is the leading cause of death of men under 45 and women under 35 and six people take their life each day in Australia. Hope Bereavement provides Geelong suicide bereavement support services, including an After Suicide Support Group. We also partner with SPAN, the Suicide Prevention Awareness Network.
Years ago our family benefited from the assistance of Hope Bereavement Care. Now it’s my turn to help. Is there a role for volunteers in your organisation to help people coping with death?
Hope Bereavement Care relies heavily on the work of volunteers, with our grief educators/counsellors and part-time office manager the organisation’s only paid employees. Volunteers help with a range of activities, such as training to become bereaved parent supporters, fundraising, general office work and administration, writing submissions for funding, joining our committee, producing our newsletter and planning our annual memorial service. Please download a PDF version or Word version of our volunteer application form to start the process of becoming one of our valued volunteers providing bereavement support.
We’re not in Geelong but still need your help. How far do your services extend?
Although our grief support services are based in Geelong, we provide our service throughout Victoria’s Barwon and South West regions, stretching from Winchelsea to Little River, Meredith to Queenscliff, the Bellarine Peninsula and the Surf Coast.
If you do not find the answers to your questions here, please get in touch with Hope Bereavement Care. You can contact us online or call us on (03) 4215 3358. You can also access 24-hour emergency support in Australia on 1300 308 307 for urgent support relating to the death of a child.