Abstract:

Perinatal Grief and Loss remain among the most profound and often invisible experiences faced by families. The Open Doors Counselling Program through CCV’s Family Relationship & Wellbeing Services responds compassionately to parents and families navigating pregnancy loss such as stillbirth, miscarriage, IVF attempts, termination and infant death, recognising that these experiences carry complex layers of grief, isolation and identity disruption. This program seeks to create safe spaces for this disenfranchised grief to be acknowledged, honoured and gently healed.

The presentation explores the development and delivery of the Open Doors Program, highlighting its trauma-informed, relational and culturally responsive framework. Counsellors work collaboratively with clients to process grief, foster resilience, and rebuild meaning, drawing on principles of attachment theory, narrative therapy, and spiritual care.

Drawing on practitioners’ reflections and participant feedback, it examines the unique challenges of supporting parents through grief, the impact on couple and family relationships and the role of community-based services in reducing stigma around under-recognised forms of perinatal loss. This is drawn from over 40 years of therapeutic practice and will be illustrated through various case studies.

Key insights include the importance of early engagement, symbolic and ritual practices in meaning making and multidisciplinary collaboration between counselling, pastoral care and health services. The presentation also discusses staff wellbeing, supervision strategies and training opportunities.
Open Doors Counselling demonstrates how family relationship services can hold space for grief that extends beyond the medical model: opening doors to compassion, connection and renewal after loss. Together, we can reframe perinatal grief from an invisible, hidden loss to a shared human experience deserving of validation, care and professional attention.