conv.

All stories
HealthQuiet 2d · day 2

Parents share paths through child loss grief

Bereaved parents say peer support and counseling help navigate the profound loss of a child.

newest coverage 2d agosummary written 1d ago3 pieces MastodonNewswiresGoogle News

What to know

  • Child bereavement is described by experts as one of life's most devastating experiences, uniquely painful because it violates expectations of natural order.
  • Bereaved parents report that peer support—connecting with others who have lost children—is more healing than professional counseling alone.
  • Grief does not resolve but becomes something parents learn to live with; experts note grief affects mental health, relationships, work, and identity.
  • Support approaches vary by individual; some parents seek open discussion while others prefer quieter, behind-the-scenes forms of help.

“When you don't want to get out of bed and when you think you're never going to stop crying, you have to ask yourself, 'Is this helping me or is it hurting me?'”

Tonya Shoobridge, Bereaved parent · ABC News ↗

Kerri Westwood Bereaved parent, peer mentorTonya Shoobridge Bereaved parentLauren Breen Grief researcher and psychologist, Curtin UniversityKathy Packenas Ladybird Care Foundation representative

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

Peak 2 pieces in one hour at Sep 21, 9 PM; 3 pieces over 2 days (2 articles · 1 post) Sep 21, 9 PM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Google News 1, Newswires 1Sep 21, 10 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 21, 11 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 1 AM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 3 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 5 AM — quietSep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 7 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — quietSep 22, 9 AM — quietSep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 11 AM — quietSep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 1 PM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 3 PM — quietSep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 1 AM — quiet 1
Sep 22yesterdaynow · 2:07 AM ET
  1. background

    Peer mentoring emerges as key healing tool for bereaved parents — Kerri Westwood has served as a peer mentor to Tonya Shoobridge for 18 months. Both parents describe connecting with others who have lost children as more healing than professional counseling alone, particularly during difficult anniversaries and holidays.

  2. background

    Grief experts explain why child loss is uniquely devastating — Lauren Breen, grief researcher at Curtin University, explains that child death constitutes a profound loss partly because it violates our sense of natural order. Kathy Packenas from Ladybird Care Foundation notes that bereaved parents face increased risk of depression, anxiety, and complex grief.

  3. 1
    “That grief isn't something that you get over, we have to learn to live with it for the rest of our lives.”
    — Kerri Westwood

    1. 2 outlets first by Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2d ago · also ABC Australia · read ↗