Each individual grieves differently and has different needs. This is why The Compassionate Friends offer a wide range of support services.
Each grieving parent, grandparent or sibling can take what is useful to them, when they wish, for as long as they need.All support services are provided by trained volunteers who are themselves bereaved parents, grandparents or siblings.
Telephone friends are available 24 hours a day. Every effort is made to match up friends where possible. The quarterly newsletter lists the “telephone Friends” available and includes bereaved mothers, fathers, siblings, area contacts including rural areas and specific contacts such as for Suicide, miscarriage or death of a baby.
Attended by trained volunteers on a roster system, Monday to Friday from 10a.m. to 2p.m. You are welcome to drop in or ring when you need to talk.
Individual sessions of approximately one hour can be booked and take place in the quiet room (Iris Room) away from the office. As with all services there is no charge. The library is in the room and members can call in to browse through the books and other resources, have a coffee and read or listen to music.
Regular support groups for bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents are held on the first Thursday of each month. Support groups for those bereaved by suicide are held on the third Friday of each month. Times and venues are in the quarterly newsletter. Informal groups, coffee mornings or afternoons are held in Bunbury, Busselton, Dunsborough, Mandurah and Rockingham as required.
Where possible the newsletters are sent by email. Newsletters include news about past and future events, current activities, poems, grief education, a “Remembered with Love” section for anniversaries and birthdays, information about resources available to borrow, groups and internet resources. Members are encouraged to submit their own writings or poems which have been helpful to them.
Memorial Events
Annual events are held to provide support at particular times of the year. There is a Mother’s Day luncheon, a Father’s Day lunch and a Christmas candlelight memorial Service. A special event is held on International Children’s Day which is on the Sunday closest to 29 January to mark the first TCF support group held in England in 1969. The major memorial, fundraising and awareness event is the annual “Walk to Remember” held in March. In November a weekend healing retreat is organised for members. Held in a peaceful bushland setting it provides a rare opportunity to “Take time out and care for yourself”. Worldwide Candle lighting Day is the second Sunday in December when candles are lit at 7pm in all time zones creating a ring of light around the world.
