What is traumatic bereavement?
Traumatic bereavement is the grief that follows a death that was sudden, violent, shocking, or otherwise traumatic, such as an accident, suicide, homicide, a medical emergency, or the loss of a child. In these losses, ordinary grief becomes tangled with trauma, and the two feed each other, making the loss especially hard to carry.
When a death is traumatic, the mind can become stuck. Intrusive images of how the person died, or of the moment you found out, can crowd out gentler memories. You may feel unable to grieve the person because the trauma of the loss keeps getting in the way. This is not a sign that you are grieving wrongly. It is a recognised and understandable response, and it calls for support that addresses both the grief and the trauma together.
At Integro Health, this support is delivered by trained practitioners in a safe, compassionate environment in South West WA, in person or online.
How traumatic grief affects us
Grief and trauma are different, and after a traumatic loss they become intertwined. Grief is the natural response to losing someone we love. Trauma is the response to an experience that overwhelmed us, and it can leave features of PTSD, such as intrusive memories, nightmares, avoidance, and being constantly on edge.
After a traumatic death, these can combine painfully. The traumatic aspects, the shock, the images, the horror or the not knowing, can dominate, keeping you in survival mode and blocking the natural process of mourning. Many people describe feeling unable to properly grieve, or to remember the person as they were in life, because the trauma of how they died keeps intruding. Guilt, anger, and a shattered sense of safety often come too.
Specialised support gently helps settle the traumatic aspects, so that grief, painful as it is, can begin to move, and so you can hold both the loss and a continuing bond with the person you loved.
How we work with traumatic bereavement
This is tender, careful work, and there is no timeline you are failing to meet. We work alongside you, gently and at a pace you control, addressing both the trauma and the grief.
Safety and steadiness first
Before anything else, we help you feel as safe and steady as possible, with tools to manage overwhelming moments. Nothing is rushed, and we never push you further than you are ready to go.
Easing the traumatic imprint
When you are ready, we gently work with the traumatic aspects of the loss, the intrusive images and the shock, using trauma-focused approaches, so they begin to lose their grip.
Making room for grief
As the trauma settles, we make space for grief itself, in all its forms, including the anger, guilt, and longing, so that mourning can begin to move rather than stay frozen.
Remembering with love
We help you reconnect with memories of the person as they were in life, not only how they died, so that a loving, continuing bond can take the place of the traumatic images.
Carrying the loss forward
There is no finishing line for grief. Over time, we help you find a way to carry your loss and your love for the person, while slowly rebuilding a life with meaning in it.
Meet our practitioners
At Integro Health, traumatic bereavement therapy is delivered by registered clinicians and qualified therapists with genuine warmth and years of experience. Take a moment to read about our practitioners and find the right fit for you.
Dr Paul King
General Practitioner
MBBS Bachelor of Medicine/ Bachelor of Surgery
FRACGP Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
Jools Fordyce
Social Worker & Family Therapist
Bachelor (Hons) – Applied Social Science with Diploma in Social Work
Postgraduate Diploma in Family and Relationship Therapy
Brooke Eden
Psychologist
Bachelor of Psychology
Graduate Diploma of Education
Member of the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc.
Nicholas Kerr
Psychologist
Masters of Psychology (Organisational)
Bachelor of Arts
Member of the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc.
Carli King
Office Administrator
As Practice Manager, Carli keeps the daily operations of Integro Health running smoothly, ensuring our clients always receive the highest standard of care.
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Registered, experienced clinicians
Your therapy is delivered by registered clinicians and qualified therapists trained in the approach. Experience and genuine care come as standard.
A whole-person approach
We look at every part of you, your thoughts, feelings, relationships, and circumstances, because difficulties rarely sit in just one area of life.
The right approach for you
We use traumatic bereavement therapy where it genuinely fits, and draw on other evidence-based approaches when they would help, rather than forcing a one-size formula.
In Bunbury and online
See us in person at our Eaton clinic near Bunbury, or by secure telehealth anywhere in South West WA and beyond. The choice is yours.
Does this kind of support help?
Yes. There is strong evidence that trauma-focused therapies, including EMDR and trauma-focused CBT, help settle the intrusive, traumatic aspects of a difficult loss, and that grief-focused support helps people move through mourning. Bringing these together, as traumatic bereavement calls for, is a recognised and effective way to work.
Addressing the trauma often makes an enormous difference, because it is frequently the traumatic imprint, the images and the shock, that keeps grief frozen. As that eases, many people find they can finally grieve, and gradually remember their loved one with love rather than horror.
No therapy can take away the loss, and no one can promise a timeline, because grief is deeply personal. What we can offer is gentle, skilled support that helps the trauma stop blocking your grief, so that healing, in its own time, becomes possible. If you are ever in crisis, please contact your GP, call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or call 000 in an emergency.
What to expect
This work is paced entirely around you, and it always begins with safety, never with the hardest details. Early sessions are about understanding your loss, helping you feel steady, and building trust, with no pressure to describe anything you are not ready to.
When and only when you feel ready, we gently work with the traumatic aspects of the loss using approaches like EMDR, which can ease distressing memories without you having to relive them in detail, and we make room for grief alongside. You stay in control throughout. Sessions run for around 50 to 60 minutes.
You can read more about what to expect on our first session page.
Is this support right for you?
This support may help if you have lost someone in a sudden, violent, or traumatic way, and you find that intrusive images, shock, or trauma symptoms are getting in the way of your grief, or that you cannot remember the person as they were in life for the way they died. It can help whether the loss was recent or many years ago.
If your grief is painful but not tangled with trauma, more general grief and loss support may be what you need, and we offer that too. If you are not sure, that is completely understandable. Reaching out is a gentle first step, and we can help you find the right kind of support together.
Your questions answered
Ordinary grief support helps you move through mourning. Traumatic bereavement support does that too, but it also directly addresses the trauma of a sudden or violent loss, the intrusive images, shock, and PTSD-like symptoms that can keep grief frozen. Settling the trauma often frees the grief to move. The two are worked with together.
Yes. It is never too late. Traumatic grief can stay stuck for years, precisely because the trauma has blocked the natural process of mourning. Gently addressing the trauma, even long afterwards, can help the grief finally move, and allow you to remember your loved one with more peace.
This support provided by a registered psychologist can attract a Medicare rebate if you have a Mental Health Treatment Plan from your GP, which covers up to 10 individual sessions per calendar year. We are happy to explain what applies to you and talk through the options and costs before you begin.
No. You never have to describe the details before you are ready, and some of the most effective approaches, such as EMDR, can ease traumatic memories without you reliving them out loud. We always begin with safety and go entirely at your pace. You stay in control of what you share and when.
Yes. After a traumatic loss, feelings like guilt, anger, and a shattered sense of safety are extremely common, alongside the sorrow. They do not mean you are grieving wrongly. Having somewhere safe to bring all of it, without judgement, is often a relief in itself, and part of how healing begins.
Yes. We offer sessions by secure telehealth across South West WA and Australia-wide, as well as in person at our Eaton clinic near Bunbury. For most people online sessions are just as effective, and they are especially helpful if you are in a regional area or short on time. You can read more on our online therapy page.
No referral is needed to book a session. You can contact us directly to arrange a first appointment. If you would like to access a Medicare rebate through a Mental Health Treatment Plan, you will need a GP referral first, and we can guide you through that.
This support is for grief after any sudden, violent, or traumatic death, including accidents, suicide, homicide, medical emergencies, and the loss of a child, where trauma and grief have become tangled. It connects closely with our support for grief and loss, trauma, and PTSD. If you are unsure, we are here to help.
Medically reviewed by
General Practitioner
The clinical information on this page has been reviewed for accuracy by Dr Paul King, General Practitioner at Integro Health. It is general information, and not a substitute for personal medical or psychological advice.
