Grief Guide

Grief Guide Grief Guide is a Brisbane/Ipswich-based grief, loss, and bereavement counselling and supervision service run by Ali Mills.

Ali is a Registered Counsellor and Accredited Supervisor with 10+ years experience working with grieving clients.

28/05/2026

A few thoughts following a conversation with a bereaved Mum on the social isolation of grief.

Grief is messy, it's raw, it's relentless, and there are no right words to say. But please stay, and bear witness. It means more than you know.

🪷🪷

26/05/2026

Grief is cumulative.

Over our lifetime, we face many losses, of many different types. Loss of relationships, loss of parts of ourselves, loss of jobs, the death of people we love.

Some of these can feel like they're happening in isolation, but they have a cumulative effect on our minds and our bodies, and they each form part of our story, part of how we make sense of the world.

Have you ever noticed that when something bad happens, when we're thrust into grief again, how past experiences tend to come back roaring? Memories, reflections, ways of navigating grief, for better or for worse. We build a template over a lifetime to help us find our way through.

It's part of why grief can be so difficult for children, who don't yet have their own template. They look to us to fill in the gaps.

It's also why, when we add another loss to an already heavy load, it can feel even more impossible to bear.

Grief doesn't happen in isolation. Each loss doesn't happen in isolation. We bring them all with us.

My invitation to you today is to tend to your grief collection, whether you're navigating something difficult right now, reflecting on times you have, or thinking about the grief ahead.

🪷 Welcome to Grief Guide. All of your grief is welcome here. 🪷

15/05/2026

Something new!

I've been hosting Death Cafés for a while now, informal gatherings where we eat cake, drink tea, and talk about death and dying. Death Cafés have no agenda, no themes, and the facilitator doesn't direct the conversation, that's part of their beauty. They've been consistently full and powerful.

But I've also noticed something. While that open, participant-led nature works beautifully for many people, others are looking for something with more structure. A space where there's gentle guidance through the harder parts of grief, with prompts and facilitation.

So I'm introducing Mourning Tea.

The same spirit as a Death Café; the openness, the tea, the permission to speak honestly. But with facilitated discussion, thoughtful prompts, and sessions designed for specific groups navigating loss.

The first one is for adults whose loved one has died. Recent loss or years past, doesn't matter. This is space to talk about what it's really like after someone dies; the bits that don't fit into polite conversation.

Grief isn't something you get over. But let's come together to carry it together.

🪷 Friday 19th June, 9:30-10:30am
🪷 Flow State Psychology, Sumner
🪷 FREE (morning tea provided)
🪷 Limited spaces - RSVP essential

👉 Link in bio or contact me: 0466 059 111 / [email protected]

More sessions coming for different grief experiences. Watch this space.

Supported by Dying to Know Day grant 

You don't have to do grief alone.

06/05/2026

Mother's Day is coming.

And I just want to say, gently, before it arrives, this day lands differently for so many people.

🪷 Those whose Mum has died, and will feel her absence loudly this Sunday.

🪷 Those who are yearning to be a Mum, and for whom this day is a reminder of that ache.

🪷 Those who have or are experiencing fertility struggles or perinatal loss, carrying a grief that so often goes unseen.

🪷 Those navigating a strained or complicated relationships with their Mum, where the card aisle doesn't fit the experience.

🪷 Those whose Mum is still here, but has changed, maybe because of illness, or distance, or some other reason. Grieving a version of her you once knew.

🪷 Those whose child has died, or whose child is unwell. The mothers who will sit quietly with that this Sunday, or rage loudly at the absolute unfairness of it.

🪷 Those in the thick of postpartum, where the day might feel more heavy than celebrated.

🪷 And those who hold their own grief quietly, even while the people around them are enjoying the day.

This is not a small number of people. This is a lot of us.

So in these days leading up, I want to offer this: What does this day mean for you? And, how might you go gently through it?

Sometimes that looks like having a plan. To do something intentional. To do nothing at all. To lean on a person who gets it. To have a quiet exit from a family gathering if you need one. Sometimes it's just letting yourself know in advance: this might be hard, and that's okay.

If you're supporting someone who's grieving this Mother's Day, your presence, your acknowledgement, your willingness to just say "I know this one's not easy", can mean more than you realise.

However Sunday lands for you, you're allowed to feel all of it, and please know that I'm thinking of you 🪷

30/04/2026

A few reflections on the losses that have shown up recently at Grief Guide. What a privilege it is to do this work with you, no matter the loss 🙏🪷🌞

22/04/2026

We hear it all the time: grief is the price we pay for love, or grief is love with nowhere to go.

For many, absolutely, this is true. But not always.

Grief can be about losing the opportunity to repair a relationship before someone died. About the messiness of a situation that never got resolved. About regret, and pain, and a deep yearning for things to have been different.

Grief can also be about finding yourself in something completely outside your control, and the despair and anger that comes with that.

That's why I'm more likely to say: grief is about something that mattered.

🪷 Even when it's painful.
🪷 Even when it's complicated.
🪷 Even when it feels unfair or unwanted.

We grieve things that were significant to us. And sometimes, yes, we tap into love in that process. But sometimes what we really need is to tap into some love for ourselves as we navigate the hard.

🪷 You are allowed to grieve all of it. 🪷

14/04/2026

Sorry for the quiet. I've just returned from a small break in New Zealand with family, and I needed it.

These past weeks have been full of loss. Grief has been moving through my family, and I came home to another; our beloved cat died. If you've loved a pet, you know that grief is just as real as any other.

So I've been living and breathing loss for a while now.

I took this photo on a beach while my kids laughed and played nearby. I looked over, and there it was, a cairn. A rock stack. I didn't make it, but it called to me.

Cairns have long been used as silent memorials, each stone a tribute, a way of saying I remember. I added a stone for those I've lost. And today, in my heart, I added one for our cat.

Grief is woven into life. And sometimes, in the most beautiful places, we find the most tender reminders of that.

I'm back.

And despite carrying grief with me (or maybe even because I know grief) I'm truly looking forward to sitting with my clients again, those who trust me to walk alongside them in their losses.

🪷 My books are close to full, but please reach out, even just to say hello. I'm always happy to point you toward something or someone that might help 🪷

30/03/2026

Here are just a few special moments from yesterday's Life's Chapters Expo in Lawnton, QLD. 🪷🐞

What a day.

Professionals and the community coming together to sit with life, death, and everything that falls in between. I had the privilege of being there representing both Grief Guide and Ladybird Care Foundation , and the conversations were everything.

In the background of this video, you'll hear the most beautiful singing from the Brisbane Threshold Singers . A service that offers comfort and ease through song, and my goodness, it was magical. To have that music wash over me throughout the day was something I won't forget.

The video closes with something deeply personal, shared here with permission. A tattoo of a drawing made by a grandson who has recently died. His story was generously offered to me on this day, and I am so grateful for it.

We spoke about the particular intensity of grief when a child dies. About how isolating it can feel. About how even the most well-meaning people can miss the mark when it comes to support. I was grateful to be able to share how Ladybird Care Foundation's Peer Mentors just get it, how they companion people in the rubble of their experience with such quiet, steady care.

I say it often: as a culture, we don't do grief well. But days like this give me hope. Thank you to Kerry from Vita Life & Legacy for creating this space, and for inviting us all to step a little further into these conversations.

Bit by bit, we can make a difference. 🪷🐞

23/03/2026

🪷 This Sunday, I'll be there and I'd love for you to come too. 🪷

If you've ever found yourself wondering about End-of-Life, what it actually involves, what support exists, or how to start the conversation, this is a day worth showing up for.

The Life's Chapters Expo is this Sunday 29th March at Pine Rivers Showgrounds, Lawnton. Entry is just $5, and I'll be there representing both Grief Guide and . Come find me.

Under one roof you'll find Funeral Directors, End-of-Life Doulas, Grief Counselling, Cancer Support Groups, Aged & Senior Support, Life Legacy Stories, Bucket List Adventures and so much more, plus a food truck and the Brisbane Threshold Choir.

These are the conversations that matter. The ones we so often wait too long to have.

$5 in advance | $10 at the door | Kids under 18 FREE

🪷 Ticket link in bio. 🪷

What a delightful morning meeting with Galia from .org.au and Kathy from at the beautiful Wattle Cottage; a home-like ...
19/03/2026

What a delightful morning meeting with Galia from .org.au and Kathy from at the beautiful Wattle Cottage; a home-like space for respite, emergency care, and family wellness.

They take a holistic and community approach to support, just like Ladybird does and I do across my role at LCF and with Grief Guide.

Grief is universal, and knowing people and services within our community is so important for families to feel less alone in their experiences.

Side note, how beautiful is this mural at the front of the service? A donated piece of art with a deep richness of symbolism and meaning.

🐞🪷

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22 Boron Street
Brisbane, QLD
4074

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