Guidance & Counselling Public Programs & Community Events
We offer counselling to individuals of all ages, as well as couples, families, community groups and organisations, and hold monthly Grief Circles for our funeral clients. Guidance, counselling and ceremony can often work hand-in-hand.
One consultation may be all you need, or you may choose to commit to a number of sessions to work through a significant life event over time.
Get in touch for an initial obligation-free 15-minute call so that you can decide if Life Rites is right for you.
We also host and take part in a wide variety of programs and events, scroll down for a taster and ways to keep updated with our future plans.
Our Counselling Team
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Victoria Spence
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Jude Neeme-Samson
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Through Life Transitions
All of us experience significant and challenging events in our lives. These events may occur at times of change, such as a new relationship or career, or as we become elders, meeting life on its own terms. At Life Rites, we view these momentous occasions as rites of passage – rich opportunities for growth and maturity.
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In the Event of a Diagnosis
When you receive a diagnosis that brings mortality into proximity, the body shock can be enormous. At Life Rites, we work with you so you can reorient yourself and your family. And while the focus is always on your life, your future and your treatment, we can provide you with vital support along the way so you can manage within the broader context of your own mortality.
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Living with Illness
We meet with individuals, families and the communities around you to assist you and them navigate your new normal. We support you to live as fully as you can while managing and responding to the needs of your illness and any treatment.
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Living with Dying
Mortality gives us a renewed perspective about what is important. You may require support in identifying, articulating and acting upon these renewed priorities. We work with you to help you find the language, gather the information and create the context to address your concerns and needs. In this way, we help you to broach these necessary and often very empowering conversations with courage and grace.
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Dying at Home
We can support you to map your healthcare system and establish support networks.
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Specialised Death Literacy & Bereavement Counselling Services
For individuals, families, communities and corporations, we can work with you one-on-one or in groups. These sessions can be one off or on an as-needed basis. We can also structure programs tailored to your distinct needs. We help you to establish the basic death literacy principles that support all of us in our living and grieving.
Workshops and Seminars
We run a range of workshops and seminars that can be customised to your needs, from individual consultations and small groups, to childcare centres and community or corporate settings. We deliver information in an effective, participatory and creative way, to help promote clarity and understanding.
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We introduce you to the new science of bereavement, and speak about loss and grief. We explain the shocks that accompany most deaths and how you can move through them as you build the necessary ‘muscles’ to meet the intensity of the dying process. If it’s your task to look after the funeral and honour the life of your loved one, we can help you through, and in doing so we assist you to lay the best possible foundation for bereavement.
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In this workshop, we deal directly with the language and interacting possibilities for our children as they approach the death of someone they love – or if they are living in the wake of a sudden death.
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We speak about the many losses we all experience over our lifetimes, from relationships, ageing, career, social identity and health.
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How do we talk to each other about mortality? Where are the entry points in our everyday lives for such conversations? Before we know what to say, we need to know what to listen for. In this workshop, we unpack what it means to listen and how we can gently begin to approach the all-important questions and conversations around mortality.
Presented in conjunction with Annette Tesoriero.
Public Programs and Community Events
Led by our team members Sarah Barry and Victoria Spence, Life Rites holds a program of events each year. These have included ‘Film Nights at the Fun Home’, our annual Open Day in association with Dying to Know Day, Memorial Picnics and artistic offerings such as Grief Works, amongst many others. More of all of these, along with workshops to introduce new doulas to the field are in our future plans.
We also regularly take part in events with other organisations such as the annual Trans Day of Remembrance at Bradfield College, Sydney Mardi Gras and the Festival of Death and Dying.
Sign up to our mailing list below, friend us on Facebook or follow us on Insta or Linkedin to hear when our 2025 program is announced.
Looking for another specific service?
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End-of-Life Doula Services
We give practical and emotional support to people living with a terminal illness. An end-of-life or death doula provides guidance through what is often a difficult and complex time for everyone involved.
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Funeral Services
We work with a wide-range of people and offer a wide-range of services to help you make the best and most appropriate choices for you and for all involved.
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Home Vigil and Cool Plate
A Life Rites practitioner will talk you through the set up and use of the cooling beds and how best to support all involved during this time. We can deliver the bed to your home, walk through the preparation of your family member with you and be available to oversee the vigil as needed.