You can also access the Aoake Te Rā suicide bereavement service. This is a free service which offers up to four sessions of free counselling for those affected by suicide loss. The counselling is provided by trained therapists. You can refer yourself or get in touch with one of the following organisations and ask them to refer you:
- Victim Support
- Kia Piki te Ora
- DHB Suicide Prevention Coordinators
- The Mental Health Foundation.
For more information including info on how to refer yourself, see https://www.aoaketera.org.nz
Otherwise, if you’d like to find a counsellor, psychologist or psychotherapist who specialises in suicide loss and bereavement/grief, you may ask your doctor for a recommendation or look online. You can also ask others who have received good counselling for word of mouth recommendations.
Online listings for counsellors include:
- New Zealand Association of Counsellors Te Roopu Kaiwhiriwhiri o Aotearoa
- New Zealand College of Clinical Psychologists Te Whare Wānanga o te Mātauranga Hinengaro
- Talking Works
- Skylight offers counselling across Aotearoa
- The Grief Centre in Auckland (North Shore).
To access effective counselling support for suicide loss, it is best to find someone who has specific skills or a specific interest in this area. Questions you can ask to see if counsellors have these skills include:
- What experience do they have in suicide bereavement?
- Do they have lived experience? This is not essential, but it is useful for you to know
- Are they comfortable working in this subject area?
- Have they had training in the area of grief and bereavement or suicide loss?
Most face-to-face counselling services do charge a fee. It is best to check what the cost is before agreeing to an appointment