Care and counselling for unforeseen journeys

LIKE many women and couples across the nation, Rheann Kennedy was not prepared to hear the news of unexpected findings during a routine 34-week pregnancy scan.

Sadly, three weeks later, Hugo, the much-loved and always-remembered son of Rheann and her husband, was stillborn at 37 weeks.

“The term ’empty arms’ is sometimes used to describe pregnancy loss,” Rheann said.

“I literally walked out of hospital with empty arms, additionally a heavy heart, a broken soul, and a deep yearning for my baby to be coming home with me – it all felt so wrong.

“You’re not meant to say hello and goodbye to your baby at the same time, but I had to.”

Leaving the hospital, Rheann began a journey into grief, reluctantly and painfully navigating a world that three weeks earlier she did not think she would be in. She said grief “asked her to stand in openness and painful vulnerability” for a long time as she endured devastation, despair and exhaustion relentlessly, with no respite.

“But I have since learned that grief, when held and honoured, breaks the heart open and grounds us in what matters in life,” Rheann said.

It was this personal and profound experience with perinatal loss that drove Rheann to start Rheann Kennedy Perinatal Grief and Loss Counselling, a service dedicated to supporting women and couples facing situations including pregnancy loss, termination of pregnancy for medical reasons, stillbirth, and neonatal loss in a non-judgemental and safe space.

The practice’s core principles are openness, trust and compassion, and with delicate care, Rheann – a perinatal grief, loss and trauma counsellor and accredited social worker – will warmly provide empathetic counselling to clients navigating difficult and unforeseen journeys.

It was her personal experience that deepened her understanding of loss beyond theoretical frameworks and allowed her to create a compassionate environment where parents can process their emotions and find healing while being guided by a skilled professional who truly understands.

“Grief is a natural response to loss,” she said. “Over time, it becomes a part of you, helping you navigate life with new understanding and strength.

“I am dedicated to walking alongside mothers and couples as they navigate what can be an overwhelming and isolating life event. “You are not alone.”

Rheann brings a wealth of experience to her practice with her background in public health, particularly in maternity and paediatric care. Her long-standing professional experience focuses on supporting parents, children and families through unexpected challenges, often marked by grief and loss, with compassion and understanding.

“I am here to meet people exactly as they are on their grief journey, honouring the uniqueness of each parent’s situation, using frameworks on grief and loss to help clients feel truly understood and heard as they make sense of their own experience,” she said.

Rheann contributes to the field through various roles, including serving as a member of the Royal Women’s Hospital Perinatal Bereavement work group, collaborating with Through the Unexpected, and as a member of the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (PSANZ). She has presented on perinatal ethics and decision-making and contributes to ongoing training and development initiatives.

“To all the bereaved mothers and bereaved parents out there, your loss matters, your loss deserves recognition you deserve compassion,” she said.

“Grief may feel scary, but when you can finally befriend it, it can be transformative. I know just how fragile and precious it all is.”

Rheann Kennedy Perinatal Grief and Loss Counselling is Medicare approved, allowing eligible parents access to a reduced fee.

For more, head to rheannkennedy.com.au