This online presentation and panel discussion revisits the Public Health Model of Bereavement Support, first introduced in 2012, and reflects on how it has been interpreted, applied, and evolved over the past 14 years.
The session explores how the model has been implemented across bereavement care – including its focus on prolonged grief disorder risk stratification, formal services, tiered interventions, and community partnerships. It also considers emerging tensions around the increasing psychologisation and professionalisation of bereavement support.
While clinical services play an important role, the original public health approach recognised something fundamental:
Grief is a social experience with a medical component – not a medical problem with social elements.
The panel discusses:
- How the model has shifted over time
- The relationship between risks, needs and support
- The balance between formal services and community capacity
- Opportunities to strengthen implementation while restoring public health principles
The conversation concludes with a call to rebalance power between professional systems and lay communities – re-centring grief literacy, natural networks, and collective responsibility within bereavement care.
This discussion aligns strongly with the Compassionate Communities approach and the growing evidence that community-led models improve social connection while reducing pressure on health systems.