About us
The Dead Parents Society started because of a simple realisation: losing a parent when you're young puts you in a strange in-between place, and most support structures weren't built for it.
The Dead Parents Society (DPS) began in Canberra in 2015 when Louise realised there was no support service for her. Having aged out of the Canteen program after her dad died and not knowing anyone else with a dead parent, she didn't know where to go for help. After connecting with the Canberra Grief Centre and finding a cohort of young people in the same position, she decided to create the support group she needed.
Since then we've grown into a peer-led support group, run by and for our members. It's not a therapy session, it's a regular gathering people who just got it.
Our name came from that same spirit of honesty. Our parents are dead, there's no way to change that, but embracing it and talking about it helps us integrate our experiences and keep our parents' memories and legacies alive.
Whether your parent died last month or many years ago, you're welcome here. There's no timeline and no end-date for our grief.
We know every grief journey is different. We share our stories to show every experience is normal.
We don't need silver linings or condolences. You can be angry, or sad, or fine, or all the emotions at once. We make space for all of it.
There's something uniquely powerful about being heard by someone who has been through the same thing. We're not a substitute for professional help â we're a complement to it.
We've been meeting in Canberra since 2017. Every new group will be led by someone who understands our model and has first-hand experience.
DPS is for people aged 18 to approximately 30 who have lost a parent or someone who played a significant parental role in their life â perhaps a step-parent, grandparent who raised them, guardian, or other figure.
It doesn't matter when your parent died or how old you were. We have some members who experienced loss recently and some decades ago. You might be in the confusing early days of your grief or you might be mostly okay and want a place where people understand your specific experience. We welcome people at all stages of their grief journey and tailor our sessions accordingly.
Please note: DPS is a peer support group, not a clinical mental health service. If you're in crisis or need professional support, we've listed some helpful services on our Resources page. If you need help now, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
We'd love to hear from you. Please reach out any time - whether you're thinking of coming along, want to have a chat before your first session, would like to get more involved or start your own group, or just want to say hello.
dps.canberra@gmail.com