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About Linda

Linda Espie (BA, GradDip SocSc, GradDip HSA, GradD ArtT, AdvDip Gestalt T.) is a loss, grief and bereavement psychotherapist, counsellor, educator, supervisor and consultant in Melbourne, Australia who has worked in the field of loss and grief for 40 years. She is highly regarded in the field of loss and grief. 

Linda works in Private Practice part time and is currently working as an art therapist and counsellor in a community based Palliative Care service. She previously worked as a counsellor at Carers Victoria, was the manager of Client Support Services in a Melbourne Palliative Care service and was the Executive Officer at the Critical Incident Stress Management Foundation Australia (now Crisis Intervention and Management Australasia).

Linda was a foundation member of the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Support organisation (SANDS Victoria), and was one of two consultants employed to establish the Centre for Grief Education (now Grief Australia) and she worked at the Centre for 5 years as the Coordinator of Education and Training. 

Linda worked on the establishment of Support After Suicide and provided counselling to children, young people and adults bereaved through suicide as well as facilitating suicide bereavement group work and education. She established a nurse support program in a rural Hospital in Victoria and provided group and individual sessions for over 13 years. 

Linda has worked as an educator and trainer for many organisations including Carers Victoria, Victoria Police and Life Line Australia, various Hospitals, Universities and in community health, welfare and education settings.  Her lecture areas include – grief and bereavement, sudden and traumatic death, suicide bereavement, miscarriage, perinatal death, children and adolescents and grief and bereavement, disability, parental separation and divorce and compassion fatigue and burnout and anticipatory grief. She travelled to work in Japan annually for 12 years providing lectures and workshops.

Linda is also a photographer who has had three exhibitions in Melbourne. Linda curated the “A Hidden Wholeness: The Zen Photography of Thomas Merton” from the Collections of the Thomas Merton Center at Ballarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky USA in 2013.

Linda is the author of six publications relating to the areas of grief, loss, bereavement and illness. See the Publications Page for more information.

About Education and Training

Linda has provided loss and grief education to doctors, nurses, funeral staff, social workers, psychologists, counsellors, teachers, school principals, police, fire fighters, funeral directors, religious and various other health care professionals as well as the general community.  She provided lectures and workshops in Japan annually for over 12 years.

Topic areas which Linda educates in include:            

• Grief, loss and bereavement

• Group crisis intervention - debriefing and defusing

• Grief and terminal/chronic illness

• Anticipatory grief

• Carer experiences

• Loss, grief and disability

• Disability, aging and grief

• Compassion Fatigue, stress and burnout

• Vicarious Trauma

• Separation and divorce impacts on children

• Staff wellbeing

• Sudden and traumatic death

• Suicide bereavement

• Suicide bereavement impacts on children and young people

• Impact of death on the family

• Impact of death on children and young people

• Miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death

• Developing and delivering grief support groups