Emma Szysz Doula

Emma Szysz Doula My work as a doula focuses on supporting those who love, care for, and grieve. Grief is not something to fix; it’s something to be witnessed and companioned.

I provide compassionate support for carers and the bereaved as they navigate life-changing loss.

• Death & Grief Doula •
• Certified Grief Educator •

Book an online support session with me at: https://emma-szysz.square.site A doula, derived from the Ancient Greek word meaning “woman who serves” - is a non-medical professional who offers emotional, practical, and spiritual support during major life transitions such as birth, death, and loss. I walk beside carers, family members, and the bereaved as they navigate the emotional, physical, and spiritual terrain of loss and change. My own lived experience as a full-time carer and someone who has walked through grief deeply informs the support I offer.

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As a Death Doula

As a death doula, I support those caring for someone who is dying or living with a terminal diagnosis. This time can be both tender and exhausting - filled with love, uncertainty, and anticipatory grief. My role is to support carers and family members as they navigate the emotional and practical realities of end-of-life care. I offer a calm, non-judgemental presence and a space to talk openly about what this experience means for you - your hopes, fears, exhaustion, love, and everything in between. Together we can explore ways to maintain connection, tend to your own wellbeing, and find meaning amid the challenges of caregiving. I can also help you prepare emotionally for what lies ahead and begin to shape the rituals, memories, and moments that matter most. This work is about bringing gentleness and understanding to a time that is often overwhelming - helping you feel less alone as you care for someone you love.

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As a Grief Doula

As a grief doula, I support those whose lives have been changed by loss, whether you are grieving a recent death, a loss that still feels raw years later, or a loss that was never fully acknowledged. My role is to hold space for your story - the love, pain, confusion, and even moments of relief or hope that may arise. I offer a safe, compassionate space where you can speak freely and explore what grief means for you. We might reflect on your ongoing connection with your person, your changing identity, or the ways grief shows up in your body, emotions, and daily life. While grief is enduring, I believe it can soften over time — allowing you to carry your love forward with more peace and less pain.

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Reaching Out

You don’t have to go through this alone. Whether you are caring for someone approaching the end of life, or finding your way through grief after a loss, I’m here to sit with you, listen, and support you. If this feels like the kind of space you need, I invite you to reach out. We can start with a gentle conversation about where you are, what’s weighing on you, and how I might walk alongside you on your journey.

28/10/2025

11/10/2025

“You cannot make parents feel better after a stillbirth or neonatal loss,” said Red Nose Chair, Nick Xerakias, “But you can absolutely make it worse, and cancelling paid maternity leave is one of the ways that happens.”

The introduction of Priya’s Law in Federal Parliament this week has sparked an outpouring of public support, and Red Nose Australia has added its voice to the call for compassionate workplace reform.

Link in first comment.

19/08/2025

💔 Grief is not proof that something is broken.
It’s proof that something mattered.

The depth of your pain only mirrors the depth of your love.
If you’re hurting, it’s because you dared to love deeply. And that is the most human, courageous thing of all.

👉 Tag someone in the comments who would like to know you see them. Thoughts on this?

28/07/2025
28/06/2025

How can any of us who have lived intense grief, who know far too well that the unusual and unlikely do in fact happen, all the time – how do we keep showing up? ⁣

It’s not a question with an answer. But it’s there, it’s constant. The knowledge that every beautiful thing can disappear, and yet we make beauty anyway.⁣

The knowledge that when we choose to love, we choose to face death and grief and loss, again and again and again, just as much as we choose the friendlier parts of love.⁣

It’s all there, present and contained, in everything.⁣

All of us, each one of us here, knows how suddenly, how irreversibly, life can change. In an instant. And yet we are still here. We do our best to show up, to love, to keep loving, even when we know nothing in this life lies inside our control.⁣

So how do we keep exploring, growing, connecting, knowing that indeed, yes: it could happen again?⁣

For me, these days, this means moving slowly, with intention and gentleness for myself. It means being honest about my fears while not letting those fears shove me into a tiny, unsatisfied life.

Are there places that the tenuous nature of life shines (or shouts) most clearly for you? How do you keep showing up, knowing things can change at any time? Let me know in the comments.

03/06/2025

Sometimes, it’s not the love we remember most—it’s the pain that keeps replaying, looping in our minds like a cruel echo. The heart can’t delete what the mind won’t let go of. When your mind starts to ruminate, try grounding yourself in the present, acknowledging your emotions without judgment, and taking small steps to disrupt the cycle with self-compassion. Healing isn’t about forgetting, but about learning to live with what we can’t erase. What helps you find peace when your mind won’t stop replaying the past?

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03/10/2024

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This takes time, lots of time, and there is no timeline. Integrating loss is complex. Navigating a devastated landscape ...
18/09/2024

This takes time, lots of time, and there is no timeline. Integrating loss is complex. Navigating a devastated landscape can be overwhelming and carving out a new life can be exhausting. You are not going too slow or too fast in your journey. You are exactly where you are meant to be.

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I am a Certified Grief Educator trained by David Kessler. As a Grief Educator I understand that:- I offer an individuali...
16/09/2024

I am a Certified Grief Educator trained by David Kessler. As a Grief Educator I understand that:
- I offer an individualised approach to grief. I know there is no timeline in grief and we know there is not a cure. But I also realise that as grief educators, I can reflect and guide people towards creating a life that honours their loved ones.
- I am committed to providing a safe space for those in grief.
- I understand that the responsibility for change lies with the griever. I can inform, reflect, and support others. But their journey is ultimately their own.
- True expertise in grief lies with the griever. It is my role as an educator to understand the whole individual and their strengths and individual levels of wellness.
- Grief can be traumatic and transformative. People in grief are not broken, and we don’t need to fix them. I offer people in grief our utmost respect and serve them based on their needs and their unique experience and expression.
- The foundation of serving comes from a place of connection. Empathy, genuineness, honesty, and respect are essential elements of being a grief educator.
- Connection is important to our well-being. I use a mind/body/spirit approach to grief and remind people of the importance of connection to themselves, their friends, family, and community as well as cultivate an ongoing relationship with their loved one who had died.
- Grief educators offer a holistic approach to grieving. I focus on the past, present, and future and understand that in addition to the loss, culture, community, spirituality, and beliefs play a role in the individual’s grief.
- I understand that in order to serve others, we must take care of ourselves. Self-care is essential to maintain my emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and social wellness.

As a Grief Educator I am also a Moderator for Tender Hearts Specific Loss Groups. My Grief.com Directory listing can be found at this link: https://grief.com/grief-certified-peer-to-peer/name/emma-szysz/

16/09/2024
Grief is often described as a journey. A journey that can feel overwhelming and disorienting. It can be an unavoidable y...
04/09/2024

Grief is often described as a journey. A journey that can feel overwhelming and disorienting. It can be an unavoidable yet profound journey, marked by intense physical and emotional sensations. Raw and inescapable — there’s no detour or quick fix. It can knock the wind out of you and leave you breathless, overwhelmed. For many, the reality is that, the only way to heal is to endure the full weight of that pain, moving through it rather than avoiding it.
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Cairns, QLD

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