Death and dying - every angle.
A comprehensive overview of death-related topics Sam can cover with any audience. Use the other tabs to filter by your specific sector.
The dying process
Stages of dyingActive dying phaseTerminal diagnosisSudden vs prolonged deathDeathbed visionsNear-death experiencesTerminal luciditySigns of approaching deathPain in dyingWhat death actually looks likeMoment of deathDeath at home vs hospital
Death anxiety
What is death anxietyFear of non-existenceFear of the dying processThanatophobiaTerror management theoryMortality salienceDeath anxiety in childrenDeath anxiety in teenagersDeath anxiety in midlifeDeath anxiety in the elderlyDeath anxiety and insomniaDeath anxiety and panic attacksDeath anxiety and avoidance behavioursDeath anxiety and overprotective parentingDeath anxiety and workaholismDeath anxiety and procrastinationDeath anxiety and health anxietyDeath anxiety and relationship patternsDeath anxiety and social media useStrategies for managing death anxiety
Grief and bereavement
Acute griefProlonged grief disorderComplicated griefAnticipatory griefDisenfranchised griefAmbiguous lossCumulative griefCollective griefGrief after suicide lossGrief after traumatic deathGrief in childrenGrief in adolescentsGrief after miscarriage or stillbirthGrief after pet lossGrief and physical healthGrief hallucinationsContinuing bonds with the deceasedAnniversary reactionsGrief triggersSecondary losses in griefWhen grief needs professional support
Advance care planning
What is an advance care directiveHow to complete an advance care directiveSubstitute decision-makersEnduring power of attorneyHaving the conversation with familyWhat goals of care meansDNR and NFR ordersUpdating an advance care directiveAdvance care planning for young peopleAdvance care planning for people with dementiaFree resources for advance care planning in Australia
End-of-life options
Voluntary assisted dyingVAD eligibility in AustraliaVAD vs palliative carePalliative care and what it actually doesHospice careWithdrawal of life supportPalliative sedationOvermedicalisation of deathDying at homeDying in hospitalDying in aged careWhat comfort care only means
Practical and legal
Wills and why everyone needs oneDying without a willProbate processEstate administrationSuperannuation after deathOrgan donationBody donation to medical scienceRegistering a deathDeath certificatesNotifying government agencies after deathDigital estate planningSocial media accounts after deathCoronial investigationsWhat to do when someone dies at home
Funerals and disposition
Burial vs cremationNatural burialGreen funeralsAquamationHuman compostingDirect cremationThe real cost of funeralsYour rights with funeral directorsPre-paid funerals and the risksEulogiesSecular funeralsFunerals at homeWhat happens to ashesScattering ashes in Australia
Difficult conversations
How to talk to children about deathTalking to an ageing parent about their wishesWhat to say to someone who is dyingWhat to say to someone who is grievingWhat NOT to say to grieving peopleTalking about a terminal diagnosisExplaining death to a child honestlyLanguage around death (avoiding euphemisms)Breaking bad newsTalking about VAD with family
Cultural, historical and philosophical
Death taboo in Western cultureDeath positivity movementDeath cafesCultural variation in mourning ritualsIndigenous Australian sorry businessDay of the DeadVictorian death customsPost-mortem photographyMemento mori traditionAfterlife beliefs across religionsStoic practice of meditating on deathBuddhist impermanenceExistential perspectives on deathThe denial of death as cultural organising principleLegacy and symbolic immortalityWhat the dying say they regret
Emerging topics
Digital afterlife servicesAI chatbots trained on deceased peoplePosthumous social mediaVirtual reality memorialsCryonicsTranshumanism and life extensionThe ethics of radical life extensionDeath as a medical problem vs natural processEcological griefDeaths from climate change
Healthcare and aged care.
For doctors, nurses, paramedics, aged care workers, and allied health professionals. Topics address both clinical competency and the personal psychological cost of working with death every day.
Foundational knowledge
Death literacy as a clinical competencyThe death as failure mindsetHow death anxiety affects clinical practiceAddressing personal death anxiety as a clinicianUnconscious bias in end-of-life decision-makingReflective practice around death and dyingDeath literacy across healthcare disciplines
Communication skills
Breaking bad newsDelivering a terminal prognosisGoals of care conversationsCommunicating prognosis uncertaintyTalking with families of actively dying patientsWorking with interpreters at end of lifeFacilitating family meetings around end-of-life decisionsTalking with cognitively impaired patients about dyingTalking with children about a dying parent
Advance care planning
Supporting patients to complete advance care directivesLegal framework for ACDs in Australian statesIdentifying substitute decision-makersWhen an ACD cannot be followedAdvance care planning for patients with dementiaAdvance care planning for patients with intellectual disabilityRaising ACD conversations early in serious illnessCompleting your own advance care directive
Palliative and end-of-life care
Palliative care principles for non-specialistsRecognising the transition to end of lifeSymptom management at end of lifeUnderstanding syringe driversComfort care vs curative careWithdrawing and withholding treatment ethicallyManaging artificial nutrition decisionsPalliative sedationCare of the body after deathSupporting families in the final hours
Clinician wellbeing
Compassion fatigueMoral injury in healthcareProcessing grief after patient deathsDebriefing after traumatic deathsCumulative grief from multiple patient deathsBuilding psychological resilience in end-of-life rolesBurnout specific to death-facing workSetting limits with dying patients and familiesSelf-care strategies grounded in evidence
Voluntary assisted dying
VAD legislation in Australian statesEligibility criteria for VADThe VAD request and assessment processConscientious objection and referral obligationsHaving VAD conversations with patientsSupporting families when a patient chooses VADVAD in aged care settingsVAD and palliative care as complementary
Aged care specific
Death literacy for aged care workersBuilding relationships with residents who will die in your careGrief after losing a long-term residentCumulative loss in aged careSupporting residents' families through end of lifeCulturally safe end-of-life careDeath literacy for people with dementiaCompleting your own advance care directive
Corporate and workplaces.
For HR professionals, managers, and leadership teams. Topics address employee bereavement, terminal illness in the workplace, and building a culture where death is handled with care rather than avoidance.
Why this matters at work
The financial cost of poorly managed grief in organisationsDeath as a leadership responsibilityDeath literacy as part of psychological safetyWhy death and dying are not just HR problemsBuilding a culture where death conversations are normalised
Supporting bereaved employees
What to say to a bereaved employeeWhat NOT to say to a bereaved employeeManaging a bereaved employee's return to workFlexible work for grieving employeesSupporting employees through anticipatory griefSupporting employees after a pregnancy lossSupporting employees after a suicide lossCultural variation in grief and mourning practicesGrief does not have a timelineToxic productivity and bereavement
Bereavement leave
Current bereavement leave entitlements under Australian lawThe inadequacy of standard bereavement leaveBest-practice bereavement leave policyInclusive bereavement leave (pets, friends, non-legal relationships)Culturally responsive bereavement leave
Death of an employee
Notifying the workforce after an employee deathSupporting the team after a colleague diesSupporting the team after a colleague's suicideMemorialisation in the workplaceManaging the deceased employee's workspace and belongingsLegal and HR obligations after an employee deathSupporting the manager who has lost a team member
Terminal illness in the workplace
Supporting an employee with a terminal diagnosisFlexible work and reduced duties for terminally ill employeesManaging team dynamics when a colleague has a terminal illnessEnd-of-life leave provisionsSupporting colleagues of a terminally ill employeeLegacy projects for terminally ill employees
Practical staff benefits
Advance care planning as a workplace health promotion activityWill-writing programmes as a staff benefitSuperannuation death benefit nominationsLife insurance and income protectionDeath cafe style conversations as optional staff eventsDeath literacy in mental health first aid training
Mining and resources.
For mining companies, site managers, safety teams, and HR professionals. Topics address both fatality prevention culture and the very specific human cost when death occurs on site.
Death as a workplace reality
Death as an occupational reality in miningThe psychological impact of working in a high-fatality industryNormalising death conversations in mining workplace cultureHow masculine workplace cultures suppress death-related conversationDeath literacy and safety cultureGrief as a workplace issue in mining
Responding to a workplace fatality
Immediate response protocols after a fatalityNotifying next of kin sensitivelySupporting workers who witnessed a fatalityCommunicating with the workforce after a fatalityThe coronial process following a workplace deathMedia management after a workplace deathManaging a fatality in a remote or FIFO locationMultiple fatalities in a single incident
Psychological first aid after a fatality
Psychological first aid principles for mining supervisorsAcute stress responses in workers after a fatalityPeer support programmes in miningSupporting workers who were first on sceneSupporting FIFO workers who are isolated after a fatalityReturn-to-work after traumatic fatality exposureLong-term psychological monitoring after workplace fatalities
Supporting bereaved families
Legal obligations of an employer to a deceased worker's familyPractical support for families in the immediate aftermathSupporting families through the coronial processThe particular grief of sudden traumatic death for familiesOngoing support beyond the immediate crisis
Grief in the workforce
How colleagues grieve after a workplace deathSupporting team cohesion after a fatalityThe grief of supervisors after losing a team memberAnniversary reactions in the workforceCumulative grief in long-serving mining workersMemorialisation practices in mining workplaces
Proactive death literacy
Death anxiety in high-risk workersAdvance care planning for mining workersWills and estate planning for workers in high-fatality industriesTalking to your family about your wishesPersonal preparedness for workers in dangerous industries
Emergency services.
For police, paramedics, firefighters, SES volunteers, and their organisations. Topics address occupational death exposure, cumulative grief, and the particular psychological cost of this work.
Occupational death exposure
The nature and frequency of death exposure in emergency servicesCumulative psychological impact of repeated death exposureHow death exposure affects people differentlyFactors that increase vulnerability to psychological harmProtective factors and resilience in death-exposed roles
Specific death scenarios in the field
Managing child deaths in the fieldManaging multiple fatalitiesManaging deaths by suicide at sceneManaging homicide scenesManaging deaths involving decompositionSupporting families at the scene of a deathDeath notification trainingDelivering death notifications to next of kinDelivering death notifications to childrenDeath notifications across cultural and language barriers
Cumulative grief and moral injury
Cumulative grief in emergency servicesMoral injury from deaths that felt preventableThe grief of losing a colleague in the line of dutyWhy emergency workers often do not grieve visiblyDark humour as a coping mechanism and its limitsSupporting workers nearing the end of a career with accumulated death exposureThe long-term health impacts of unprocessed death exposure
Peer support and workplace culture
Peer support officer trainingPsychological first aid for emergency workers after traumatic incidentsDefusing after death-involved incidentsAddressing stigma around emotional responses to deathLeadership modelling of healthy responses to death exposureEncouraging help-seeking in a culture of stoicismGender dynamics in processing death in emergency services
Suicide-specific
Psychological impact of suicide scene attendanceElevated suicide risk among emergency workersRecognising suicidal ideation in colleaguesSafe conversations about suicide in emergency servicesPostvention after a colleague's suicideThe particular grief of suicide loss among peers