Deep Healing & Renewal

Movements of Grief

7th -9th August July 2026 | Port Stephens Hinterland, NSW

This retreat supports women in understanding the purpose and function of grief — its emotions, its movements, its wisdom. Through compassionate guidance, women gain clarity and a deeper sense of self-understanding.

Movements of Grief Retreat: Deep Healing & Renewal

Facilitator: Mandy Cox

We understand that grief is a complex, deeply personal experience that extends far beyond the loss of a loved one. It touches every part of our lives—through relationship changes, health challenges, career shifts, and other significant transitions.

Our Movements of Grief retreat offers a compassionate space for women to explore the many dimensions of grief and find healing through connection and community.

For women seeking an immersive experience, our Movements of Grief weekend offers a dedicated sanctuary for rest, reflection, and renewal. Join a supportive circle of women and experienced facilitators as we move together through grief’s complexities—honouring every emotion and discovering strength in connection.

About the Retreat

This weekend retreat will provide an opportunity to further reflect on and understand the journey of grief through the notion of movement. We will explore some of the key movements we see in the grieving process and how we might experience these in our own grief journey. Recognising that grief is the response to any significant loss or change that a person experiences, we will look at some of the types of loss that you may experience and some of the ways in which grief might be expressed and experienced in response to these losses.

The retreat will provide space to gain a greater understanding of the purpose and function of grief as well as allow space for personal reflection on your own grief and ways in which you may want to support and grow through the losses and changes in your personal life.

Why Join Us?

Grief can feel isolating, but healing happens when we come together. At this retreat you will find a compassionate community that understands your journey. Through connection, conversation, and care, we support each other to move through grief and toward renewal.

About Mandy Cox

Mandy has been supporting people through grief and loss since 2006, beginning as Spiritual Care Co-ordinator with Territory Palliative Care in Darwin. She is a Certified Bereavement Practitioner and has worked with organisations including SIDS and Kids, Victim Support, and the ACT Coronial Counselling Program. In 2013, she co-founded the Canberra Grief Centre.

Mandy also supports people experiencing depression, anxiety, trauma and major life transitions, and provides professional supervision to counsellors, clergy and spiritual directors.

Now based in Newcastle, she offers a compassionate and supportive space where people can gently navigate grief and life’s challenges.

Your weekend at a glance

Day 1

Friday

4:00pm – Check-in

6:00pm – Nourishing dinner

7.30pm – Welcome and introduction to the Retreat: Preparing for the weekend – recognising we will be touching on grief. The importance of self-care and remaining open to the experience. Understanding that grief is a normal reaction to loss and change and listening to yourself and the reactions and responses that form within you over this time.

Day 2

Saturday

Morning – Breakfast at leisure

9.30am Session 1: What is grief?Types of losses, What shapes our experience of grief, A brief look at some models of grief.

11.00am – Morning tea

11.30am Session 2: Introducing The Movements of Grief: Transience

1.00pm – Lunch

2.00pm Session 2: The Movements of Grief: Transition, Liminal space, Meaning making 3.30pm – Cuppa and free time

6.00pm – Dinner

7.30pm – Flexible: meet to share together, or relax privately.

Day 3

Sunday

Morning – Breakfast at leisure

9.30am Session 3: Transformation

11.00am – Morning tea

11.30am Session 4: Where to from here?

1.00pm – Lunch

2:00pm – Check-out

Accommodation & meals

Your retreat package includes:

Two nights’ accommodation in a private room
All meals, snacks, and refreshments supplied throughout your stay
Late check out
Fresh linen, towels, tea/coffee facilities
Access to tranquil gardens, pool areas, and quiet outdoor spaces

Meals can be enjoyed communally, in your room, or outdoors, depending on what feels most restful and supportive to you.

Who is this weekend for?

Women seeking healing from:

bereavement and death
relationship endings
identity transitions
illness or health changes
family estrangement or rupture
career or life-path shifts
cumulative losses or emotional overwhelm

Whether your grief is fresh or deeply buried, your presence is welcome here.

I recently spent a weekend at The Women's Healing Sanctuary and attended a Grief Matters Workshop. It was an amazing weekend. Not only was it value for money, the ambience, and peace of the facility was just perfect. Host Janine could not have been a more empathetic person. Not only was her cooking comforting but her graciously calm demeanor wrapped around myself and other participants like the flames of a big open fire, warming and lightening the way. Mandy our workshop facilitator was professional, compassionate and was there when needed but allowed the workshop process to move on organically when it could. I'm looking forward to my next visit which is most likely to be a pamper weekend before the winter is over.