Hope and Heartache: Working with Refugees Facing Ambiguous Loss and Missing Family Members

Certificate of Completion

To be issued with a Certificate of Completion you need to view the recordings by clicking on the modules listed under ‘Course Content’ below. You will need to watch the recordings in full to be issued with a certificate. If you prefer to watch individual recordings only, then click on the links for the individual recordings in the ‘Course Description’ below.

Course Description

Ambiguous loss is a complex and enduring form of trauma experienced by refugees and families separated by war and displacement. When loved ones are missing, grief remains unresolved, leaving individuals suspended between hope and despair, disrupting identity, family roles, and emotional wellbeing.

This free webinar explores therapeutic approaches to ambiguous loss, supporting clients to live with unresolved grief while maintaining meaning and connection. It examines how to hold space for both hope and heartache without forcing closure.

Recording 1: Dr Sarah Wayland, Professor Social Work, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Sciences, CQ University. Recording Link: https://youtu.be/YbnDWDVZCM0

Recording 2: Farhan Almito, Counsellor/Project Officer, STARTTS. Recording Link: https://youtu.be/KyiTHkp4sZY

Recording 3: The Q&A panel discussion facilitated by STARTTS’ CEO and Clinical Psychologist, Jorge Aroche. Recording Link: https://youtu.be/DmWgHVwFiUY

This webinar was recorded on 27 May 2026. © STARTTS

Duration: 82 minutes. 

What you’ll gain

• A deeper understanding of ambiguous loss and its psychological, relational, and cultural impacts on refugees and families affected by disappearance.
• Insights into how unresolved loss disrupts identity, family roles, and meaning-making processes.
• An understanding of concepts such as frozen grief, survivor guilt, and disenfranchised loss in contexts of forced migration.
• Practical, trauma-informed strategies for supporting clients living with ongoing uncertainty without forcing closure.
• A compelling case study illustrating therapeutic approaches to working with ambiguous loss in genocide-affected communities.
• Tools to hold space for both hope and despair while supporting client safety, dignity, and agency.
• The opportunity to engage directly with presenters during a live Q&A panel moderated by STARTTS CEO and Clinical Psychologist Jorge Aroche.

This webinar is ideal for:

• Psychologists, counsellors, psychotherapists, and social workers
• Clinicians working with refugees, asylum seekers, and trauma-affected populations
• Professionals supporting families of missing persons or those experiencing unresolved grief
• Caseworkers, community practitioners, and group facilitators
• Mental health and humanitarian workers supporting individuals affected by war, displacement, and loss
• Anyone interested in culturally responsive, trauma-informed approaches to complex grief and uncertainty