20/05/2026
Last night, our team had the opportunity to visit Life Rites Funerals for an evening of discussion and learning with founder Victoria Spence and funeral director Ben Gibson.
Why would a team of psychologists visit a funeral home?
At MAC, much of our work centres around death anxiety and existential concerns. Many people understandably avoid reminders of death, including conversations about mortality, funerals, hospitals, and cemeteries. However, avoidance often strengthens fear over time.
One evidence-based treatment for anxiety is exposure therapy: gradually approaching the things we fear in safe and meaningful ways. In many ways, the evening was about practising what we preach, and engaging with mortality in the same open and intentional way we encourage our clients to do.
The visit also gave our team the opportunity to learn more about the practical and emotional processes surrounding death, grief, end-of-life rituals, and the ways that thoughtful, compassionate funeral care can support families through some of the hardest moments of their lives.
We’re very grateful to Victoria and Ben for their openness and generosity in facilitating such thoughtful and important conversations. It was an incredibly valuable experience for our team, both personally and professionally.
