The Real Room

10/05/2026

This is a great local event by Together Hurunui , please rsvp with the email below if interested 🙂

Together Hurunui are looking forward to hosting award winning researcher Dr Miriam McCaleb on Wednesday. Miriam will present around child's brain development, the impact of technology and school readiness.

10/05/2026

A gentle acknowledgement that Mother’s Day can bring many emotions ~ not all of them simple.

Joy. Grief. Gratitude. Longing. Love. Distance. Ache.

Whatever this day holds for you, there is space for your experience too 🤍

30/04/2026

*Disenfranchised grief*

Some grief isn’t recognised… but it still deserves space.

There’s a kind of grief that often goes unseen.

The kind that isn’t always acknowledged or supported in the same way.

This could be :

Infertility, miscarriage, or pregnancy loss.
Losing a pet.
Life changing in ways you didn’t expect.

Sometimes people don’t realise you’re grieving and sometimes they don’t know what to say. And sometimes it’s made to feel like it’s “not a big enough loss.”

This is often called “Disenfranchised grief”

A type of grief that isn’t fully recognised or validated by others. However the impact is real, and it can feel very isolating while carrying it quietly.

This grief doesn’t need permission to exist, if something mattered to you, if something changed or ended.. It deserves space

What is a loss that you think does not get talked about enough?

22/04/2026

I’m Hannah… the face behind The Real Room 🤍

I’m a counsellor, a mum of three, and I live in a small rural town.

I’ve spent many years working alongside people, and over time felt drawn to create a space for deeper conversation, connection, and support.

My work is centred around grief and loss, not just through death, but the quieter losses we don’t always name. The loss of relationships, identity, roles, and the in-between seasons of life.

I offer online counselling across Aotearoa, with in-person sessions available locally.

The Real Room is a grounded, gentle space to talk things through, at your pace.

You’re always welcome here

18/04/2026

Sometimes grief can feel stuck…
like emotional knots forming around it.

These knots are often ways
we’ve tried to cope.

A reminder it’s not failures it’s..
Just protection.

And they can gently loosen.

16/04/2026

10/04/2026

Some of the books that have shaped how I understand grief
Gentle, honest, and real

• Resilient Grieving – Lucy Hone
• How Will I Ever Get Through This? – Lucy Hone

• It’s OK That You’re Not OK – Megan Devine

• The Grieving Brain – Mary-Frances O’Connor
• The Grieving Body – Mary-Frances O’Connor

If you’re navigating grief, you don’t have to do it alone
🤍

07/04/2026

Grief isn’t always about death.

It can be a response to any significant loss, change, or disruption in life.

We often think of grief as something that follows bereavement.

But it can also show up in quieter, less recognised ways such as:

A friendship ending.
A shift in identity.
A child leaving the nest.
Becoming a parent.
Moving through a life transition.

Sometimes grief isn’t obvious, and that can make it even harder to understand what you’re feeling.

If any part of this resonates, you’re not alone 🤍

06/04/2026

Reaching out can feel like a big step.
You’re always welcome to message me with any questions 🤍

11/03/2026

Welcome to The Real Room.

A space for grief, loss and life’s harder moments.

Grief doesn’t only follow the death of a loved one. It can also come with the loss of a relationship, a life transition, or when life doesn’t unfold the way we expected.

Online counselling available NZ wide.