Founder and Program Developer
Samantha McDonnell | Social Worker (MSW) | Accredited Mental Health Social Worker (AMHSW) | Specialist in Grief, Bereavement & Palliative Care
Samantha McDonnell is an experienced clinical social worker with a specialist focus in grief, loss, and palliative care. She brings over 13 years of practice in hospital and community-based services, with deep expertise in bereavement coordination, trauma-informed care, and psychosocial support for individuals and families facing serious illness, end of life, and death.
Sam's work is uniquely informed by her own lived experience of chronic, life-limiting illness. Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, Sam grew up with early and ongoing awareness of mortality, navigating repeated health crises, progressive loss of function, and ultimately receiving a double lung transplant in early adulthood. This experience continues to inform her clinical lens—offering a rare integration of patient perspective and practitioner expertise.
Clinical Background
Sam has extensive experience across acute and subacute hospital settings, including general medicine, thoracic and cardiac services, renal, oncology/haematology, and liver transplant units.
Over a decade of practice in palliative care, including complex case management, family systems work, anticipatory grief support, and end-of-life planning.
Longstanding role as a bereavement coordinator, designing and delivering post-death support pathways aligned with current grief theory and best practice guidelines.
Strong working knowledge of interdisciplinary care models, integrating psychosocial, emotional, and existential domains of support within clinical teams.
Practice Approach
Grounded in person-centered, trauma-informed care frameworks with a strong emphasis on grief literacy and meaning-making models (including narrative practice and constructivist theories of loss).
Applies evidence-based interventions across the grief spectrum, including psychoeducation, cognitive and narrative approaches, ritual integration, and systems-informed support.
Prioritises culturally responsive, inclusive care that recognises social determinants, intersectional identity, and community context in grief responses.
Samantha’s current work focuses on education and capacity building for clinicians seeking to enhance their grief-informed practice. She believes grief care should not be the exclusive domain of specialists—but a shared competency across healthcare, particularly in the face of chronic illness, ageing, and end-of-life trajectories.
Sam's commitment is to embedding grief literacy into everyday clinical practice—so that care teams are equipped not only to respond compassionately, but to hold space for the full breadth of grief experiences their patients and families may carry.
