Living in the Liminal Space

What happens when a person is gone, but not lost—when grief takes hold without the certainty of death? Living in the Liminal Space explores this profound emotional terrain, where families and communities exist between hope and despair, struggling to find meaning amid ambiguity.

Drawing on more than 25 years of research and practice, Professor Sarah Wayland brings together her experiences working with families of missing people in Australia and internationally. Through a powerful blend of lived experience, academic insight, and compassion, she offers a framework for understanding and supporting those navigating unresolved loss. Extending the foundational work of Pauline Boss and integrating social theories of hope, loss, and uncertainty, this book challenges social workers, counsellors, psychologists, and therapists to view “living grief” not as paralysis, but as a space where resilience and connection can flourish.

This book is essential reading for students and practitioners in social work, counselling, psychology, sociology, and community services, as well as organisations offering postgraduate or professional programs in grief, loss, and trauma support.

Professor Sarah Wayland is an internationally recognised social work academic and researcher whose work focuses on grief, ambiguous loss, suicide prevention, and the psychosocial impacts of missing persons. She is a national leader in research addressing the experiences of families living with the uncertainty of a missing loved one, including refugees and people affected by forced migration, disaster, and complex trauma.

Professor Wayland’s research bridges theory, policy, and practice, with a strong emphasis on lived-experience informed approaches and trauma-responsive service delivery. Her scholarship draws heavily on the theory of ambiguous loss, disenfranchised grief, and socio-ecological frameworks to understand how individuals and communities navigate prolonged uncertainty, hope, and despair. She has worked extensively with police agencies, mental health services, community organisations, and international partners to develop guidance, education resources, and interventions that improve responses to families experiencing unresolved loss. A core feature of Professor Wayland’s work is knowledge translation — ensuring research findings are accessible and usable for practitioners. She has developed training programs, counselling frameworks, and professional education resources used across health, social work, and community sectors. Her work has informed national conversations on suicide prevention, missing persons policy, and trauma-informed care.

Professor Wayland is also deeply committed to workforce development and practitioner wellbeing, recognising the emotional demands placed on clinicians working with chronic uncertainty and trauma. She regularly delivers professional development masterclasses internationally, supporting clinicians to build confidence in working with complex grief and ambiguous loss.

Her teaching and research emphasise compassionate, culturally responsive practice that honours both hopefulness and hopelessness — particularly for people where someone is missing.