Hi - I'm Jess. Thank you for finding me here.

The very fact that you’re here at all, researching grief support for yourself or someone you love, is already a sign of your resourcefulness and resilience. You may have already found that it isn’t time that heals grief or a broken heart, as much as the actions you take in the time you have.

Being able to do this work is one of the greatest gifts I've ever been given. That may sound a little cheesy, but it’s certainly true. And for whatever professional experience I might talk about below, what matters most is that I know grief intimately, and know what it is to create a life you love with your losses. More of that later.

QUALIFICATIONS:

I’m a licensed and qualified Grief Recovery Method Advanced Specialist and volunteer bereavement counsellor for a leading UK charity, where I frequently work with people who have lost a loved one in traumatic circumstances. I have a Postgrad (Cert) in Psychodynamic Studies from the University of Oxford, where I focused on attachment theory and unconscious processes such as grief, loss, depression and anxiety. Before this, I spent twenty years working in education, specialising in pastoral care.

I'm based in West Oxfordshire in the UK, but frequently work online, both one to one and in small groups. I run free online workshops raising grief awareness. I also provide workshops and talks in companies and organisations, to create a world where grief is far better understood and supported.

EXPLORE WORKING WITH ME:

I offer a free, 20 minute call for us to work out what form of support would make the biggest difference for you. My aim is that this call is as helpful as possible, whatever the outcome. You can reach me through this website, or through my contact details below, to organise this.

If it seems we’re a good fit, you can then see me for one-off or shorter term specialist support sessions, or we can start with a preliminary session for The Grief Recovery Method programme, which takes 7 sessions with a follow up.

It’s the most comprehensive, practical and profound approach for grief support I know so far. The Grief Recovery Method is evidence-based and has been developed and used successfully for over 40 years. It’s also beautifully simple and deeply compassionate.

I don’t only work with people who have experienced the death of a loved one. There are 40 other life events that can evoke a sense of grief, including divorce, heartbreak, pet loss, redundancy, loss of health and infertility. Whatever your circumstances, I will create an environment for us that is safe, relaxed, and completely confidential.

WHAT YOU MIGHT BE EXPERIENCING

Grief is the normal response to any type of loss or significant change, and it can feel incredibly lonely.

You’re not alone.

Grief can leave us feeling conflicting emotions. And anything from the darkest despair to depressed or mildly stuck, trying to make sense of what’s happened.

It can be immensely painful.

Unresolved grief can leave us feeling as if we’re ‘going through the motions’ of life without fully living it. As if we’re surviving on auto-pilot.

I know because I’ve been there.

HOW CAN I HELP YOU?

I help people recover from the pain and isolation of grief, so that they can participate in life in a new way.

I want you to have better days, and in time, even more better days. Loss isn’t something you simply ‘get over’. But I help you learn to live meaningfully with grief and regain a sense of joy and purpose again.

Recovery is a word we use very carefully here - and yes, it is more than possible. As one client recently put it, being guided through the 7 session process with me 'completely turned down the volume on the pain' after the death of a parent. Most people who complete their work with me report feeling much lighter and ready to engage with life in a new way. By the end of our time together, you will feel that you can handle the losses of life with resilience with the tools we have learned and practised together.

Grief is also a doorway to somewhere totally new, and you don’t have to walk through it on your own.

WHAT IS SOME OF MY OWN STORY THAT BROUGHT ME TO THIS WORK?

I have experienced multiple bereavements, including some very traumatic ones. It wasn’t until my counselling training that I realised the huge impact other losses have also had on my life. I grew up in the Ethiopian famine of the mid 1980s. I saw things a child should never see, and was sometimes surrounded by loss and suffering.

I lost much of my functioning in 2016. When I was eventually given a diagnosis, I was told there were no medical answers for my neuro-immune condition. I was often bed bound and in and out of wheelchairs.

I lost so many of the simple, everyday things I had taken for granted: running, swimming, dancing, moving around my flat and choosing when to brush my teeth and hair. Most of all, I lost the ability to sing for many years - as a professional musician and successful performing artist, the thing I most lived for.

It has taken nine years and a lot of work, the support of my family and community, and I’ve developed the tools and resilience to build a beautiful, flourishing life around these losses. Even better, I have regained so much of my health and independence too. The Grief Recovery Method has become a vital part of that process for me - I will keep living my own work.

WHAT TO DO NEXT?

If you are curious to find out more, please book an informal 20 minute call with me, through this website or at:

email: [email protected]
Tel: +44 (0)7787574598

I don’t work with everybody, but whatever happens, I aim for the call to be helpful for you and to point you towards the very best support you might need. Let’s explore if we are a good fit to work together.

Really looking forward to connecting soon,

Jess

WHAT CLIENTS ARE SAYING:

“If you're dealing with a loss, talk to Jess. She's an incredible guide, listener, therapist, human. My mum died earlier this year and I was surprised by how hard her loss hit me. She'd been ill for a few years, so it wasn't a surprise. But I wasn't dealing with it that well. Jess had a very clear process, with the Grief Recovery Method, that created a structure and format for managing my feelings around the whole experience. Here's the thing - you do the work. There's homework, there's effort and there's focus. And emotion. And time to work through all the history and forgotten feelings. Jess's approach was interactive, proactive and not at all 'sit on a couch and tell me about your mother'. I can't recommend Jess enough - her level of intelligence is matched only by her empathy and willingness to flex to the needs and place of the person she's working with. Totally rigorous and incredibly kind. If I could give 6 stars I would. Thanks!”

Mike, Oxford

“Jess is an empathetic and caring grief counsellor. Her passion to help people through dark times, her ability to listen, recognise and validate the emotional complexity of grief has really helped me in my journey. I felt safe to speak with Jess, and grateful for her support and guidance”.

Ria, Canada

“She is smart, empathetic, strong and compassionate. She may just be what you are looking for to move forwards in life and I cannot recommend her highly enough”.

Max, Marlow

“Jess's listening and dialogue skills were perhaps the most powerful part of the experience... I would recommend Jess without hesitation, and have already done so. Her understanding, patience and encouragement made the whole experience life-changing for me".

Gil, London

“If you’ve been impacted by grief, whether personally or professionally, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Jess is an absolute superpower in this field and we can’t thank her enough for her time today".

Marianne, Beconsfield