Founder of Child Bereavement UK Shares Insights on Grief
An experienced psychotherapist who specialises in grief counselling — Julia Samuel MBE is quite the pioneer in the field of child bereavement. During her role as a bereavement counsellor at St. Mary's Hospital paediatric department in Paddington — she was the first to introduce the discipline of maternity and paediatric psychotherapist. Julia helped launch what was originally called the Child Bereavement Trust in 1994 and is now known as Child Bereavement UK.
As the Founder Patron of Child Bereavement UK, she is still very active in this charity that been affected by the loss of a child and bereaved children. Her 2017 book “Grief Works: Stories of Life, Death and Surviving” was published …show more content…
Julia Samuel tells us that she witnessed her parents not grieve the death of their close siblings and parents, who all died young, which impacted their lives for years to come, even decades later.
“When my mother talked to me about the death of her brother, killed in the war, when she was 17 years old, aged 75 she spoke about it as if it was yesterday, the pain was so raw.”
Is Grief Counselling Recommended for Everyone?
Julia explains that counselling is by no means the right approach for everyone experiencing grief. Rather, individuals need to find ways to express their grief, which could be sharing feelings with close friends or through journal writing. In her book, “Grief Works: Stories of Life, Death and Surviving”, she shares lots of ways to express grief and work through the feelings of bereavement.
However, grief counselling can be the best course of action, especially in certain situations. Julia shares her opinion, “I do think if there is a complex death it is probably necessary to seek professional help.”
How Attending the Funeral or Memorial Services Impacts …show more content…
In our experience, we have witnessed firsthand how the creation of custom memorial jewellery can help those who are grieving. We asked Julia if she has seen anyone find comfort in tokens of remembrance, such as memorial jewellery, and she replied, “Absolutely wearing or having something that acknowledges the death of the person you love, and wearing it so others can see it too, is a way of making visible what is invisible.”
Passion Fuels Julia’s Drive and Ambition in this Line of Work
While many people would view working with those grieving, especially concerning the loss of a child, sad, difficult or even depressing — Julia finds deep satisfaction from this type of work.
She tells us that, “I feel privileged to work with the people I do, and grateful for the connection we build over the time I see them, so of course I feel both pride and enriched when I see them beginning to rebuild their lives and allowing themselves to feel alive again, I also feel sad when they leave.”
How Working as a Grief Counsellor Changes Your Outlook on
An experienced psychotherapist who specialises in grief counselling — Julia Samuel MBE is quite the pioneer in the field of child bereavement. During her role as a bereavement counsellor at St. Mary's Hospital paediatric department in Paddington — she was the first to introduce the discipline of maternity and paediatric psychotherapist. Julia helped launch what was originally called the Child Bereavement Trust in 1994 and is now known as Child Bereavement UK.
As the Founder Patron of Child Bereavement UK, she is still very active in this charity that been affected by the loss of a child and bereaved children. Her 2017 book “Grief Works: Stories of Life, Death and Surviving” was published …show more content…
Julia Samuel tells us that she witnessed her parents not grieve the death of their close siblings and parents, who all died young, which impacted their lives for years to come, even decades later.
“When my mother talked to me about the death of her brother, killed in the war, when she was 17 years old, aged 75 she spoke about it as if it was yesterday, the pain was so raw.”
Is Grief Counselling Recommended for Everyone?
Julia explains that counselling is by no means the right approach for everyone experiencing grief. Rather, individuals need to find ways to express their grief, which could be sharing feelings with close friends or through journal writing. In her book, “Grief Works: Stories of Life, Death and Surviving”, she shares lots of ways to express grief and work through the feelings of bereavement.
However, grief counselling can be the best course of action, especially in certain situations. Julia shares her opinion, “I do think if there is a complex death it is probably necessary to seek professional help.”
How Attending the Funeral or Memorial Services Impacts …show more content…
In our experience, we have witnessed firsthand how the creation of custom memorial jewellery can help those who are grieving. We asked Julia if she has seen anyone find comfort in tokens of remembrance, such as memorial jewellery, and she replied, “Absolutely wearing or having something that acknowledges the death of the person you love, and wearing it so others can see it too, is a way of making visible what is invisible.”
Passion Fuels Julia’s Drive and Ambition in this Line of Work
While many people would view working with those grieving, especially concerning the loss of a child, sad, difficult or even depressing — Julia finds deep satisfaction from this type of work.
She tells us that, “I feel privileged to work with the people I do, and grateful for the connection we build over the time I see them, so of course I feel both pride and enriched when I see them beginning to rebuild their lives and allowing themselves to feel alive again, I also feel sad when they leave.”
How Working as a Grief Counsellor Changes Your Outlook on