It isn’t time that heals grief as much as the actions you take in the time you have.
How it works
I tailor my support to what will make the biggest difference for you right now. Many clients begin with specialist support sessions, and most also work through The Grief Recovery Method® – the only evidence-based grief support programme in existence. It’s practical, profound, and deeply compassionate – in other words ‘it works!’ My role is to adapt the process to your unique circumstances, while bringing in all my other training and experience too.
Loss isn’t something you simply ‘get over’. But in a safe, structured way, our work will address the root causes of your distress, helping you rediscover joy and meaning in life again. As one client put it, our sessions helped to “hugely turn the volume down on the pain.”
Grief isn’t only about bereavement. It can also follow divorce, heartbreak, pet loss, chronic illness, workplace change, and other life events. This approach helps with those too, as well as earlier experiences that may still affect you today.
Unresolved grief often underlies burnout, anxiety, depression, addiction, or a sense that life has lost purpose. Our work directly addresses these challenges and supports lasting change.
Working with Jess
This is sensitive and powerful work. We can work together 1:1 or in small groups, either online or in-person.
I’m based near Oxford, in the Cotswolds, UK.
I offer a free introductory consultation. This will help you get a sense of what working with me is like, and what approach might most serve you, whether that’s specialist support sessions – for as little or as long as you need – or making a start on The Grief Recovery Method®. The next step is a preliminary assessment session.
When and if this is right for you, The Grief Recovery Method® requires a commitment to 7 sessions (8 for a group), usually weekly. You will need to complete around 1 hour of preparatory work, plus some reading each week. I am contactable for support between sessions, and we agree how this will work for both of us before we begin.
1:1 sessions:
Sessions are planned to last 50-90 mins (sometimes longer if needed) for deep work that can be completely adapted to your needs.
I take on a set number of clients at a time and create waiting lists when needed. You can read my pricing policy here.
Small groups:
We meet weekly in carefully curated groups (limited to 8 people online), with the added benefit of sharing the experience with others. If you’re apprehensive about sharing in a wider group, much of the work happens in the same set of carefully monitored pairs or groups of three people. I create a safe, relaxed and totally confidential environment for this work.
Next online group starts on Tuesday 20th January 2026. More info here.
One off workshops:
If you’d like a taster, I offer free introductory workshops on navigating loss and bereavement. This is likely to change how you see grief and offer you some practical insights as to how to better support yourself and others.
Next online introductory workshop is on Thurs 6th November 2025. More info here.
How this is different from counselling and therapy
Many people try open-ended psychotherapy and counselling to process their grief. There are wonderful practitioners out there for this.
I’m a bereavement counsellor for a leading charity, and have experienced first-hand how many people find that only talking about their grief isn’t always enough to get them to a new place.
I believe there’s a sweet spot when it comes to how I work with clients. I bring the best of my counselling skills and focus on the emotional reality you are navigating. While this isn’t therapy, it is highly therapeutic, with all the benefits of the type of healing relationship counselling can offer. Like therapy, I create a safe and confidential space where you will feel seen, heard and understood.
But I don’t tend to work with people for more than two to three months. Sometimes only three sessions can be enough to make a tremendous difference. Some stay longer, but mostly because they choose to focus on other key relationships and aspects of their lives, once they experience the difference this work can make to their sense of wellbeing.
There are other vital tools I bring, too: the most positive elements of mentoring, coaching, psycho-education and even creativity, as well as my academic background in attachment theory and skills of analysis. However I work with you, The Grief Recovery Method® is likely to inform much of what I do. If you choose to complete the programme with me – and we can get to that point gently, if at all – it’s a tried and tested map, with a clear start and end point, if you’re willing to commit to the seven sessions to get there.
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. Most people who complete their work with me report feeling less emotional pain, much lighter, re-energised and ready to engage with life in a new way.
“I feel very fortunate to have found this programme and I wholeheartedly believe that everyone would benefit from knowing the information and tools it makes available.”
Gemma, London
A bit more about The Grief Recovery Method
There are two essentials for meaningful work together. The first is our relationship – the trust and connection you feel with your practitioner is non negotiable. You can learn more about me here. The second is the framework we use, the map that guides our work. Together we’ll decide what approach serves you best. Sometimes that begins with a one-off session or other forms of support; which often leads into a structured process.
I find The Grief Recovery Method® especially impactful. In case you’re curious, here’s a little more info:
Created by John W. James after experiencing completely inadequate support after the death loss of his son in 1977, his search for the help that didn’t exist forced him to develop a series of action steps to reclaim his well-being. He later teamed up with Russell Friedman, who was devastated by his rent divorce, and together they wrote The Grief Recovery Handbook. In time, both felt confident enough to use the words ‘grief’ and ‘recovery’ in the same sentence. Over the decades, with input from therapists, mental health professionals, and academics, the method is now seen as a respected, evidence-based approach to the pain of loss.
We start gently. The first step involves unlearning what you have learned that is not true or helpful when it comes to working with grief. Many of these myths and ways of responding to suffering are deeply ingrained in all of us and limit our capacity to heal. The core of the programme then focuses on the relationship or experience you are grieving. Over time, we identify and address what most impacts your ability to live with greater ease and happiness. Completing the seven-session process not only helps resolve the past but will give you a toolkit you will use for life.
I often see it as leadership training as much as grief work – nowhere in life are we more disempowered than when it comes to grief.
Whether you’re facing bereavement, the end of a relationship, or another life transition, The Grief Recovery Method® provides a powerful foundation for healing and growth.
If you’re wondering where to start, you can’t go wrong with reading the first 5 chapters of The Grief Recovery Handbook. Our work as Grief Recovery practitioners has evolved far beyond the book these days, but it will give you key insights into your experience of loss and the philosophy I work with.
Licensed Certified Grief Recovery Specialist with the Grief Recovery Institute
A Post Graduate (Cert) in Psychodynamic Studies, University of Oxford
Volunteer Bereavement Counsellor for a leading UK charity
How to take the next step…
If you’ve found yourself here, you may have also found that time doesn’t heal.
Responding to grief asks us to do so with wise, gentle and compassionate action. With the right guidance, it’s the actions you take that will make all the difference. One step at a time.
If you’d like to explore working with me, book a free consultation call below. Write me a quick message in the contact form. I’ll email you back personally to arrange the best time to talk: