Julia Samuel MBE has launched her interactive grief course through an innovative app, Grief Works.
Launched in collaboration with Headspace’s former Head of Research Nick Begley and his award-winning team at Psychological Technologies (PSYT) Grief Works encompasses Julia’s wealth of counselling experience spanning thirty-years and concepts from her best-selling book, ‘Grief Works: Stories of Life, Death and Surviving,’ brought to life by PSYT’s expertise in creating apps to improve lives.
‘Partnering with PSYT on this ground-breaking app, has allowed me, for the first time in my career, to support people 24/7. Grief is a confusing and isolating emotion which is difficult to tackle because it is invisible yet impacts every aspect of life. Grief can make us feel as though we aren’t strong enough, but my Grief Works course will help anyone going through loss to understand that things can and will get better with help, tools and time. Ignoring feelings of grief can lead to darker places, therefore, receiving grief therapy on your smartphone is a great place to start. Technology really can change and save lives, and I truly believe this is a great example of that theory.’ – Julia Samuel MBE
Julia is a leading Psychotherapist specialising in grief and associated loss. She is a Vice President of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and Founder Patron of Child Bereavement UK. Julia’s expertise and unrivalled understanding of how to assist people experiencing grief has allowed her to change countless lives, guiding them to live a fulfilling life after death. The Grief Works app stems from Julia’s desire to increase the amount of support she can provide beyond the pages of a book – and extend her reach outside of the therapy room.
With 15% of all mental disorders developing due to unresolved grief, and Covid-19 resulting in nearly 4 million deaths, living loss and an incomparable mental health crisis, the Grief Works app offers interactive tools which will be vital to many. The recent pandemic brought grief to the surface with 9 people on average affected by every death. As the New York Times1 put it, ‘there is no vaccine for grief’ – forcing us to face up to the lack of effective, accessible support for the bereaved. Julia believes Grief Works can fill in for the current shortage of public resources available to the grieving.
Featuring 28 sessions, presented by Julia, users are guided to work through their grief and are taught the techniques needed to stay grounded and manage their emotions – from anxiety, to guilt, to anger. Practical advice is offered including how to ask for support from friends and family, and what to do when approaching dreaded milestone dates like the deceased’s birthday. This is bolstered by a ‘Toolkit’ section which introduces over 30 instant tools to soothe the mind and work through troubling thoughts. Additionally, a ‘Journal’ module has been specifically developed to help users identify their emotions, know themselves and build strength, so they can heal.
More effective than a book and more accessible than a therapist, which costs on average £120 – £180 a session, the interactive elements and expert experience behind Grief Works is what sets it apart. From mindfulness, self-compassion and visualisation exercises to visual breathing guides and body scans, it is designed to be effective even when used for just 10 to 15 minutes a day. Although grief is an unavoidable part of the human experience, Julia’s course provided through the Grief Works app ensures no one must experience it alone. They now have the support they need, via technology, to move through the most testing of times.
‘Grief hurts, but if we can let ourselves feel the pain and work through it, it’s healing. Nowadays it’s so easy to avoid our feelings through work, alcohol, or social media, we don’t get the chance for grief to do its work. We wanted to make a structured, guided, interactive programme available to everyone, at the cost of a coffee a week, to help people to process their grief step by step.” – Nick Begley
Grief Works is available to iPhone users for £49.99 for 3 months.
www.griefworkscourse.com | www.juliasamuel.co.uk
