A Grief Companion

Immensely practical, tenderly compassionate and reassuringly conversational, this is the perfect companion for anyone experiencing loss. Full of lived wisdom, insights, suggestions and hope, it is above all shot through with kindness. Part guidebook, part instruction manual, part love letter, this is a book that takes you by the hand and promises the gentlest comfort in the darkest of times. – Tamsin Greig
Explaining how the mind and body work together, A Grief Companion offers insights into the process of grieving. The writing is energetic, down-to-earth and honest as Sasha Bates helps readers cope with the many layers and levels of grief. A useful as well as a moving book. – Cathy Rentzenbrink
This is the book I was searching for 20 years ago when my son died, thank heaven it exists now. It really is the perfect companion. It contains everything a bereaved person needs to piece together their new life without the person they loved. I will highly recommend it to my clients and to anyone accompanying a bereaved person through their grief. – Lizzie Pickering, Grief Investigator, Film and Podcast Producer
Sasha has put all her knowledge, as an experienced psychotherapist, and all her heart, as a woman grieving, into writing this book. It’s a resource to treasure, and a great example of how to be kind to yourself from the midst of deep distress. It is beautifully laid out. I will certainly be using it in my practice and recommending it to clients who have suffered loss. – Toireasa McCann, psychotherapist
Sasha Bates draws on her work as a psychotherapist and her own personal experiences of loss to offer a flexible and holistic toolkit to bring comfort and hope to anyone whose life has been shattered by grief. Structured into sections on mind, body, spirit and the everyday, this new book is packed full of useful insights and resources - from vocabulary lists that help you pinpoint and communicate your emotions, to advice about funerals, relationships, anniversaries, and a range of therapeutic and creative activities. A Grief Companion will act as both a compassionate friend and an expert mentor on your grief journey, enabling you to manage life after loss in a way that is right for you. – Dr Lesel Dawson, University of Bristol and Arts and Culture Lead of The Good Grief Festival
Grief is inevitable for everyone and some kind of bereavement is something that none of us can avoid. So, why are we so afraid to talk about it? Sasha Bates latest book A Grief Companion helps normalise and bust the taboo around this subject. It is a hopeful and uplifting book for people of all ages about meaning making after loss. As well as providing a grief toolkit Sasha shares stories which widen conversations about a subject so often shrouded in silence and discomfort. – Jane Harris co-founder of The Good Grief Project

Sasha Bates is a psychotherapist, journalist and former documentary filmmaker. Eighteen years in the TV industry saw her write, direct and produce series as varied as Omnibus, Grand Designs, Live and Kicking, and How to Look Good Naked, alongside an ongoing side-line in travel journalism.

Her fascination with people - and what creates the myriad dynamics between us all - fuelled her career as a filmmaker, and she discovered a desire to further understand the human mind, emotions and relationships. She left television behind and re-trained as an integrative psychotherapist, gaining an MA, a Diploma in Counselling and an Advanced Diploma in integrative psychotherapy from The Minster Centre in London. Once fully qualified, and after stints working in the NHS and in higher education, she started up in private practice where she gained a reputation as an embodied therapist, an earlier training as a yoga teacher having given her a good understanding of the mind body connection.

When her husband, Bill, died unexpectedly at just 56, Sasha turned back to writing to help her navigate the new and unwelcome world into which she had been thrust. She now teaches workshops about grief to therapists, and other grievers, and has set up a commemorative theatrical bursary - The Bill Cashmore Award - in conjunction with the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith.

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