‘Essential, clever and kind’ Alain de Botton

‘I am a huge admirer of Julia’s work’ Elizabeth Day
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In her bestselling follow-up to Grief Works and This Too Shall Pass, much-loved psychotherapist Julia Samuel invites us into her sessions as she explores the relationships that have the power to touch us and hurt us most: those with our family.

Through eight beautifully told case studies, covering a variety of families across multiple generations, she analyses common issues from losing a parent to children leaving home, and from separation to step-relationships. In doing so she shows how much is, in fact, inherited — and how much can be healed when it is faced together.

Every Family Has A Story provides the tools that will help with this work of improving our relationships. Its twelve touchstones for family well-being show how to communicate effectively, set boundaries, fight productively and allow change.

This is a wise and insightful exploration of modern life that will help us create the families we wish for.
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‘Julia Samuel writes with unfailing grace, tenderness and consummate storytelling. Everyone who reads this will learn something profound’ Rachel Clarke

‘Julia Samuel offers vivid insights in a book for all families… I was utterly drawn in’ Kathryn Mannix

‘Fascinating… Julia Samuel’s compassionate work never fails to inform, comfort and make me think’ Pandora Sykes

‘A wise and important book, full of insight into the pain and beauty at the heart of family life… I loved it’ Clover Stroud

‘Julia Samuel is so wise and compassionate. I love every word she writes’ Cathy Rentzenbrink

Why do some families thrive in adversity while others fragment? How can families weather difficult transitions together? Why do our families drive us mad? And how can even small changes greatly improve our relationships?

In Every Family Has a Story, bestselling psychotherapist Julia Samuel turns from her acclaimed work with individuals to draw on her sessions with a wide variety of families, across multiple generations. Through eight beautifully told and insightful case studies, she analyses a range of common issues, from loss to leaving home, and from separation to step-relationships, and shows how much is, in fact, inherited — and how much can be healed when it is faced together.

Exploring the relationships that both touch us most and hurt us most, including the often under-appreciated impact of grandparents and siblings, and incorporating the latest academic research, she offers wisdom that is applicable to us all. Her twelve touchstones for family well-being — from fighting productively to making time for rituals — provide us with the tools to improve our relationships, and to create the families we wish for.

This is a moving and reassuring meditation that, amid trauma and hardship, tells unforgettable stories of forgiveness, hope and love.
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‘Everyone who reads this will learn something profound’ Dr Rachel Clarke

‘Offers vivid insights in a book for all families’ Kathryn Mannix

‘I love every word she writes’ Cathy Rentzenbrink

‘Fascinating. A wise and compassionate book full of insight and understanding that would help anyone experiencing grief, or those surrounding them’ Cathy Rentzenbrink

‘A wonderfully important and transforming book – lucid, consoling and wise’ William Boyd

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Grief Works is a compassionate guide that will inform and engage anyone who is grieving, from the ‘expected’ death of a parent to the sudden unexpected death of a small child, and provide clear advice for those seeking to comfort the bereaved.

Julia Samuel guides you gently through her eight practical pillars of strength – that include the power of saying ‘no’ to the structure and building of good new habits – to support you and help you to gradually rebuild your life in the face of grief:

With personal real-life stories of loss, and brilliantly accessible and practical advice, Grief Works will be passed down through generations as the definitive guide for anyone who has lost a loved one, and will revolutionise the way we talk about life, loss and death.