Grief School: Traumatic Loss

About the event

This Grief School panel discussion brings together experts in the subject and people who’ve lost loved ones in a traumatic way, to explore the grief that such a bereavement can bring.

The discussion is facilitated by Joanne Early, interim CEO with Samm, an organisation that provides support to people bereaved by traumatic events like murder and manslaughter.

We welcome Gary Andrews, a.k.a. @GaryScribbler, an illustrator and cartoonist who very suddenly lost his wife to sepsis. Facing life as a widower and a father of two, Gary turned to art and created his Doodle-a-Day Diary, which went viral and showed how grief can be explored through humour and artistic expression.

Academic Dr Rachel Gibbons also joins the panel. Rachel has worked in the NHS for 20 years in various psychiatric settings as a consultant psychiatrist. She’s also a psychoanalyst and has also worked as the National Director of Therapies for the Priory Group. Rachel is a member of the National Suicide Prevention Advisory Group and was the clinical lead for the London Transport Police Suicide Prevention Team.

Mark Lemon is our final panellist. A writer whose father was murdered when he was a child, Mark’s now an expert in helping children talk about their grief. He’s behind the podcast, Grief is my Superpower.