A problem shared

Funeral Guide is launching an advice column to help the bereaved, this week.

‘Agony aunt’ – psychologist Annie Broadbent, will be answering questions and supporting people who have lost a loved one.

Annie is the author of best-selling self-help book, We Need to Talk About Grief (How to Be a Friend to the One Who’s Left Behind), which was inspired by her own bereavement following the death of her mother, Caroline. A psychotherapist with her own practice, she also volunteers her counselling skills at London hospice St Christopher’s.

Her new column, Dear Annie, begins this Thursday, December 1 and will appear every second Thursday on Funeral Guide. It’s hoped that Dear Annie will provide support for anyone who has lost a loved one, or is anticipating a bereavement, no matter how recent or long ago their loss.

Annie, pictured left, said: “I hope my advice column will give the bereaved, and the friends and family who want to support them, a sense they’re not alone.”

Readers and visitors to Funeral Guide are invited to write to Annie at DearAnnie@funeralguide.com.

Funeral Guide launched three years ago and helps the recently bereaved with practical support and advice during a very difficult time. It is now the leading website of its kind in the UK. Co-founder Ed Gallois said that Annie’s advice column was another way for Funeral Guide to fulfil its mission to help the bereaved.

He said: “We’re delighted to be launching Dear Annie and think it will be a real support not only to the bereaved, but the family and friends who care about them and their loss. Whether people write in, or simply share her column with family and friends when her advice strikes a chord, as Annie rightly says, we need to talk about grief.”

Whether you are searching for ways to come to terms with the loss of a loved one, or still trying to make sense of your feelings or anxieties, Annie will be here to help and you can write to her now for advice.