THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Essential, clever and kind' Alain de Botton 'I am a huge admirer of Julia's work' Elizabeth Day ____________________ 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. ____________________ '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

'One of the most valuable books I've ever read' Adwoa Aboah ______________________________________________________________________________________ If change is the natural order of things, why do we struggle with the huge milestones in our lives? At a time when even the most certain things feel disrupted, acclaimed psychotherapist Julia Samuel provides an antidote to the chaos we are all feeling. In this Sunday Times bestseller, Julia draws on hours of conversations with her patients to show how we can learn to adapt and even thrive during our most difficult and transformative experiences. From a new mother struggling with the decision to return to work, to a father handling a serious medical diagnosis, from a woman deciding whether to leave her husband for a younger lover, to a man struggling to repair his marriage after the trauma of suffering with COVID-19 in the ICU, this book unflinchingly deals with the hard times in family, love, work, health and identity. Illuminated by the latest social and psychological research, these 19 powerful, unforgettable and deeply intimate stories about everyday people will inform our understanding of our own unique response to change and improve the way we approach challenges at every stage of life. ______________________________________________________________________________________ 'Examines the power that comes from dealing effectively with change' Elizabeth Day

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'Essential, clever and kind' Alain de Botton 'I am a huge admirer of Julia's work' Elizabeth Day ______________________ 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. ______________________ '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

*** Sunday Times Bestseller *** '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 ____________________________________________________________________ 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.

The first time she realised she was 'old' hit hard. She immediately saw herself as a wreck, it was depressing and reminded her that she was fed up to the back teeth being alone too, she was one unhappy bunny. She had so many regrets that were still festering away years on; she suspected they were reason for most of the cracks on her face. With determination and some money the physical bit she could tackle... but the happiness issue was harder. It could be death by stress and boredom if she didn't sort herself out and she wasn't having that! A bit of hindsight might answer why she became such a misery magnet. Looking back did hurt, but some memories were pure joy. Looking for contentment was hard work and what would she actually do with all that hindsight? What do oldies do with their remaining years these days?

I told my mum I was going on an R.E. trip and I needed to be at Piccadilly Bus Station for seven o'clock in the morning, in order to get to the clinic by half past eight . . . What do you know about abortion? What do you think about it? Why can we debate it as an idea, but not talk about it as an experience? With one in three women in the UK having had an abortion I Told My Mum I Was Going on an R.E. Trip . . . explores what seems to be one of society's last taboos. A play written for a young, multi-talented female ensemble, I Told My Mum I Was Going on an R.E. Trip . . . uses verbatim text, live music, beats and rhyme to portray the stories of real women who've experienced pregnancy and abortion. This funny, frank, and moving play is about as far from a run-of-the-mill sexual health lecture as is imaginable. I Told My Mum I Was Going on an R.E. Trip . . . premiered at Contact, Manchester on 1 February 2017, in a co-production with 20 Stories High