This is a great book which covers everything you need to know if you are dealing with grief. It gives you a basis for personal development and growing with grief. However I can appreciate that for some it may feel too
Comprehensive and too much in the moments when you need it. With this in mind it’s a book to be worked through slowly. It may indeed take a years to work through it and some sections may need to be done a few times. I am sure it is a resource I will come back to - for myself and when supporting others.

Reading The Loss Prescription by Dr Chloe Paidoussis-Mitchell is like being gently held while you sit and explore your grief.
This book looks at grief and loss as a whole and then breaks it down into manageable easy to read chapters, with "prescriptions" journalling prompts, exercises to help the reader explore and work through their grief. There are also lots of references which my factual theory brain loves.

It doesn't just cover grief about the loss of a person, but loss as a whole whether that is a job, home, finances, identity, health. The author really unpicks and explains the psychological and physiological links between our brain and heart and how these present outwardly in behaviour. The author doesn't patronise or preach, offers skills and tools to help, while acknowledging everyone is at different stages with their grief and loss and where you are is... Where YOU are. That's OK. As much as we'd like there to be a nice time frame and end date to grief. That just isn't reality. This book is very good at meeting you where you are on that journey.

I have recently gone through a loss under the health umbrella. Physically loosing two of my senses, my health as it was and the loss of my old self/identity. I was surprised to find how much this book resonated and was relevant to me. I found the exercises helpful and validating.

There is also a chapter which focuses on supporting a loved one through their grief. Saying that the whole book is relevant to this but in this chapter the author addresses the helping supporter specifically.

This book can be read on its own, but personally I found answering the question prompts, journalling, reflecting and looking at the prescriptions at the end of each chapter, added so much more to the reading experience and my skill set.
I've already recommended to some friends who I hope will find this very gentle and understanding book helpful.
This book is truly beneficial to all as experiencing loss in any form is all part of being human.

Thanks to Dr Chloe Paidoussis-Mitchell,
Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Review also posted to Goodreads.

The Loss Prescription by Dr Chloe Paidoussis-Mitchell has been a truly insightful read. I picked it up expecting guidance around grief after losing a loved one, but it offers so much more. It gently explores the many forms of loss we experience—friendships that fade, job changes, career shifts—and gives language to emotions we often struggle to name.

Dr Chloe's approach is compassionate and clear, helping you understand grief as a natural part of being human, not something to avoid or rush through. I found comfort in her words and walked away with tools I’ll return to whenever life changes course. Highly recommend to anyone navigating change or seeking to understand their own emotional responses to loss.

Having read several books on grief, loss and mindfulness, I can easily say that this is one of the best books on learning to live with loss, grief and navigating them.
Paidoussis-Mitchell’s writing is soothing, understanding, and compassionate, and she gives the reader a caring guide to be compassionate with themselves and those who are dealing with loss.

This is invaluable to me right now. I have had an awful few years having lost both my parents since May 2021, with my mum going just a year ago tomorrow. I have found this book grounding and helpful, though at times I can’t cope with it and have to read it in little bits. Just sometimes you really can’t face it, you know? But each time I dip into it I know it helps a little more, even with the sadness it provokes at times.

Initially I doubted the author. She has loss in her life but not the same as mine. So I asked myself, how can she help me? But she has dealt with treating people suffering with tremendous loss, and she knows what she’s talking about. It’s like having a knowledgable best friend on your bookshelf. I thank her for this, and wish her well dealing with her own loss circumstances.

I would recommend this book for anyone going through a loss in their lives. Let’s face it - we all have to deal with it. The thing is not to lock it up, and to ride the waves. This book will help you to do just that. I can see myself referring back to this book in the future too.

The Loss Prescription by Dr Chloe Paidoussis-Mitchell is a compassionate and insightful guide to navigating the often overwhelming journey of grief. Drawing on her expertise as a trauma counsellor, Dr Paidoussis-Mitchell provides a practical roadmap filled with tools, reflections and gentle encouragement to help readers process their loss and begin healing.

I found this book to be incredibly grounding and hopeful. It doesn't offer quick fixes but instead empowers the reader to reconnect with themselves and their community in the wake of loss. It's a reassuring, thoughtful read for anyone struggling with grief or supporting someone through it.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.