Dr Shelley Gilbert

Shelley Gilbert (BA Hons, PGDPM, PGDC, MBACP, UKCP Reg) is a senior accredited member of the BACP and of the Childhood Bereavement Network. She is married with four children and was a bereaved child herself, as both her parents died when she was very young.

Shelley is Founder and Director of the Grief Encounter charity, set up to support bereaved children and their families. Grief Encounter is now one of the UK’s leading children’s bereavement charities. It has expanded into the South West with a team providing Grief Encounter therapeutic and training services in Bristol. A national helpline and online counselling are also available.

Shelley wrote the best-selling Grief Encounter book, a critically acclaimed interactive workbook that facilitates communication about bereavement. By facing the fear of talking about death and dying, the book strives to initiate conversations to help young people deal with their loss and to feel less alone in their grief.

Shelley is a renowned speaker on her personal experience, her work with bereaved young people, and her training for professionals. She writes articles, appears on TV, speaks on radio and has received a number of awards for her work.