About this event
This conference invites a rigorous existential inquiry into the nature of death, not solely as an event marking the end of biological life, but as a central axis around which human meaning is constructed. From an existential perspective, death is not merely to be feared or denied; it is a fundamental condition that discloses the finitude of existence and the urgency of authentic living. Confronting death awakens individuals to their freedom, compelling them to assume responsibility for their choices in a world devoid of predetermined meaning. It is through this confrontation that one encounters the possibility of transformation—recognizing mortality as both a limit and a motivator in the pursuit of purposeful existence.
In addition to its existential framing, the conference will examine a broad spectrum of themes relating to death and dying. These include complex discussions on suicide and assisted dying, the psychological and philosophical implications of end-of-life care, and the enduring bonds that persist with the deceased. A particular focus will be placed on how the death of others shapes individual encounters with mortality. Furthermore, the programme will include anthropological perspectives on death rituals, as well as sociocultural analyses, with a specific lens on the Black community where historical trauma, systemic inequalities, and collective mourning intersect. Contributions will also explore how cultural narratives, and philosophical traditions inform our understanding of death and its meaning in the modern world.
Ultimately, this interdisciplinary gathering seeks not only to deepen theoretical understanding but to foster a more nuanced and critical engagement with mortality. By bridging existential philosophy with psychological, social, and cultural inquiry, the conference aims to illuminate the multifaceted ways death informs life. In doing so, it challenges participants to confront uncomfortable truths, reassess prevailing assumptions, and engage rigorously with one of the most fundamental dimensions of the human condition.
PRESENTATIONS
Meaning-Focused Grief Therapy: Principles and Practices – Robert A. Neimeyer, PhD
Loss—of people, places, projects and possibilities—is endemic to the human condition, and in this sense, living in its shadow is an existential given, a cultural universal. Grief in the aftermath of bereavement, on the other hand, varies as a function of who we are, who we lose, and how we lose them. Viewed through the lens of a meaning-focused grief therapy, we will briefly consider the role of trauma-informed work to promote integration of the story of the loss and its implications for our world view, attachment-informed interventions to reconstruct the continuing bond with the deceased, and a resilience-informed approach to revising our sense of identity as we move forward in life.
We will briefly summarize research that highlights the role of the search for sense and significance in addressing the challenges of each domain, as we then consider the process markers that call for particular therapeutic approaches, illustrating these with actual client interactions in therapy. The goal will be to provide participants with a suggestive frame for approaching grieving as a process of reaffirming or reconstructing a world of meaning in the wake of loss, as well as conveying something of the style of intervention that is coherent with this approach.
Learning Objectives:
- Summarize the essential domains of a Meaning Reconstruction model of grief and outline how it can serve as a guidance-system for grief therapy
- Identify Restorative Retelling procedures for mastering the story of the loss
- Describe procedures for realigning the continuing bond with the deceased in a way that addresses unfinished business and reinforces secure attachment
- Discuss the role of identity change in the context of bereavement and the prospects for growth
Robert A. Neimeyer, PhD
Dr. Robert A. Neimeyer is a luminary in the field of psychology, particularly in the areas of death, grief, and loss. As Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Memphis, Dr. Neimeyer’s contributions to research and practice have been nothing short of transformative. With 37 books and over 600 articles to his name, he has been included in Stanford University/Elsevier’s list of the Top 2% of Scientists in the world for advancing our understanding of grieving as a meaning-making process and its profound implications for human experience. Dr. Neimeyer’s dedication to education is evident in his role as the Director of the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition, where he continues to mentor and inspire future generations of grief therapists. His leadership in the field has also found expression in his service as President of the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) and Chair of the International Work Group on Death, Dying and Bereavement (AWG). His accolades, including multiple awards from ADEC, the International Network of Personal Meaning, the Viktor Frankl Association, and the American Psychological Association among others, attest to the sustained impact of his work on the field. Today, we are privileged to benefit from Dr. Neimeyer’s wisdom as he shares his expertise with us.
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Navigating Loss & Embracing Life – Dr Chloe Paidoussis Mitchell
In this 45-minute interactive workshop, Dr. Chloe Paidoussis Mitchell guides participants through a reflective and practical exploration of loss and grief, grounded in existential counselling psychology. Based on her therapeutic work and her book The Loss Prescription, this session offers a compassionate space to engage with the human experience of grief not as a problem to fix, but as a meaningful, transformative process.
Participants will explore how grief can provoke existential questions about identity, purpose, connection, and the future—and how, through conscious awareness and self-compassion, it is possible to rebuild a life with renewed meaning.
Learning Objective:
- Understand grief as a natural, existential process that impacts all dimensions of life.
- Explore how meaning, identity, and purpose are challenged—and reshaped—by loss.
- Learn practical tools from The Loss Prescription to support personal reflection and growth.
- Cultivate self-compassion and emotional regulation when navigating grief.
- Gain confidence to support themselves or others through the ambiguity and pain of loss.
Who is This Workshop Appropriate For?
- This workshop is ideal for anyone processing personal loss or supporting others through it—therapists, wellbeing leads, HR professionals, or anyone seeking a deeper understanding of grief and resilience.
What to Expect:
- A safe, reflective atmosphere
- Brief psychoeducation around existential psychology and grief
- Use of “The 4 Pillars of Grief Recovery” from The Loss Prescription (emotional, physical, social, and spiritual wellbeing)
- Tools and questions to carry forward for continued personal growth
Dr Chloe Paidoussis Mitchell
Dr Chloe Paidoussis Mitchell, is a Chartered Counselling Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and Lecturer at The Existential Academy, whose work is deeply rooted in existential counselling and practice. Author of The Loss Prescription: A Practical Roadmap to Grief Recovery (HarperCollins, March 14, 2024), she combines clinical depth with philosophical insight to support individuals facing profound loss.
In her private practice, she helps clients engage with grief not merely as a condition to be overcome but as an existential journey—one that challenges beliefs about meaning, identity, mortality, and time . As a lecturer at the Existential Academy and the New School of Psychotherapy & Counselling, Dr Chloe brings integrative, trauma-informed, and humanistic approaches to therapy.
In The Loss Prescription, she offers accessible, reflective tools that blend self-compassion with existential exploration, guiding readers to reconstruct well‑being holistically—emotionally, socially, physically, spiritually—after loss.
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Losing the Will to Live – Prof Emmy van Deurzen
As the world becomes increasingly engulfed by conflicts, threats and violence, many people feel despondent and frightened. During such dark days our capacity for endurance and resilience is severely tested. It is not at all surprising that more people lose the will to live. When dying seems a more desirable option than living, it is vital to reappraise our reasons for being as well as exploring our ideas of what might lie beyond death. This is where we need to draw on the wisdom that humankind has accumulated over the millennia, as well as referring to the most up to date research data to gain greater understanding. In this talk we shall aim to do both these things, so that participants may feel inspired to revisit and make more sense of their own experiences.
Prof Emmy van Deurzen
Emmy van Deurzen is a philosopher, psychologist and existential therapist who is the author of twenty books, translated into 26 languages. She is an international speaker and has founded and co-founded numerous training and professional organizations. She is President of the worldwide Existential Movement, and a visiting professor with Middlesex University. Her YouTube channel @ExistentialZone offers 1000+videos on how to live a more meaningful life as well as a weekly Live Chat.
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Dying from Natural Causes: The Original and Still the Worst? – Dr Robert Brodrick
R. D. Laing observed that “Life is a sexually transmitted disease and there’s a 100% mortality rate”.
Given our shared prognosis, we have three options: suicide, assisted dying or letting nature take its course. Many choose the default option of letting the body wear out and fail on its own inevitable yet uncertain timeline.
Can the traditional mode dying be meaningful, even when it is miserable? Is there anything we can do to increase the likelihood of a good death?
Dr Robert Brodrick
Robert works as a consultant in palliative medicine at Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital. He treats people with life-limiting illnesses with a focus on reducing their associated physical, psychological and existential suffering.
He also has an academic role at the School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, where he teaches palliative care and clinical communication skills. He leads the Clinical School’s novel ‘Care of the Dying Patient’ simulation teaching programme and conducts research on providing effective end of life care training for future doctors.
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Keynote on Death – Prof Havi Carel
I have been invited to give a keynote lecture on death.
Prof Havi Carel
Havi Carel is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Bristol. She currently leads a Wellcome Discovery Award, EPIC, on epistemic injustice in health care.
In 2020 she completed a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator Award, leading a five-year project, the Life of Breath. She was awarded the Health Humanities’ Inspiration Award 2018 for her work on the project.
Havi won the IJPS 2021 PERITIA Prize for her paper ‘When Institutional Opacity Meets Individual Vulnerability: Institutional Testimonial Injustice’ (co-authored with Ian Kidd), published in International Journal of Philosophical Studies. Her third monograph was published by Oxford University Press in 2016, entitled Phenomenology of Illness. Havi was voted by students as a ‘Best of Bristol’ lecturer in 2016 and was nominated for a teaching award three further times.
Havi is the author of Illness (3rd edition 2019), shortlisted for the Wellcome Trust Book Prize, and of Life and Death in Freud and Heidegger (2006). She is the co-editor of Health, Illness and Disease (2012) and of What Philosophy Is (2004). She uses film in teaching and has co-edited a volume entitled New Takes in Film-Philosophy (2010). She also co-edited a special issue of Philosophy on ‘Human Experience and Nature’ (2013).
She previously published on the embodied experience of illness, epistemic injustice in healthcare, vulnerability, wellbeing within illness, transformative experience, death, and on the experience of respiratory illness in the Lancet, BMJ, Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, Journal of Medical Ethics, Journal of Applied Philosophy, and in edited collections.
In 2009-11 Havi led an AHRC-funded project on the concepts of health, illness and disease. In 2011-12 she was awarded a Leverhulme Fellowship for a project entitled ‘The Lived Experience of Illness’. In 2012-13 she held a British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship.
Website | https://epistemicinjusticeinhealthcare.org/ | www.lifeofbreath.org | http://bristol.academia.edu/HaviCarel | http://www.bristol.ac.uk/school-of-arts/people/havi-h-carel/index.html
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The Place of the Dead: Ritual, Memory, and Belonging in Southeast Asian Communities – Dr Kelli Swazey
In Southeast Asia, places are defined and delineated by the relationships between the dead and the living communities. Both communal and self-identity are linked to the dead through rituals that commemorate and enact the presence of the dead in both the landscape and people’s everyday lives, a perspective that frames death as part of the continuity of both life and community identity.
Dr Kelli Swazey
Dr. Kelli Swazey (she/her) is an anthropologist and consultant who engages public audiences in the practices of collaborative knowledge building and scholarship. Her research focuses on modes of representation and rights for diverse communities in Southeast Asia. Utilizing various forms of media, she creates spaces for audiences and clients to engage in intercultural learning to explore contemporary issues through the lens of equity, diversity, justice, and social inclusion. She also designs and manages educational exchange programs and media production in collaboration with local communities in the Asia Pacific region.
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Are We All Living a Social Death? – Prof Patrick Vernon
Prof Patrick Vernon
Pro Chancellor at University of Wolverhampton ,Chair of Birmingham and Solihull NHS ICB and Independent, Chair of Walsall Together Health Partnership Board and Honorary Professor for Community leadership and heritage at Wolverhampton University. He was recently appointed Pro Chancellor at Wolverhampton University.
Patrick is a sought-after broadcaster, public speaker, EDI adviser and writes blogs and articles for the national and international media on healthcare, cultural heritage and race.
Patrick led the campaign for a national Windrush Day since 2013 and helping to expose the Windrush Scandal in 2018 in one of the first growing online petitions calling for an amnesty for the Windrush Generation. In 2020 Patrick was selected by British Vogue as of Britain’s top twenty campaigners and since he has been included in the Powerlist list of 100 influential Black People in Britain. In 2020 Patrick co-authored 100 Great Black Britons based on his campaign. In 2024 he his latest coauthored book on Black Grief and healing. Patrick is a member of Church Commissioners oversight group on reparations.
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TICKETS
Choose your ticket price. Each ticket provides access to the LIVE event on Zoom & the conference Recording. Choose the fee that works for you: £25.00, £37.50, or £50.00. – EARLY BIRD PRICE!
CPD CERTIFICATE
After attending the LIVE conference, your CPD certificate will be emailed to you.
If you watch the event on catch-up, you can download your certificate from the Onlinevents CPD Library.
RECORDING
This conference will be recorded and the recordings are included in the live admission tickets. This will be useful for colleagues who are not able to attend the event live and also for those who attend the event live and want to watch it again.
ZOOM
This workshop will be hosted on the Zoom meeting platform where we will use our cameras and microphones to interact with each other as a group.
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