Monthly Webinar - Hypnosis to Manage Grief and Bereavement Issues
Event Details
Members have free access to this event and will be sent the zoom link via the mailing list.
Date: 02/06/2026
This monthly webinar takes place between 6.00 and 7.30pm
About this webinar: Julie will be discussing the description of her patient group (bereaved parents), how grief is presented (their ‘symptoms’ for want of a better word) and some hypnotic techniques that seem to help, using anonymous case studies.
Andrew will be explainging that because grief is among the most deeply personal and painful human experiences, an Ericksonian approach is particularly well-suited in this context, as it emphasizes a gentle and individualized form of engagement. Drawing upon clinical experience, Ericksonian processes and examples will be presented to demonstrate how this approach can support clients and facilitate the grieving process.
We have three presenters: Julie Hirst, Mark Appleford and Andrew Armatas
Aim: Learn about the use of Hypnosis in managing distress from grief.
Learning Objectives:
- To understand how hypnotic and related techniques can be used to support individuals to manage grief and bereavement issues
- To understand when and when not to intervene in grief and bereavement issues
Julie Hirst – Julie is a retired public health specialist who worked in Derbyshire for over 30 years, in the NHS until April 2013 when she was transferred to Derbyshire County Council. She was registered as a public health specialist with the UKPHR (https://ukphr.org/) from 2008 until 2021 (retired in 2018). She continues to work for the Open University as a Tutor in their School of Health and Wellbeing.
She took BSCAH’s foundation course in 2016 and completed its graduate certificate in clinical hypnosis in 2021.
She has a small private clinical hypnosis practice and practises in a voluntary capacity at a charity for parents whose child/children have died.
Mark Appleford – TBC
Andrew Armatas MA, DCH, AFISCP – Andrew Armatas is a clinical psychologist and executive coach with over 25 years of international experience in clinical and coaching hypnosis as well as corporate mental health. Trained in clinical psychology at the University of Hartford and in hypnosis at the University of Sheffield—where he was among the first international cohort to specialise at postgraduate level—he began his career working exclusively in clinical settings before expanding into coaching and leadership development.
Born and raised in Australia and now based in Greece, his work is shaped by decades of cross-cultural experience. He is a guest lecturer on a joint Master’s programme at Athens Medical School and the University of Athens, an advisor to national and EU-funded initiatives on workplace mental health and coaching education, and has served as Associate Editor of Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice.
Andrew is a founding member of the International Society for Coaching Psychology, and a longstanding member of both BSCAH and the International Society of Hypnosis. Today, his work reflects a dual focus- clinical and coaching – to support individuals and organisations in health-oriented and performance contexts.