You Will Be Okay

A comforting, practical and go-to expert toolkit for children dealing with loss and grief

The death of a parent, sibling or friend is one of the most traumatic experiences for a child and it can be hard to know how to talk to them about it. In this honest, comforting and strength-building guide, children will be able to look toward the future with hope.

Written by clinical psychologist, executive coach and founder of childhood bereavement charity Winston's Wish, Julie Stokes OBE, You Will Be Okay is a toolbox for children navigating grief. Julie shares case studies of children's stories of loss. She offers comforting and practical advice for coping, remembering and taking time for you. Strong emotions come and go. Intense sadness can flip into anger or happiness - all while trying to be 'normal' - so it's no surprise that navigating these emotions can be tricky. But she shows young readers that there is no right or wrong way to grieve, you just have to find your way. You Will Be Okay teaches children that there are many things they can do to build strength and resilience in order move forward with life.

About the Author

Julie Stokes, founder of Winston's Wish was born in 1961 and educated at St. Michael's Convent Grammar School in London. Julie received a 1st class honours degree in Psychology and in 1987 went on to receive a Masters in Clinical Psychology.

Julie started her career with the NHS in 1984 and was instrumental in establishing one of the first hospital-based teams focusing on palliative care.
Her desire to involve children before and after a parent's death and to support parents led her to apply to the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. In 1992 she was awarded a Fellowship and travelled to America and Canada to better understand the services provided in these countries for bereaved children. Inspired by what she had experienced, Julie founded Winston's Wish in September of that year. After just 3 years the grief support programme was well established and Julie won the BT/Childline award 'for providing outstanding services to children'

Julie continues to lecture both nationally and internationally, is an established author and has contributed to 11 documentaries including the ground breaking Mummy Diaries series in 2007.

In December 2006, Julie received an OBE for services to children and families. She is the former Vice Chair of The Childhood Bereavement Network.
She now works as an Executive Coach.