About Joy
Instinctively entrepreneurial by nature and with a very varied and diverse professional background, Joy has worked among many occupations and businesses spending time in the fashion industry as a designer, has a degree in philosophy and theology and a PGCE in Religious Education. She taught in the education sector for over twenty-five years, before transferring her skills into her present successful counselling, coaching and ever evolving therapeutic work.
Joy’s Journey
Established in her private practice since 2008, she has a rich amount of both personal and professional experience. Joy’s journey as a woman in constant evolution of herself and her soul has taken her from a humble background to a happy and fulfilled life which was traumatically disrupted on 27 October 2018 by the death of her son.
It is a sad fact that grief resulting from the loss of a loved one can have a huge effect on every aspect of our lives, affecting our work, relationships, family, social life or interests. However, by receiving the right support, she knows that lives can become truly transformed and, through therapeutic guidance and interventions, we can promote and enhance a satisfying sense of peace and contentment.
Individual Sessions
She continues to work with clients individually for Counselling, Psychotherapy, Bereavement Therapy and Coaching, and Hypnotherapy sessions and couples for Relationship Coaching. She also run groups and workshops related to raising consciousness, living optimum positive health and wellbeing.
Joy actively contributes to the following Grief Support groups
HELPING PARENTS HEAL
Find out more on their website here.
Joy is proud to be a Regional Representative for this wonderful organisation.
“Joy is an incredible person and I feel very lucky to have found her. We first met up just over a year ago when Joy posted in HPH UK to ask if any parents from the Dorset/Hampshire area would like to meet up in Bournemouth. It was so wonderful to meet Joy, she totally understood the immense grief of losing a son. I felt like I didn’t want our meeting to end, I had finally met someone who I could talk to so openly and freely about my son George. It felt like a light had been turned on. We continued our fortnightly meetings for many months and over that time Joy has introduced me to many helpful ways to connect with George. We have used meditation, the pendulum, automatic writing, asking our boys for specific signs and reiki. Joy has also produced an immensely helpful book entitled from Hole to Whole, a wonderful resource for healing and coping with grief. She has also been involved in creating a new group called UK Parents Rising Beyond Grief and she generously gives much of her time supporting newly grieving parents. She has very recently managed to get 5 of us together for an in person meet up which was truly a wonderful healing time for us all. Joy has helped me to believe that there is so much more to this life and that we can still very much enjoy a relationship with our children just in a different way. Thank you so much Joy for truly bringing joy to my life!”
Claire S
UK PARENTS RISING BEYOND GRIEF
This group supports grieving parents who have experienced the passing of one or more children. We offer support through the grief and afterlife communities but this group has a non-dogmatic approach and all are welcome.
You can join their private Facebook support group here.
“I have been seeing Joy for over a year after the passing of my son. She has supported me through the toughest of times with guidance, honesty and gentle nudges when I’ve needed them.
Joy has allowed me the space and support to grieve freely and to explore my own spirituality without pressure or judgement. Through this Ihave developed (and continue to develop) a spiritual connection with my son that has brought me so much comfort and peace.
Her book is a must read! It’s insightful, honest and beautifully and lovingly written. It helped me feel less alone in my feelings and also comforted to know that my feelings were valid. It also offered a greater understanding of grief andlots of helpful ways and tips to find your inner strength. I cannot recommend this book enough.
Joy has helped me navigate the lowest point of my life and I cannot thank her enough. I truly believe I would not be here today if it wasn’t for her.”
Sam C
“Our son passed from cancer in September 2025, it’s hard to put into words the shock and trauma that followed, it left my wife and I completely devastated and heartbroken.
We somehow managed to get through the first few months but then I really started to struggle and I realised I was going to need help and support to help me get through each day.
At a low point one evening, I contacted a caring listener who as it turned out lost her daughter to cancer in very similar circumstances to us and understood the tragedy and pain that this entails. Being able to share our difficult experience was such a help and relief. She put me in contact with Terri at UK Parent Rising Beyond Grief who in turn felt I would benefit from joining the groups weekly bereavement support meeting with Joy Sackett Wood.
I was unsure as my grief was making doing the simplest things an uphill struggle but I’m glad I did as when I met Joy she was so kind and understanding and put me at my ease.
I found it a relief being able to talk to Joy about everything my wife and I had been through, reassured not only by Joy’s experience and qualifications but knowing she too had lost a son and deeply understood the pain first hand. After this initial meeting, Joy has kindly and generously continued to see me on a one to one basis which has gradually and gently helped me open up about how I’m feeling and also helped me understand through the chaos of grief that there is an underlying emotional grief path which has helped me feel at least feel a bit reassured that what I am going through is a normal human experience in the wake of severe grief.
In Joy’s book ” From Hole to Whole” Joy describes in more detail how this emotional grief moves through a Grief Curve in different stages but also with the understanding that on this curve its not always in a forward direction and that grief swings back and forth but again knowing this is normal helps me on the difficult days. In the later chapters of her book Joy also gives the reader the opportunity to investigate the spiritual aspects of our lives which for me was very welcome as after my son passed I have found that having a spiritual understanding of our lives has suddenly became very real and has actually become a lifeline.
For me knowing that our son is still with us and that we can still communicate albeit in a different way has given me so much relief. Being able to talk openly about this with Joy and other Parents in the UK Parents Rising Beyond Grief group helps so much with the very real pain of grief.
The everyday reality for my wife and I is that some days are just so very hard to endure but when we receive signs from our son it instantly lifts our spirits and reminds us he is still part of our everyday lives.”
Mike
“Joy approached me as a result of something that I had put on as an answer relating to a grief and coping in the UKPRBG group that I belong to online. She is one of the leads for this group.
TITHE GREEN COMMUNITY GROUP
This Facebook group is run by Tithe Green Natural Burial. It is place for their community to meet, connect, share, and stay up-to-date with latest news and events from Tithe Green. They post blogs, interviews, videos, and upcoming events so you can stay connected and feel supported.
You can join the group here.