July 2025 Book of the Month

by Patricia McGuire, LPC-MHSP

7/16/2025

The July 2025 Book of the Month is Conscious Grieving: A Transformative Approach to Healing from Loss by Claire Bidwell Smith.

From the back cover: “Grief is about change, something most of us like to avoid. But when we can lean into it and make space for the experience of loss by intentionally engaging with it, that’s ultimately when we heal. An intimate guide presented as a series of thoughtful, brief vignettes that don’t overwhelm the reader, Conscious Grieving offers a paradigm shift around what grief and loss mean, giving us permission to explore both in new ways— and access profound pathways of healing and transformation.”

I’m hesitant to recommend a book about grief and grieving because the process of grief is so individual, personal, and rarely linear or formulaic. Grief is often a narrative process, a rewriting of your story in the wake and reality of loss. My hope in offering this book recommendation is not to provide a prescription or expectation around grief, but rather to offer support to aid your journey. Smith’s book can provide guideposts, practices, and story will help enrich and anchor your experience.

Go deeper: https://clairebidwellsmith.com/books/

If you’d like to explore these ideas further, connect with Patricia McGuire here