Who We Are
Honouring Life, Embracing Death
Louise Allen
Louise is an indoor and outdoor integrative psychotherapeutic counsellor and workshop facilitator.
Based in and around Faversham, Louise incorporates inspiration from nature’s life cycles and processes into her therapeutic work. This approach lends itself to exploring existential themes such as death and dying, as well as navigating life transitions and finding purpose and meaning in life and identity.
Although not currently practising as an End of Life Doula, Louise completed the End of Life Doula Foundation Training with Living Well Dying Well in 2021. She co-founded the Faversham Death Café in 2019; a relaxed community space to discuss death and dying based on the global Death Café model developed by Jon Underwood and Sue Barsky Reid.
Louise collaborated on the development of the book “Seasons of Grief; Creative Interventions to Support Bereaved People” (published in January 2024 by Jessica Kingsley Publishers), and contributed 4 seasonal chapters inviting individuals and practitioners to work with the other-than-human natural world as a way to hold people through the grieving process.
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www.ferncounselling.space // Email - louise.allen.counsellor@gmail.com
Instagram - @ferncounselling
Facebook - @ferncounselling
Faversham Death Café - www.ferncounselling.space/deathcafe part of the www.deathcafe.com movement.
National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society - Miss Louise Allen |Professional Accredited Counsellor | Faversham | NCPS(nationalcounsellingsociety.org)
Richard West (Rick)
"I’ve worked in many different fields including teaching, care work, gardening, in the film industry and as a musician. I’m currently running workshops in a woodland I’ve purchased with my partner, based on healing through creativity and nature.
‘If you’re afraid of dying you’re afraid of living’ was the phrase that first piqued my interest in Death, that and making a fictional feature film about the subject in the late 90s. It seemed tome that our society was lagging seriously behind in this area. I started running Death Café’s then began training as an End-of-Life Doula. We did our first day of Embracing Life by Facing Death in 2022 and I believe that because of the need for it, it’s going to go from strength to strength.
I believe in people centred death where one’s end of life is not seen as a failure of medical science by doctors and healthcare professional but a natural event in the cycle of life. That said it is a major event and should be given the gravitas it deserves."
Bernadette Lax
"Hello, I am Bernadette, Training as a Sacred Passage Death Doula and End of Life Coach a few years back fulfilled along held wish to be present for folk facing death, as well as friends and family dealing with death in any way I can be of service.
I was fortunate to be brought up in a family that had an open and positive way of dealing with death, so grew up being comfortable with this universal life event and transition.
As a founding member of Embracing Life Through Facing Death Collective– an East Kent collective of Doula’s I’ve been part of a wonderful team that hold an annual event to explore aspects of death and dying.
Co -creating rituals and ceremonies to support people in marking all manner of significant milestones including death, anniversary of deaths, adoption of children, and other important life transitions is my passion. Through ritual and ceremony we can process changes to find meaning and comfort. Be that a formal funeral or an informal gathering to celebrate an adoption or arriving in a new decade of life, I love to hold celebratory spaces articulating the needs and wishes of those being celebrated.
I recently trained as a Stag Guide- a fresh way to navigate direct cremation -www.stagcremations.co.uk/meetfoundersofstaghollyandlizzie
I am a meditation instructor facilitating local meditation groups, as well as events at London Shambhala Meditation Centre.
Formerly I spent thirty marvellous in Primary Education twelve as a headteacher. Working at the heart of communities with all manner of wonderful people with diverse experiences and views. I bring the love of people that inspired that work, to my work with death and dying, enabling people to feel heard and supported in making informed choices that feel right for them and those they love.
When not working I enjoy being a grandmother, walking my Bedlington Whippet Sam, gardening and swimming in cold water.
With love
Bernadette"
Holly Lyon-Hawk
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"Hello, I am a multi-award winning holistic funeral director as well as an end of life practitioner for both people and pets and author of A Gentle Goodbye with Cinnamon the Rabbit, a book for all to help through the difficult time of losing a pet.
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I co-founded Gentle Endings Ltd, a company that offers many alternative and eco-friendly ways to say goodbye to include; www.gentleendingscremations.co.uk, www.gentleendingsfunerals.co.uk and www.kentnaturalburials.com​
I also co-founded www.stagcremations.co.uk , a holistic approach to those who choose a direct cremation, ensuring both the bereaved family and the person who has died receives the best support and care possible.
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I live in the beautiful Kent countryside with our young and energetic Border Collie Shep and my darling son.
​I am passionate about supporting families with love and kindness. I believe strongly that families should be given all the options available to them to empower them to be able to choose what is right for them and their family, whatever that may look like. ​
With love
Holly "