Nic Dove Therapy

03/04/2026

Bank Holidays can feel especially lonely when you are not with the person you want to be with. Every year I hesitate when I go to wish you all a Happy Easter. Because for some sadly it won’t be happy.

This Easter might be the hardest ever for some of you reading this. For some it might feel a little better than last year while for others it might be that hope is at last shining a light on the dark days.

Everyone who follows this page has lost a loved one. Our grief is individual and personal. We are walking the hardest path together but at our own pace.

So instead of just saying Happy Easter, I send you love and support wherever you are on your journey.

💜💜

nicdovetherapy.co.uk
Nic Dove Therapy

25/03/2026

This little fella turns up at least twice a week at my therapy pod. He often spends ages just looking wistfully through the window. I’ve told him several times if he would like to talk, he just needs to book a session !

15/03/2026

For those of us whose mums have died, today can fill our hearts with an ache for the time when they were by our sides with strong arms and comforting words. We wish they were at the table, thanking us for lunch or flowers. Being our Mums.

For others the pain of Mother’s Day is that they never knew their mums or if they did, their relationship was heartbreakingly difficult or impossible.

Today our hearts are also very much with mothers who have lost precious sons and daughters and carry that unbearable life shaping grief with them everyday. For those who suffer the pain of infertility, the day may be a raw and unkind reminder.

I wrote the words below for my mum and for yours but they are also dedicated to aunties and grandmothers or whoever it was that loved you and looked out for you in your first days.

Take good care of yourselves this Mother’s Day wherever your pain comes from. And if your mum is still by your side I hope you can cherish every second of her company 💕💕

The First

The first to know our presence.
The first to feel us there.
The first to hope.
The first to plan.

The first to touch us.
The first to hold us.
The first to look into our eyes.
The first to kiss us.
The first to care.

The first to feed us.
The first to comfort us.
The first to soothe our pain.
The first to give us their time.

The first to wash us.
The first to brush our hair.
The first to dress us.
The first to tuck us in.

The first to show us.
The first to teach us.
The first to read to us.
The first to scold us.
The first to sing to us.

The first to hold our hand.
The first hand we held back.

The first to love us unconditionally.
Our mothers.
Our firsts.
Forever ❤️

This my mum. Please share your pictures, memories and love here ❤️❤️

nicdovetherapy.co.uk
Nic Dove Therapy

06/03/2026

Today is my Mum’s birthday. How I wish she was here, letting us celebrate her for once. Her birthday was our annual chance to make the fuss of HER that she made of us. All of us. Each year. Without fail.

I grew up absolutely loving March. It had its challenges, I admit ....so many presents to buy in such a short space of time. But as far as challenges go, they couldn’t have been lovelier.

My mum was the queen of clever cakes. Not fancy triple tiered affairs but lovely home baked ones that tasted delicious and were personalised in a way that always made you feel special and noticed. So yes it was also a chance for me to show my love with a cake. Not quite as good as hers but filled with love.

My mum hated attention so she was happier when March moved to my Dad’s birthday, a week later. And there, she was in her element. Her man and her family all around her with the spotlight on someone else even though my dad’s birthday was actually their wedding anniversary. No surprise there Dad. You killed two birds with one stone in your very practical way . A way that was underpinned with total love.

And then of course came Mother’s Day. Mum back in the spotlight. “ I’ll cook”, she always protested.” That’s what Mums do. “ She never let my Dad wash up. He was too messy. But my husband was allowed to help.

March took on something extra in later life. Something to fit in amongst the happy days. March was when My Mum was diagnosed with a brain tumour so aggressive, it’s nicknamed the terminator. She couldn’t read her cards because it robbed her of the ability to do something she loved to do.

We had an anniversary party after she found out she had cancer. It was their 50 th. We brought my mum home from hospital. A day pass. We had shouty confetti but my goodness, we wanted so much more. What’s the secret of your long and happy marriage we mouthed even though the question we all wanted to ask is how long has our lovely Mum got. Not very long as it happened. She died nine weeks after being diagnosed in March. The month I used to absolutely love.

So why am I telling you this.
Because all of us trip and fall when anniversaries are coming. We think we are doing ok . We know a big day is approaching..We get ready to hurdle it but then we find ourselves on our knees. Felled by grief.

As I said I grew up loving March. Now it’s a month that’s full of different emotions. When they first died I was scared of it starting. Now my head and my heart spill over with many emotions …sadness, yearning, heartache, gratitude for what we had along with the memories that soothe my aching heart.

I write this for all of you who have contacted me on anniversaries and birthdays. Dates we wish grief hadn’t stamped its mark on. Dates
we wish we were still celebrating.

There is no right or wrong way to remember our loves. With tears. With smiles. With cakes. With heartbreak.
Remember them however you can.
Remember the love you shared.
This is for all our Marchs together Mum and Dad.
This is for you all here ❤️❤️
Four Little Words
nicdovetherapy.co.uk

30/01/2026

Getting through January after navigating the nostalgia and jollity of Christmas and entering a New Year without our loved ones can impact us emotionally on so many different levels when we are grieving.

How are you doing? What was particularly hard for you and what helped you get by ? What broke your heart or lifted it ?
Hearing from others can feel normalising and validating so please share your thoughts and feelings here. 💜💜

Nic Dove Therapy
nicdovetherapy.co.uk

27/01/2026

Shoulds and must can make New Year’s resolutions feel punitive especially if we can’t reach the high bar we sometimes set for ourselves. Feeling that we’ve “failed” only serves to make us feel not good enough.
Instead reflecting more kindly on what we are doing well and setting small achievable goals can help us make positive changes for 2026.
For more on this please listen to my interview with Shine Radio. co.uk

https://shineradio.uk/2025/01/how-are-you-getting-on-with-your-new-year-resolutions-help-is-at-hand/

How are you getting on with your New Year resolutions? Help is at hand! Jan 28, 2025 | Audio stories, Wellness | 0 comments How are you getting on with your new year resolutions? Abi met author and counsellor Nic Dove in One Tree Books. Nic says the tradition of resolutions can come at a cost. Nic D...

30/12/2025

How are you doing as we approach the start of 2026 ?
New Year is a time that can stir up many painful emotions when you are grieving, bringing about feelings of great unease and yearning on top of sadness.

When my parents first died I began to really fear that last day of the year. Our lifelong tradition of ringing each other at midnight no matter where in the world we were, was over.

I feared the absence of that call. The absence of their voices.
But most of all I feared entering a new year without them.
A year we would never share.
A year that death had stopped them inhabiting.
It filled me with panic and yearning.
It filled me with a reluctance to go forward without them.

And then little by little as time passed, I started to hear them again ....wishing me all the love in the world.
And I realised of course they’ll be coming too.
Of course they’ll be coming into the New Year with me.
In my heart.

And your loved ones will be coming with you too.
In your hearts.
Because despite the pain of grief, love transcends time.
Love carries on and on.
Love is an eternal bond.

Thinking of you all this New Year ❤️

Nic Dove Therapy
nicdovetherapy.co.uk
Four Little Words

23/12/2025

For every smile not smiled this Christmas…for every kiss ungiven…for every word not spoken…for every empty chair ….let your love and memories soothe your pain as best it can.
And if it’s too soon and your loss is too raw, I hope you can take comfort in knowing your memories will be there waiting for you when you are ready.

Say no when you can’t and yes when you can. Whatever it is you can manage this year is good enough.

I am sorry for your loss this Christmas just as I am every hour of every day that you are without your loved one.

Wishing you peace from your pain, solace and happiness from your memories and comfort from the love you will carry forever in your heart.
❤️❤️

Four Little Words
nicdovetherapy.co.uk

12/12/2025

Christmas…it’s the most wonderful time of the year …or so the song says.

When you have lost someone you love, the Christmas season can feel anything but wonderful …the build up is filled with days when we would have been buying them presents or arranging to meet them. Days when carols are playing all around but all we can hear is the overwhelming nostalgia filling our hearts and heads. Days that remind us of the absence of them. Of them and us. Of what we had.

If you are finding things hard, please know you are not alone. Please reach out to Four Little Words and to those around you for love and support.

Don’t be afraid to speak of your pain or say no to things you find too hard as you take things at the pace that’s right for you and your grief. And most of all try and draw strength from the everlasting presence of the love you shared . Death ends a life but not a relationship ❤️❤️
nicdovetherapy.co.uk
Nic Dove Therapy

07/12/2025

Say their name❤️




Four Little Words
nicdovetherapy.co.uk

29/11/2025

As we approach the start of National Grief Awareness Week, I wanted to reshare the post that launched Four Little Words in the hope that you too will share it far and wide with others. There are thousands of us now and together we have the power to make a difference..the power to bridge the jagged hole that death rips in our lives….the power to end the silence that often follows loss.

People often say how the caring community we have created together is a place of comfort for them. Knowing that here we can talk about our grief openly and without judgement is so valuable on days when the pain of our loss leaves us isolated and unsure of the day ahead.

I firmly believe that there is strength in togetherness. This page has proved that beyond doubt. Being part of this community feels empowering and validating so please look out for those around you who are grieving or facing loss and share these words with them so that they can join us. Let them know that here we are all sorry for each other’s loss not just today but every day.

Nic Dove Therapy
nicdovetherapy,co.uk

01/11/2025

Grief runs its own path .. no rights, no wrongs . We work through it in our own way, in our own time.
If you are struggling with the myriad of emotions that losing someone we love can bring and you would like some support please contact me at nicdovetherapy.co.uk to discuss working together.