Claire Bidwell Smith is a renowned grief expert and author. After losing both of her parents at a young age, Claire was drawn to helping others navigate the grief process. A therapist in private practice for over a decade, she has counseled thousands of people, and written three books about grief and loss. Claire speaks and lectures widely and runs a series of different programs designed to help others move through loss.
Claire is passionate about advocating for advancement in end-of-life care and also bringing awareness to our culture’s understanding of grief. She serves on the board of End Well Project, an end of life initiative that holds a yearly conference, and also Near, an organization devoted to helping people find end of life and grief support. Claire also hosts a popular virtual series for the Let’s Reimagine Death organization, in which she interviews notable figures in the death and grief space.
Claire’s three books of nonfiction The Rules of Inheritance (Penguin, 2012), After This: When Life Is Over Where Do We Go? (Penguin, 2015), and Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief (Da Capo, 2018) have been published in 18 countries, and received many accolades and critical praise. The Rules of Inheritance is currently optioned for television rights.
Claire has written for The New York Times, Scientific American, The Washington Post, Goop, The Huffington Post, Salon.com, Slate, Chicago Public Radio, The Guardian, Psychology Today, Yoga Journal, and BlackBook Magazine. Her thoughts, insights and interviews have been featured on MSNBC, Good Day LA, Today.com, The Atlantic, the Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, NPR, Forbes, Conde Nast Traveler, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Oprah Magazine, Self Magazine, Shape Magazine, and dozens of radio shows and podcasts.
