My mother’s grief is making our relationship toxic
Dear Annalisa, I am a woman in my late 30s, married with two small children with a rewarding and demanding career. I live some hours’ drive away from…
How do I protect my bereaved friend from predatory behaviour?
Dear Annalisa, I recently saw an old friend for the first time in a few years and feel I must do something to help her but I’m…
Can I ever heal after the lack of love my birth mother showed me?
Dear Annalisa, I am a much-loved adopted child. Both my adoptive parents died several years ago. I was told that my birth mother apparently loved me…
My partner won’t wear sun cream despite my pleas – I’m terrified he’ll get cancer
Dear Annalisa, I am in a long-term relationship with a wonderful man but it bothers me that when sunbathing he never uses sun cream except on his face. I am…
My dad, who was often drunk and angry, has messaged me after 20 years. Should I reply?
Dear Annalisa, My dad is in his 70s and has contacted me on Facebook. I have not yet replied. I last spoke to him almost 20 years ago,…
My sibling has stolen our late mother’s will. Is this a crime?
Dear Annalisa, Our mother died this summer. She deposited her will with a solicitor, having appointed one of my two siblings as executor, and shared her estate…
OCD has plagued me for most of my life – can I ever escape it?
Dear Annalisa, I am a 76-year-old married man and have had intense and ongoing obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) since the age of 13. My father was killed in the second world…
How can I cope with my manipulative mother? The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa I am a woman in my 50s looking for advice on how to cope with my needy and manipulative mother, who is in her…
15 ways to support someone who is grieving. The Guardian.
1. Never avoid someone who has been bereaved. It’s confusing and hurtful. Texts, emails and letters are all acceptable – it’s the contact that matters. Grief…
I’ve fallen for a man who has lost his wife but he no longer wants to see me. The Guardian.
Dear Annalisa Last year, I signed up to a cycling holiday abroad. I hadn’t cycled seriously for two decades. I fell in love with the country…
Annalisa Barbieri 
You must be logged in to post a comment.