Renowned Psychologist & Heartbreak Expert Guy Winch Joins Circles to Help Millions of People Experiencing Relationship Pain Caused by Covid-19 

Renowned psychologist and TED speaker Guy Winch has joined leading online platform Circles to launch a new program aimed at helping millions of people heal from heartbreak and relationship pain. Winch, one of the world's foremost experts on healing after heartbreak, has joined with Circles as Chief Strategic Officer, Relationship Circles to launch the initiative in response to spikes in break-ups and divorces around the world, many of which have been attributed to stressors related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To kick off the new initiative, Winch will lead a free online support session that was specifically designed to help people rebuild their self-identity after a breakup. Airing live on October 4 as part of a series of events hosted by Circles ahead of World Mental Health Day on October 10, Winch will call attention to the devastating impact that heartbreak and separations can have on a person's mental wellbeing. During the session, he will provide his expert advice on topics to help people heal, including rebuilding self-identity, creating new social and physical surroundings, as well as how to learn and understand key takeaways from each relationship. At the end of the session, Winch, one of the world's leading psychologists and the author of the highly-regarded How to Fix a Broken Heart, will answer questions from the audience.

The session will mark the official launch of a new relationship-focused group support offering from Circles. Taking place weekly, each group support session will match 6-8 individuals who are facing similar relationship issues in their lives and will focus on a different aspect of overcoming heartbreak and healing emotionally. Circles is built on the core principle that in order to overcome life's challenges, you need to be heard and supported by people who actually understand what you're going through and since its launch, the platform has matched thousands of people facing similar challenges to give and receive emotional support.

"COVID-19 has impacted everyone's relationships, especially those who live with their significant others," said Winch. "The stresses of living through a pandemic combined with the increased time spent together and at home has contributed to spikes in break-ups. These separations have a massive impact on mental wellbeing and more than ever, people need a way to connect with others who know what they are going through in order to practice emotional first aid."

"Breakups take a huge toll on a person's emotional state," said Irad Eichler, founder and CEO of Circles. "Grieving the loss of a relationship can be just as difficult as grieving the loss of a loved one. We're so thrilled that Guy has joined Circles to provide his expertise and free emotional support to everyone who needs it ahead of World Mental Health Day and that he's helping us launch our new offering aimed at people suffering from relationship issues. We've designed our platform to be able to reach the millions of people who are suffering through life's challenges in a personal way."

The new support session from Winch will air exclusively on Circles online emotional support platform on October 4 at 8pm EST / 5pm PST and will be free for anyone who wishes to attend virtually. To register, sign up here.

About Circles

Circles is a revolutionary emotional support platform that ensures no one has to overcome life's challenges alone. Circles enables people to be heard, understood and supported by others who are going through the same issues in their lives, such as the loss of a loved one, parenting issues or divorce. By connecting users in safe, intimate and private groups led by professional facilitators, Circles helps people heal.

Circles groups meet live for 60-minute video meetings and also have the ability to message via online chat at any time. Circles users can also access personalized content, including self-help exercises, blogs and webinars, all at no extra cost. To learn more about Circles or to sign up for a free trial, visit circlesup.com.

About Guy Winch, Ph.D.

Guy Winch is a licensed psychologist, keynote speaker and author. His books, Emotional First Aid: Healing Rejection, Guilt, Failure, and Other Everyday Hurts (Plume, 2014), How to Fix a Broken Heart (TED Books/Simon &Schuster), have been translated into twenty-seven languages, and his TED Talks Why We All Need to Practice Emotional First Aid, How to Fix a Broken Heart, and How to Turn Off Work Thoughts During Your Free Time have been viewed over 26 million times. He writes the Dear Guy science-based advice column for ted.com and is the co-host of the Dear Therapists Podcast with Lori Gottlieb for iHeartMedia.

He received his doctorate in clinical psychology from New York University in 1991 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in family and couples therapy at NYU Medical Center. He has been working with individuals, couples and families in his private practice in Manhattan, since 1992. He is a member of the American Psychological Association.