Grief and Loss Counseling in French Valley, CA.

Grief and loss comes in many shapes and forms and can take a toll on various aspects of your life. Processing grief and loss takes time and is different for everyone but doesn’t have to be done alone. I will offer support, empathy, and a safe space for you to process your emotions openly. Together we will get through this difficult time in your life. You are not alone.

I provide a safe and empathetic space for clients to find a sense of peace and begin to heal from their loss. This involves exploring your relationship with your loved one, working through any unresolved emotions, and developing a sense of meaning and purpose in life incorporating your loved one and their legacy.

Are you using alcohol, substances, or addictive behaviors to cope with grief and loss? Although they provide relief in the short term, their long-term effects on your relationships and health can make it even more difficult to cope. Through a compassionate non-judgmental approach, I help clients explore their relationship to grief and loss so that they can overcome addictive coping strategies. If you're looking for another way forward, feel free to reach out and we can set up a free consultation to discuss further.

Grief and loss is a part of so much more than many recognize in every day life. Most folks are familiar with the Kubler-Ross stages, but processing grief is much more than those five stages. There are tasks of mourning that can be explored and expanded with support in therapy. There are secondary losses as a result of an initial loss. Grief impacts how open we feel to new relationships in our lives. I work with clients to help them understand their responses to grief, move through their grief and feelings through expressive arts and verbal processing.

Grief is hard. Grief is natural. Animals grieve. Grief is something we feel deep in our bodies and can be disorienting and destabilizing. Grief brings up questions about who we are, the world, the existence or goodness of God, and purpose and futility of life. Dealing with grief, especially when the loss is traumatic and unexpected, requires a slow and tender space to allow the grief to move through our body and to settle in our hearts with warmth and memory. I am here to help you grieve the loss of your loved one, experience, health , future or even your beloved pet. .

Free 30 minute video call - Grief & Loss are normal experiences in life. Yet, they are often overwhelming - combining experiences of sadness, fear, anxiety, surprise, disorientation, loneliness, confusion & more. Grief is truly not meant to be experienced alone. The guidance of a caring therapist & the support of loving friends, family & community is invaluable and essential during deep grief. Grief takes time, comes in waves and needs expression in multiple ways, through tears, writing, talking, releasing sounds, connecting to one's spirituality or religion and even through creative expression such as music, painting or poetry, all of which I can guide you through as your grief counselor.

I am an Internationally Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor. I have a long personal and professional history with addiction, mental illness, and trauma. I specialize in counseling addiction clients who struggle with anger management, men's issues, and childhood trauma. However, that by no means a complete list of the issues I can assist you with. No matter what else you may be struggling with, we will work together to discover thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that just aren't working for you anymore. We will then get to forming new behaviors, perspectives, and strategies that will help you live a more fulfilling life!

Grief and loss can lead us to dark, isolated places. We may push people away, lose interest and motivation, and reach for self- destructive coping mechanisms. It can be difficult to navigate your way out and allow healing to take place because it feels like you are "letting go", which doesn't feel right. The deep pain of grief can also be looked at as love and caring that has no place to go. Feeling lost and alone, alcohol and/or drugs can give us a place to push away our pain. However, the immediate, but short-lived numbness can keep us stuck in the process of grief and loss. You don't have to navigate this alone. Counseling can help you find inner peace within the internal struggle

John has been trained in providing trauma therapy, which includes Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Grief and Loss can include traumatic events and/or memories which can create a negative cognition in our brain. With EMDR, we replace the negative cognition about yourself, with one that is positive and offers healing in processing grief and loss.

Grief and loss comes in all forms, from the death of a pet, to moving, to the loss of a dream, to the death of a child or spouse, and more. My clients discover grief and loss are a process (which includes: shock/disbelief, anger, blaming, depression/sadness, bargaining, and denial), and how to move through that process to an increased state of acceptance. As their state of acceptance increases, my clients experience an increase in forgiveness, healing, freedom and hope for the present and future. My clients see how they can begin to feel good about their life and future again.

Grey Matters International and the work of Kevin J. Fleming, Ph.D approaches issues of grief & loss through the lens of innovation----instead of growing the same neural networks responsible for the pain in weekly therapy sessions, we reset the brain to move forward quicker and efficiently by working on the stuck limbic system so as to empower the person with more success and traction. For no one wants to stay in a grief mode for too long; but when you dont include the brain in your work with someone, you risk describing the water to them while they drown and calling it success. Contact Grey Matters International, Inc now at kevin@kevinflemingphd.com or 877-606-6161