Grief and Loss Counseling in Phelan, CA.

It can be hard to lose someone or something that you love or care about. Sadness can quickly turn into overwhelming grief and depression if you don't get the help you need to deal with it all. Allow me to be a source of comfort, support and healing to help you get through it and move past it. You can and will feel better sooner than you think with help from someone who understands and has the skills to bring you to a new place in life.

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.

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.

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 don’t 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.

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.

You may feel confused, stressed, depressed, or crazy as you experience loss. Understanding the symptoms of grief is essential for gaining healing. A trained counselor can help you understand the normal reactions to grief and sort through the trauma related to your loss. A therapist can help you to understand your emotional states of denial, bargaining, anger, and depression associated with grief and make sure that your depression does not result in self injury or other unsafe thoughts or behaviors. If you want to feel normal again, then allow a counselor to help as you go through your grief. Not only will you feel better, but your family, friends, and coworkers will be glad you sought help.

Losing a loved one can be an overwhelming and life changing experience that devastates individuals and families. When the loss is sudden, people can actually experience PTSD. And even with time to prepare for the death of a loved one, it can still be an agonizing loss. Likewise, divorce can feel like a death and grief is a normal response to such a life altering event. Therapy can help immensely. Having someone to talk to who is compassionate and understanding is an amazing outlet for the pain. Learning tools to cope is another advantage of seeking professional counseling. A therapist can guide you through the stages of grief and help you to find peace and acceptance.

In treating grief and loss, it is essential to facilitate a safe, respectful therapeutic interaction, in which clients are able to tell their story, process and express their feelings of grief, explore the meaning of their loss, and revise their relationship with the deceased. Additionally, using cognitive and behavioral therapy techniques enable people to develop skills for coping with the anxiety, depression, and difficult emotions that may arise as a result of the grieving process.

When we lose someone we love, it feels like we have lost a part of ourselves. Something within us has been torn out, leaving a hole that we easily imagine will never heal. The pain can be profound, the feelings of helplessness, or regret, or guilt overwhelming. Having a partnership where you can talk through these feelings can make a huge difference not only in how quickly and how well you are able to move through the process of grieving, but also how you ultimately are able to frame the experience and your memories of the person lost into the narrative of your own self and life as you move forward. What you carry with you afterward is just as important as surviving the hurt of the loss.