Grief and Loss Counseling in Gateway, FL.

Grief and loss is a personal journey we do not all arrive at the same time, take the same route, or have a set amount of time to grieve. We are ritual by nature; writing a poem, planting a tree, or even watching a movie can be a memorial. Death is final but hope says we will see the people we have loved and lost again. I truly believe we are separated by time and a thin veil. The therapy technique, ' the empty chair', may be utilized for closure.

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. .

With in depth compassion, David has helped parents grieve after the loss of a child, adults grieve after the loss of their parents, a job, a marriage and more. His own work was deepened when his mother was stricken with dementia, and died. He teaches us how to go from "mourning to MORNING!" David gently guides his clients INTO the grieving process via talk and written therapy, as well as modalities to help deal with shame, guilt, loss, sadness, anger and even rage that sometimes occurs in the healing process. As David has said for 40 years, "grieving is never linear....it's back and forth, until you find your own sense of peace....please be patient in your healing."

A lot of people run from grief work - I don't. I understand the pain of loss and I will help you through the darkness. Grief is a very profound and personal experience. The pain of loss never goes away completely - that person will always be an important part of your life and experience. I am happy to help you walk through that pain so that you are not alone in your grief.

We help our client to heal and process grief and loss through holding safe space for them to work through difficult emotions and experiences in a supportive environment. Everyone grieves differently, but it can be very beneficial to receive support from loved ones and therapists as you cope with grief and loss. Collaborative therapy, Emotionally-Focused therapy, grief psychoeducation, and techniques such as EMDR (Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy) can be especially helpful.

When grief and loss occur unexpectedly, or even after an illness, it can have a profound, even shattering impact on daily life. And, although grief is not an illness, getting through the process of grief may require support. Sharing the story of loss can reduce symptoms of grief such as avoiding feelings of guilt, emptiness, sadness, depression and even the unspoken emotions of tearfulness. Each story of loss is unique and requires different approaches to get you back to life and happiness. Healing takes courage, I am here to help you find a new story of life, love and self. Loss can seem senseless, and with time, it can be channeled into new meanings and purpose.

GRIEF & BEREAVEMENT COUNSELING Bereavement and grief aren’t light-hearted topics. Bereavement refers to the process of recovering from the death of a loved one, and grief is a reaction for any form of loss. Both encompass a wide range of emotions such as fear, anger and deep, deep sadness. I can help with Grief and Loss through counseling & EMDR

We will all experience grief and loss. This is what it means to experience life and love. Grief is a normal, healthy response to a loss. Grief can be experienced as a mental, physical, emotional, or social reaction. We all grieve differently and the way we process grief depends on our unique relationship with the person we lost, the situation surrounding the loss, our cultural and spiritual beliefs, and our previous experiences with loss.There’s no one right way to grieve. Mourning is the process of adapting to our loss. Bereavement is often used to refer to the period of grief and mourning, as we try to re organize our lives without our loved one. Suffering and loss can feel overwhelming,

With my experience in ministry, in counseling, and in life-coaching, I’ve helped men work through the complicated emotions around grief and loss. As men we feel pressure to be a “rock” for everyone else. Then our wives tell us to open up and feel our feelings. But do they really want to see us fall apart? Like many things, the truth is somewhere in the middle. Chances are that you’ve bravely put your feelings on hold to care for others, and regardless of what the world says, there’s love and nobility in that. And at the same time, you need a place to be real and work through the pain. If you’re ready to take the next step and face what needs to be faced, man to man, I’m here to help.

Grief and loss can be so difficult to manage and come out of nowhere. When we work together, we will gently learn the about the grief journey you are experiencing. As we learn your life experiences, we may find that some of the distress is rooted in early childhood trauma and attachment wounding. We will welcome all parts of yourself and learn about the challenging messages you may have grown up with that manifested into the distress you feel today. Disordered eating can be a messenger, an alarm telling you that it is time to heal experiences from earlier in life. I am trained in using EMDR, Emotion Focused Therapy and Expressive Arts to help you become your best self.