Grief and Loss Counseling in Duluth, GA.

Grief is a process and the length of grief will vary. Grief needs to be respected to be addressed and we live in a society that wants people to "get over it" quickly. People also want to get out of pain as quickly as possible. Grieving and mourning needs to be faced and supported. When people get stuck in issues such as anger or even guilt, they often need assistance with addressing these issues. Therapy is beneficial with these issues. Depending on how the person died, there may be some trauma accompanying grief as well. At times addressing the trauma may be necessary.

I help clients manage distress, process emotions and journey towards meaning as they navigate grief and loss. Sometimes grief can be complex and we work together to hold conflicting emotions. Spirituality can be a help, or it can be a painful place full of questions. I meet clients where they are as they wrestle through difficult losses. Life can bring loss and grief with difficult transitions as well. I help clients hold space there as they move past what is hard to let go of so they can embrace hope and change.

The grief you experience following the loss of anyone close to you may cause the worst pain and highest stress of any life event. While each individual will experience grief in their own way, most are affected physically, emotionally and spiritually. Anxiety, guilt, anger, sadness and even shock are frequently experienced and often overwhelming emotions associated with grief. Grief counseling provides encouragement, comfort and support during one of life’s most difficult transitions. My approach will encourage you to progress at your own pace and in your own unique way. Grief counseling enables clients to accept their loss, resume normal functioning and move forward in peace.

Therapeutic support for grief and loss, along with life transitions counseling can be beneficial to those who have experienced losses such as the death of a loved one, a miscarriage, a separation or divorce, a job loss, the loss of one's health, or the loss of something dear to them. With over 10 years of experience in Hospice, I offer the dedicated and compassionate professional support you need to help you navigate through the shock, sadness, and emptiness, and arrive at a place of peace and healing. I am also a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional.

Losing someone you love and care about is the most difficult thing. Properly grieving their loss will help you move forward. With my support, I can help you understand the rollercoaster of emotions you may be going through and reassure you that they are normal, but different for everyone. In the safe and compassionate space we will be in, you can work through your grief, anxiety, and loss in a healthy way.

I utilize an active model of grieving that helps the client have a map, so to speak, to be able to recognize where they are in the process of working through the loss. For example, the first step is to get through the denial and shock of what has happened to where one can accept its reality. Secondly, it's important to tell one's story in order to address a person's desire to regain what was lost. Third, is to address the despair and effects to one's life by coming to terms with what has happened, making meaning, identifying specific goals for therapy along with a treatment plan. Then finally, moving forward, withdrawing the energy once given to the trauma and redirecting it to find meaning.

No safer place. No better time. Loss happens to all of us, at some points along our journey. The experience can be intensely painful and even alter the direction of our lives in negative and harmful ways. In times of grief we can either turn to God or away from Him. In His goodness, God will not waste your pain, and can turn your ashes into beauty. Let me help you grieve in a healthy manner, and move forward with hope in spite of what you have faced.

Working through the stages of grief: Anger, Denial, Bargaining, Sadness, and Acceptance can be very helpful. Being able to share your emotions with another person throughout the process can be very healing. Using EMDR ( eye movement, desensitization,reprocessing) technique for the traumatic parts of your grief can also be very beneficial. I am here to help you through that process.

Walking through grief recovery can be a life long journey, we focus on the healing and positive memories to help bring peace. Grief can come from losing someone suddenly, long term illness, suicide loss, pregnancy loss and others. Whatever the loss, you are not alone. This is a safe space to help you heal. Take your time, be patient with yourself and understand that you are not alone. Reach out for support duering you processing and healing journey.

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.

Although at some time we all experience loss and the grief that follows, there are few life experiences that are lonelier. Summer can gently walk with you through your experience of grief, and help you process your sadness and pain as you move through this difficult time. Although grief and depression are distinct, at times they feel the same, and sometimes loss can precipitate depression. If you feel that you are alone and stuck in your grief, it's probably time to ask for help.

Understanding that what you are experiencing in your grief is normal can be an important part in healing. Friends and family may not know what to say, and in their desire to see you stop hurting, they may tell you that it's time to get over it and move on. With me, you will find that wherever you are in your grief process is accepted. While I will help you process your feelings so you may heal, I will not hurry you along faster than you are ready to go. I will never have the expectation that you will "get over" your loved one. Instead, I will help you to redefine your life without that person in it so that you can experience joy again.

I have advanced training and experience in helping people deal with traumatic loss and grief including loss through suicide, accident or needing to put a pet to sleep. My approach helps you reduce disturbing images and bad dreams related to the loss, reduce feelings of guilt, reduce a sense of hopelessness about your future, and reconnect to happy images and memories of the person or pet you lost. I have also helped people with job loss and relationship endings. I also incorporate a six step model for accommodating loss and EMDR Therapy to help reduce the pain of the grief process.