Grief and Loss Counseling in Oakdale, MN.

How one experiences grief varies widely from one person to another. After the death of a loved one, life can lose its meaning, others' expectations of how we 'should' be feeling, doing, or behaving can create added stress. We will help you understand your experience of loss, redefine your life, create a different future, and help you restore your heart and spirit, finding your path back to a different life, full and joyful again. Visit our website at http://www.centerlifecounseling.com for more information or to contact us for scheduling.

Grieving is different than depression! At times we may not be able to distinguish between the two. Grieving is a very individual process. We all do it differently. It can result from the death of someone significant in our lives, but also from other events too. For example, meeting a long-term goal, divorce, the loss of physical health & functioning, loss of a job, or after a traumatic experience. To grieve effectively any of us need support and encouragement to face the needs and painful feelings that we often would prefer to avoid. I find that providing a warm, safe environment and supportive guidance allows my clients to feel what they need to feel in order to integrate painful losses.

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.

As an experienced Christian Counselor and ordained pastor, I’ve supported many men through the grief process. If you’re grieving, I will provide a supportive space for you to process your emotions. Because grief is a normal part of being human, I can’t take it away or rush you through it. However, I can help you identify barriers to grief, and help you prevent the grief process from becoming stuck. I know grief professionally. But I also know grief personally. Losing one of my best friends and my beloved grandparents was hard enough, but facing the untimely death of my father was, and is, a uniquely painful experience. If given the chance, I would be honored to help you process your grief.

When we lose someone we love, life as we knew it ends. It's hard to understand how the world keeps moving around us when our life has suddenly stopped. Grief and Loss counseling can help you process the difficult emotions and pain you are experiencing after losing a loved one, whether through death, divorce, abandonment, chronic illness, or other loss. We can offer you a dedicated space to process what is happening and help you find hope and healing.

Grief counseling helps people cope with grief and mourning following the loss of a loved one or due to major life changes that trigger feelings of grief (i.e. job loss or divorce). It provides a space for individuals to work through and process the complex emotions surrounding loss. Healthy grieving results in remembering the loss with a newfound sense of peace, rather than searing pain.

The loss of a loved one, career, pet, or other important aspect can often shift our world and leave a tender, gaping wound. Working together to work on this sense of, or actual, loss through compassionate, gentle and affirmative therapy. Helping process through the pain does not mean you do not care about the loss, but you do not need to struggle through the pain alone.

When you lose someone or something that you love, it can feel as though your world has ended. Grief can feel crushing. It can abate and a crushing tsunami of heavy may get triggered with seeming small instances where you suddenly 'remember' that this is happening and it is real. There is no 'getting over it'. It is so hard to even accept that this is really happening. You are faced with learning to move forward with this void. If you are further into your grief, you may feel alone and worried about burdening others with this pain. I understand and I want to help you.

Few of us are able to avoid feeling grief or loss. It can occur throughout our life in many different situations and for many reasons. It can be devastating to individuals, families, and communities. A person's ability to cope (resilience) is a big factor to consider when helping people with grief. Help is a very individual process. Therapists must be able to understand the event, but more importantly the impact on and resilience of the client, for best interventions.

When someone experiences loss, they may not move through the typical "stages" of grief that are so commonly talked about. This can trigger feelings of shame and guilt. They may wonder why they aren't "over it" or others may ask why they haven't "moved on". In therapy, we will focus on letting your experience of grief be what it is rather than fighting it or trying to grieve a certain way. Letting go of "should" and accepting what is can be incredibly freeing and often provides some relief right away. Grief comes in waves over time so we will deal with these waves as they come and help you find effective ways to manage them. I will support you in processing grief in your own way and own time.

I have extensive experience working with grief and loss. I have worked with every type of loss and understand the importance of having someone sit with you in your grief and help you understand and navigate what you are feeling. I have worked extensively with parents who have had a child die and understand the unique complexities of that type of loss. I don't think people get "over" losses but rather their grief and feelings changes throughout the years.

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.

People who work with me on grief and loss will benefit from my person-centered and non-pathologizing approach. When we loose someone or something that has deep meaning in our lives, it is only natural that our lives are disrupted. I provide people with the support, time and space they need to move through grief and loss at a pace that is right for them.

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

Grief is normal, exquisitely painful, and seriously lonely. My earliest therapy experience was as a Hospice Grief Counselor for four years. In those formative years, I learned the core issues that hamper our grief, the practices that make grief more tolerable, and the practiced patience necessary to bring comfort to those suffering sudden and protracted loss. I won't rush you. I'll normalize your pain and I'll nudge you gently toward practices that help.