Grief and Loss Counselling in Coldstream, BC.

Grief & loss can seem debilitating and overwhelming and many people struggle in moving on. Counselling is a highly effective resource for healing after a loss. Through compassion and understanding we will work to heal the pain of the event and move into acceptance and peace. Whether you are grieving the loss of a loved one, the loss of health or mobility, divorce or mid life transition, we can help.

When we are facing grief and loss, there is often a complex web of emotions and many layers of meaning-making to encounter in our healing process. The path is never linear. The timeline requires sensitivity and nuance. Compassion, patience and the ability to hold seemingly contradictory feelings are paramount. With gentle presence, we can hold the magnitude and the subtleties of this experience moving step by step towards healing.

Losing a friend or family member can be devastating no matter the circumstances. We can also experience pain from losing a pet, a job or the ending of a relationship. Regardless of what kind of grief or loss you are struggling with, I will support you in facing your pain and finding a way forward. I will help you to understand the process and stages of grief and make sense of it. When we come to make meaning out of our loss our pain is lessened. I will also help you find peace and acceptance.

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.

We experience grief throughout our lives. For a person who is dealing with grief or loss, individual or group therapy can provide support that is most beneficial. Louisa provides a safe environment via individual or group therapy. She shares information and tools that are helpful to those who have a recent or historical loss. In identifying issues that are related to our loss we can start to then move to the process of acceptance and further understanding.

If you have lost someone, I offer a compassionate and supportive space to explore your unique experience of loss. Listening carefully to your story, there's an opportunity to identify and honour your feelings, your memories and your relationship. Through gentle conversation and questions, there's a chance to rewrite your grief story, discover strengths, attend to resilience and find meaning amidst your pain. You can begin to acknowledge what you've been through while promoting healing, growth, a continued bond with the one who has passed and learning to live with loss

Often people can become overwhelmed with grief where you might feel shut down low energy states or highly activated states. This is due to the fact that the grief is so large the nervous system does not have the capacity to process it so it either gets stuck on high or shuts down into low energy states. Robin first works to effectively help to build the capacity to process emotions in your body. Then she titrates into the grief allowing it to process slowly and release out of the body .

When losing someone or something important to us, it can take lots time to adjust and learn to live our life without that person, thing or way of life. Either it is the death of a loved one, loss of a relationship, loss of a pet, loss of a job or important possessions, change to your way of life, grieving is a normal response to a life event and bottling it up can create damage or even harm to a person. It can take time to adjust and accept to learn to live life without that person, thing or way of life. When it gets too challenging or overwhelming, or if it gets in a way of living a healthy life, sometimes turning to professional support can help getting through this challenging event.

In grief and loss counseling, I create a flexible space that adapts to your needs. Whether you need patient listening or feel stuck and need guidance through open-ended questions, I meet you where you are. I'm genuinely curious about understanding you as a whole person and your unique loss—there's no shallow or rushed approach here, no platitudes or quick fixes. Something resourceful I offer is a therapeutic goodbye letter adapted from Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's work, helping you express complex, contradictory emotions—what you regret and don't regret, miss and don't miss. What makes this different is it honors the fullness of ambivalent feelings. Clients report feeling truly heard, not judged or rushed, as they move forward in their own time.

Loss comes in many forms. Whether we are dealing with a death, loss of a job, divorce, or identity challenges, we still endure a sense of grief. Additionally, loss impacts children, adolescents and adults in similar but distinct ways. However, experiencing loss does not have to be debilitating. I offer gentle, compassionate support that is tailored specifically for you and your family. I also offer services in a group format whereby children and parents attend sessions simultaneously but with separate therapists.

When you lose a part of your life it can impact every part of who you are. Whether what you lost was person, pet, job or ability, it is hard to say goodbye. If your loss was expected or unexpected, the pain and grief that you feel hits hard, sometimes more than we think we can bear. There is no set timeframe to "get over" a loss. Each person has their own journey with grief. I can help you to reflect on the significance of the loss in your life, how to cope with grief, and a future that honours what you had to leave behind.