Grief and Loss Counselling in Hope, BC.

Grief and loss can be devastating. Left untreated, grief has the power to knock you off your foundation causing instability in your life. I would help to assist with the grief process by providing a safe therapeutic environment allowing the client to have a voice to express or to feel what needs to be felt. Grief needs a witness and a way of expression, but for this to be possible safety and support are essential. No one should ever have to grieve alone; therefore, providing safety, compassion, empathy, understanding and a non-judgement environment is therapeutically useful and healing.

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.

While grief and transition are a natural part of life, we are still often overwhelmed by sadness, anger and all the confusing emotions that come with loss. There is no right or wrong way to grieve—just your body and mind doing what it can to process the pain of major life change and the loss of how things were. Working with me means compassionate care that helps you to approach and feel your feelings in a safe way, taking things one step at a time. I promise you that all grief can be transformed into a gentle honouring of who or what was lost. I would be happy to team up with you in your journey towards peace and acceptance.

Sometimes the passage of time is not enough to help us after the loss of someone we love. Perhaps you want to speak of past experiences or to find closure to unfinished business. You may need to find ways to carry on in life, discovering new ways to participate emotionally or with life style changes. Carey will help you find what you need, encouraging you to find your path with self kindness and greater patience.

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.

I previously provided consultations for the BC Coroner's Office for 14 years. I functioned as a behavioural investigator and my role was to investigate completed suicides of youths 18 years of age and under. Needless to say this provided me with an opportunity to provide initial grief support to the most some of the most vulnerable clients at a most difficult time! As difficult as this role was it was an honour to have this opportunity to be there at the darkest hour!

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.

We cope with the loss of a loved ones in different ways. The way we grieve depends on our personality and the relationship with the loss one. Our cultural and religious background, coping skills, support systems, our social and financial status, affects how we cope with grief… There is no right or wrong way of coping with death. Sometimes when you do something to relieve your feelings and to give yourself a sense of achievement, you are accomplishing your journey through mourning. I work with you to plan specific activities and behaviours that are therapeutic for you during your grief.

Grief is unique to each person. It can be in the form of a lost ideal or a physical loss of a loved one. Walking along side, accepting, validating and nurturing your feelings in a comfortable and safe environment is my goal. Throughout this process and with time my hope is that we can build a new norm and renew your sense of hope while honouring and cherishing your loss.

“So it’s true, when all is said and done, grief is the price we pay for love.” -E.A. Bucchianeri There are many griefs and losses that come with being a human being: death of a loved one, a break-up, children growing up, any move or major change. You also never lose just one thing; you may lose a sense of "home," or how you remember your past, or future hopes. Counselling can help you navigate grief and loss. It can create a space where the range of emotions - numbness, relief, sadness, anger - can be felt and worked through.

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.