Grief and Loss Counselling in Oyama, BC.

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.

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.

Grief is a deeply personal experience, and there is no single “right way” to move through it. In my work, I provide a compassionate and supportive space where you can share your story, process difficult emotions, and find ways to carry your loss with gentleness. I use an attachment-focused approach to help you explore how loss impacts your sense of connection and safety, while also drawing on nervous system regulation techniques to support your body and mind through overwhelming feelings. For those who are experiencing traumatic grief, I may integrate EMDR to help process painful memories and reduce the intensity of emotional triggers.

Working through grief and loss takes time--I will go at your pace and accompany you on your journey. Perhaps you have read about the stages of grief--this does not mean you will go through these stages in any particular order, in fact, you may go through all the stages in the space of one hour and then go through them again. Together we will explore tools and ways to help you navigate your feelings around your loss, and find the meaning and purpose to continue. Sometimes this means talking about who you lost and what impact this had on you, finding connections to others who have had a similar experience, writing or drawing, or creating something to honour your loss.

Grief and loss therapy provides a compassionate and supportive space for you to navigate the complex emotions that accompany loss. I understand that grief is a profoundly personal experience, and my approach is tailored to honour your unique journey. Together, we will explore your feelings, memories, and the impact of your loss, allowing you to process your emotions in a safe environment. As you move forward, I aim to help you find healing, resilience, and a renewed sense of meaning.

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.

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.

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.

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.

There are several tasks of grieving that a person must go through. Sometime our grief is complex grief (being hurt by another person or being responsible for the loss ourselves.) It does not matter how early in the grieving process that you seek help, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) will receive the excess emotional pain and speed up the process of grief.

While each person's way of grieving may be unique; as humans, we will all experience it. And while it is so painful at times, grief helps us to accept and understand what the loss means for us, so that we can create new meaning around it. Along the way, people may find themselves feeling stuck or lost - and this is where counselling can help. My understanding of attachment theory, emotionally focused therapy, and the human experience provides a map to guide us through, together. We all suffer in life, but suffering is made more tolerable when we don't have to do it alone.

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.

Grief is always painful, but there are ways to cooperate with the grieving process so as not to prolong it or get unnecessarily stuck in a certain stage. Therapy may be a good option for people who are experiencing prolonged or complicated grieving. Tools like Narrative Therapy, Parts Work, and Emotion Focused Therapy are options we can discuss together.