Grief and Loss Counseling in Carson, CA.

Grieving a loss can feel overwhelming and isolating. Whether you are grieving a recent loss or need to process a loss from your past, a safe space to freely express your thoughts and feelings can be healing. Children's response to loss is framed by their developmental capacities. For this reason, children may process a loss and then need to reprocess at a later stage of development. Therapy provides an opportunity for children and adolescents to process their loss in age appropriate ways.

Nothing in life can be more difficult and painful than dealing with loss. When we love deeply we will also grieve deeply. When we don't know how to grieve well, prolong sadness and pain can remain. The therapeutic relationship is one place where a safe place can be found to open fully the pain of loss. I also offer divorce support and grief groups where a community of suffers can join in the journey of recovery.

It's hard to know what to do when we're grieving. Everyone's experience is different and often times that can leave a person feeling alone, even when they have supportive people around them. I often find with grief there's a rollercoaster of emotions happening. The good news is, you don't have to go it alone. Together we will process your grief so real healing can occur. If you're tired of going it alone, or struggling to know how to talk about it--I'm here, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Grief and loss is a very personal and individual experience. Finding one's words in relationship to a significant loss can be very helpful and healing. Traumatic loss, out of time loss and abandonment are specific losses that may need a sensitive and unique understanding. In a safe and empathic environment, psychotherapy for grief and loss can be a part of the healing process.

Loss and grief are natural occurrences in life. However, they can be major intrusions in the quality of our life if we are too caught up in them. They can also interfere if we are so defended against them that they limit our ability to function or impair our daily interactions with others. Sometimes, what we have lost is not a person but a job or a situation in our life that has had great meaning for us, like our self-image. That can feel devastating. Just like losing a person, these events must be grieved if we are to be able to move on. Grieving doesn’t mean forgetting or being weak. It’s a sign of love and strength. Together, we can work through the grief so you can move on.

Experiencing grief and loss are some of the most complex emotions to heal from. Grief touches every aspect of our lives, work, family, and even times when we are supposed to feel good. Often, guilt comes along with the grief and the loss that we feel. Frequently, one feels as if they must shoulder their grief alone. You don't have to deal with this alone. I work with clients to process their grief and loss, whether it's a loved one or something else dear to you. Additionally, we'll figure out what other emotions you may have tangled up with your grief that are holding you back. I will guide and support you so that you will see a brighter day without the pain of regret.

Grief following a loss is not only normal, but part of the healing process. Sometimes however, a subset of people experiencing normal grief find themselves drifting into a clinical depression. Dr. Levine offers supportive therapy for those experiencing normal grief and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for that subset of grieving people who grief has gotten out of control and morphed into a more severe emotional state of despair and hopelessness. Dr. Levine has over 30+ years of experience both professional and personal dealing with the grieving process. He is here to help you.

Grief and loss is a functional part of being human. While we all accept this reality we are all too often unprepared for the emotional impact of the event. The loss of anyone close to us is always difficult. Sometimes we are impacted by the loss of others whom we do not even know. The loss of a child, spouse or significant other is often the most painful. In therapy we will explore the level of grief and loss and help to minimize the pain while understanding and realizing our own needs. counseling will provide coping teaching tools, allowing us to move on with our lives.

Losing a baby is the hardest challenge that any parent can face. There are no words to describe the grief and pain that follow. It is a loss that cannot be measured. Parents can feel utterly alone, wondering if they can survive as relatives and friends are encouraging them to move on. Anger can mount in trying to understand why. Grief and loss take time to heal. I work with fathers who have lost a baby, had a stillbirth, termination, or lost a baby in neonatal care. Take the time to reach out for help. This is a difficult journey that takes time and is slow. The death of a baby is hard for many to understand. I encourage you to care for yourself and reach out for help.

The loss of a loved one is never easy to cope with, neither is the loss of intimate relationships, separations or life changes that cause us to experience grief. Remember, your grief/loss process is unique to you. Give yourself the opportunity to share your feelings in a safe environment, where no one is pushing you to "move on" or "get over it."

Loss comes in many forms -- the end of a life, a relationship, a job, an identity or phase of life, a home, a culture, or even losing "what could have been." The experience of loss can be one of the most isolating and confusing experiences a person goes through. You do not need to be alone in your grief -- however messy it is. I will come alongside you to help you find meaning and peace with your particular loss, so that you can begin to walk forward again.

When we lose someone we love, it feels like we have lost a part of ourselves. Something within us has been torn out, leaving a hole that we easily imagine will never heal. The pain can be profound, the feelings of helplessness, or regret, or guilt overwhelming. Having a partnership where you can talk through these feelings can make a huge difference not only in how quickly and how well you are able to move through the process of grieving, but also how you ultimately are able to frame the experience and your memories of the person lost into the narrative of your own self and life as you move forward. What you carry with you afterward is just as important as surviving the hurt of the loss.

We all will inevitably experience loss- i.e., the passing of a loved one, the end of a relationship, possibly significant life transitions. Grief and loss work focuses on developing effective and healthy coping mechanisms while moving through often challenging emotional states. Often individuals utilize maladaptive coping strategies, such as substances, alcohol and/or food to help minimize painful feelings. My philosophy is that while there are identifiable stages of grief and loss, they are not experienced sequentially. Navigating often confusing and competing emotions is necessary to ultimately heal.