Grief and Loss Counseling in Los Alamitos, CA.

Dealing with Grief is an important part of living well. Loss is a part of life, so we all have to find ways to deal with it. Sometimes the grief we feel results in normal ups and downs that we can manage on our own. But sometimes the grief gets so painful that we need the help of a trained therapist to help us find our way out of it. If your grief is lasting too long, or your sadness is going too deep don't try to go through this on your own. We have trained professionals who can come along side of you and help.

We may all experience the grief and loss of a loved one, a pet, a home, a sense of belonging, a career, finances or stature in life. There needs to be a time to grieve, as well as a time to be cared for and held. As co-therapists in the room together, we nurture, we provide safety, and we offer perspectives. We work on the tools couples need to get the support they deserve from each other. We believe it is essential to explore shutting down and isolating and the paths to getting back to each other. We help build safe structures to support holding the memories, the loneliness, the complexity and the growth.

I am a therapist specializing in grief and loss and life transitions. I have been offering bereavement counseling services to children, teens and adults for the past 12 years. My office is located in Redondo Beach and offers a pleasant and safe atmosphere. I also provide grief support groups based around specific types of loss. I help clients build on their strengths and find meaning during difficult times.

Loss isn’t something we “get over.” It’s something we get through. And healing takes time. Relationships don’t end when someone you love dies, leaves home, or gives up. You continue to carry that person with you going forward. It’s important to be patient with the grief process, and to talk about your loss with someone who doesn’t try to rush you, or paint a smiley face on your loss. Let’s talk. Let’s celebrate what was good, what you will miss, what made that relationship unique. Shakespeare said it best when he suggested we “Give sorrow words.” Talking is healing when someone really understands.

My approach to Grief & Loss is for the client to be aware of the 7 stages of grief and to have them understand that their feelings about their loss are normal. Many times when someone close to us dies, we question whether not crying, crying too much, or perhaps feeling angry at the world is OK. These are all normal feelings and reactions people have to loss. Once a client understands this, they can continue to grieve without having any questions about their own actions or feelings.

If you are suffering from moderate to severe grief and loss symptoms it is very helpful to attend therapy. Therapy will provide a healthy and safe outlet for you to express your inner emotions and thoughts. The therapist will provide a unique treatment plan and recovery goals for situation. You will also be introduced additional options including access to a psychiatrist if needed, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), meditation practices, yoga, and other holistic options.

In compassionate surroundings, explore how you can heal in the grief process and honor those you love as an ongoing part of your story. I offer support during many different kinds of loss, knowing each person’s experience is singular and different. Individuals, couples and families go through transitions, loss and change. I can nurture connection and remembrance, listening deeply to what matters most.

Although grief is an inevitable experience in life, coping with loss can be immobilizing. Because each individual is unique, finding the support you need to move through to a place of peace and acceptance is vital. I work with clients to help them process the pain of loss by addressing the physical, emotional, and spiritual issues that may be keeping them from resolving their pain and moving forward to a place of healing and acceptance. We work together to build a structure that both motivates and enables the healing process to begin and ultimately gives them the opportunity to overcome and triumph over grief.

In treating grief and loss, it is essential to facilitate a safe, respectful therapeutic interaction, in which clients are able to tell their story, process and express their feelings of grief, explore the meaning of their loss, and revise their relationship with the deceased. Additionally, using cognitive and behavioral therapy techniques enable people to develop skills for coping with the anxiety, depression, and difficult emotions that may arise as a result of the grieving process.

There are two emotions which can be utilized in the process of healing from trauma: anger and sadness. Sadness can be a very effective vehicle for healing. The only problem with sadness is that it is such a short leap from there to depression. Sadness heals; depression does not. Depression can keep a person stuck in the same place for years without any progress. You must be very careful not to fall into depression when you decide to explore your feelings about the negative experiences of your life. Unfortunately, many people find the difference between sadness and depression to be obscure at best, and they often vacillate between the two. We encourage you to be very careful of depression becau....

Working through the loss of a loved one can be one of the most difficult challenges in life. My approach to this special challenge is to work with clients to process the loss of their relationship and to enter into a safe environment in which real mourning can occur. With compassion, we can come to terms with the loss and create a contest for cherishing what was.

I understand the tremendous sorrow we experience when losing someone special in our lives. Beyond our loss, grief can also leave us in isolation. Friends and family may not know what to do to help, so they do nothing, or say things that invalidate our feelings. I do not believe we move through "stages" of grief. While we may experience emotions like denial or anger, grief often manifests as a great wave-- some days it knocks us down, some days we ride it out. Do not sit alone in your grief. I will walk with you through feelings of pain and emptiness, while honoring the memory of your loved one and navigating your life in its new normal.

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.