Grief and Loss Counseling in Richmond, CA.

Each of us will experience grief and loss within our lives. Some losses can feel so huge that it can seem impossible to move on. I believe that each loss we experience can stir up emotions and feelings related to past losses. I provide a safe environment for you to explore your feelings of grief and loss. By making links between the past and the present and deeply listening and interpreting the possible origins of your grief we can open up the space needed for you to move forward.

When loved ones pass away, it can feel as though a part of ourselves dies with them. Loss is difficult because it reminds us of our own mortality and loneliness, leaving us with the void that is the role that this person once had in our lives. I assist the grieving process by helping you find closure in your relationship with the deceased so that you can move forward in a restored and fulfilling way.

Grief and loss are universal human experiences, though few of us are given the tools or the support we need to express our grief, or, when the time is right, make our way back to life after loss. We are each unique in our response to the loss of people and things that are dear to us. Nevertheless, it does not serve us well either to try to ignore our experiences of painful loss or to keep them at the center of our experience for the rest of our days. I help people move through their grief at a pace that makes sense to them, and I help them, over time, to value the many gifts from who or what has been lost for their ongoing experience of life.

EXPERIENCING THE INTENSE PAIN OF LOSS? Whether it is due to the loss of a loved one, a job or something that means a lot to you, I can help! In counseling you can work through the feelings of sadness, grief, emptiness, regret, anger, guilt, frustration… so that you can come to terms with unfinished businesses and move on to healing, recovery, growth and empowerment. Don't hesitate to call me for a free telephone consultation session.

Children express grief differently from adults and their grief can look different at various ages. For example an infant will experience the loss of a significant caregiver through his or her senses (father's cologne, mother's skin, nanny's voice). A school aged child may ask a lot of questions or not seem affected at all from the outside. While many children can be resilient, they are often the "forgotten mourners." Unresolved grief can lead to problems down the road.

Although grief and loss are universal human experiences, there are many factors which can make it difficult to process. I offer a safe space to explore all that you are going through and feeling. Expressing all your complex feelings is healthy and can be so relieving. Repressed grief can make you physically or emotionally ill. Many losses are complicated with feelings of anger, guilt or the pain and confusion of unfinished business. Sometimes, when the loss is unexpected, shock can get in the way. Personal issues around ability or willingness to feel or show vulnerability can make it hard to grieve. I have many years of experience in offering safety and support to grieving clients.

We know how to grieve, naturally, and there are times in every person's life that failing to grieve fully can cause significant emotional difficulties, which may seem unrelated. You can't completely grieve by yourself - you need someone to listen while you work out, and tell, the story of your loss. If we're isolated, or the people around us aren't able to listen, it's easy to get stuck in the sadness of the loss - or stuck running away from it, one way or another.

I personally experienced a great deal of grief and loss in my 20's so feel I bring my own personal experience to helping others deal with this. Losing people we love is one of the hardest things we will face in our lives, and getting help and support can be invaluable. I will help you process your feelings, feel cared for and supported through the process, and guide you.

I find that so much of my work as a psychotherapist involves helping people to grieve their losses, whether that loss is an actual death of a beloved family member or friend, or whether it is something less tangible, but no less impactful, such as the loss that comes from realizing that they were neglected as a child or made to feel unworthy or insignificant. I believe that one of the most important things I do as a therapist is to make space for my clients to grieve their losses so that they can free up stuck energy to invest in their present lives and relationships. For me this is one of the most sacred gifts of my profession, to be able to be there for this deeply important work

The experience of grief and loss, while expected at various life stages, can result in physical pain, and the emergence of symptoms that lead to experiencing a slow downward spiral in overall wellbeing, and perhaps desire to withdrawal from personal and professional commitments. Many clients seek compassionate and sensitive guidance to navigate through the ups and downs of any number of losses, ranging from diminishing health, to ending a relationship, or other life transition. Together, clients and I develop a transformative plan to stabilize, heal, gain insight and to enhance their proficiency to improve the strength needed to reconstitute their skills and hopes for today and the future.

Losing a loved one is hard in so many ways. In addition to missing them, we often find ourselves evaluating our relationship with them and what remained unsaid. Grief follows its own course, and friends and family may not understand your own individual process of grieving. I support clients in experiencing their grief, working through unresolved relationship issues, and in their own time, coming to terms with what they have lost.

You may be in the throws of it right now. Perhaps it is a death. Perhaps it is the end of a relationship. Perhaps it is a job or abandonment. There are many things that trigger our grief and loss. I carve out a sacred space that is just for YOU. You may need to cry. You may need to yell. You may need your pain to be seen. You may need to bargain or to blame yourself for a while. We can do this together while making sure you are on a path towards transformation. Having somebody that really listens and really gets it is the first step towards healing. If you are experiencing a deep grief or loss in your life, you owe it to yourself to go through this painful process supported.

I believe grief is not a linear process. It is a very personal experience. Each person's journey through grief is unique and should be honored. My approach in therapy is to meet you where you are and partner with you to help you cope with this very painful experience. My specialties include perinatal loss, pregnancy, SIDS, newborn and infant. I have also worked with families who have lost a child or a parent. I do sibling work as well.

Grief and Loss are an inevitable life happenings and we at Barn Life Recovery work with clients suffering from grief and loss. We offer long term support for grief and loss at Barn Life. We use modern western psychotherapy alongside eastern modalities aimed at treating the whole person and putting our clients back onto a path of joy and contentment.

Grief and Loss are some of the most real and difficult emotions and feelings to deal with and to cope and live with. Loss of a beloved family relationship, dear friend, mentor, as well as a beloved pet can cause a shock and vast loss that is seemingly impossible to overcome. Grief and loss therapy is very important to me and has been a major part of my decades of counseling. Grief and loss therapy is not a band aid to the pain. It is a process for working to create closure and a continued internal relationship which can still sustain life after loss. When relationships are important, grief and loss are a process of dealing with the depths of love and attachment which are key to being human.

Grief is one of the most universal experiences we have. It is also one of the most painful. Grief can occur as the result of loss of a loved one, loss of a relationship, loss of a job or a role, even loss of our hopes and dreams. There are many brands of grief and each can feel crushing! While each of us responds to grief in different ways, there are techniques that help us to heal from loss. Therapy can help you to manage the emotional overwhelm that accompanies grief, not so that we can forget what we've lost, but so that we can manage that loss in a more functional way.

Have you recently experienced a death, the loss of a partner, a friend or pet? Grief, anger and difficulty functioning are normal but very challenging responses to loss. Most people tell themselves they must reach closure, but this takes more time than most people realize. Don't isolate or just tell yourself to be strong- lets work it through together.

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.

More than 35 million Americans are living with some form of chronic mental or physical illness or disability. The vast majority depend upon their families for care. Caring for a family member who is ill can have a dramatic effect upon a family. Although it can provide opportunities for closeness, it can also be stressful. If you or someone you love is ill, you may need psychological support to continue to live life as optimally as possible. You may also need help in processing your grief, especially if your loved one has become debilitated or has died. Please call me to discuss your particular needs and how counseling can help. I can be reached at 415-533-9724.

Endings, of any kind ... jobs, school, friendships, children moving out of the home, loving marriages, and life itself ... often bring with them sadness and a profound sense of loss. Grieving is a natural and important part of being able to move forward after that ending. There is no right or wrong way to grieve, nor a 'normal' timeline for how long it takes. I can support you through your process by: - sharing it with you - creating a safe place to feel and talk about your loss - to remember the experience - the good, the bad, the indifferent - to express and own remorse and gratitude - to let go by making amends and forgiving

If you are suffering from grief or loss such as the end of a significant relationship or the death of a loved one, individual counseling can help you to move through the stages of grief, give you a safe place to talk about your feelings and help you to identify what you want for your future and move towards it with a sense of hope and anticipation.

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.

The topic of Grief & Loss covers a broad spectrum from loss of a loved one, a relationship, a job...even change. It helps to work with a caring and empathetic counselor who has the life experience to really "get" where you are coming from, to help you move to the other side of things so you dispell those acute feelings of loss and sadness. In addition to my 10 years of private practice experience in this area, I spent several years as a volunteer with the Centre for Living with Dying in Santa Clara, working with people suffering from feelings associated with horrible loss. With gender identity issues, another specialty of mine, there is also often a sense of grief & loss to overcome.

In addition to working with grief from the loss of a loved one, I also help people experience and heal grief that is more subtle. Early life neglect, abandonment, as well as deep regrets about unfulfilled potentials or about hurts we have caused others- can be potent forms of grief. When not recognized or experienced, loss can be expressed as irritability, restlessness, addictions, frustrations, lethargy and other physical/emotional symptoms. Identifying loss and developing the capacity to experience and express grief (pain, sadness, remorse..) is a powerful healing- and can transform our self and our body.

Grief is a necessary response to loss, from the daily losses of change and pain, to tragic losses of death, divorce and various forms of trauma. When Grief is not allowed to express fully, it can become stuck in the body where it manifests as physical symptoms of stress, illness, longer term depression. When one is stuck in Grief, one is stuck in living a partial life. An integrative approach involves working with the thoughts and emotions, as well as the physical release of the grief through body/mind processes such as breathwork, hypnotherapy and expression through art or ritual. Grief is then transformed at all levels of being so that one can feel fully connected to living again.