Grief and Loss Counselling in Toronto, ON.

Having practiced for 20 years, and spent 6 years in a Trauma Centre in Ontario, I have gained a great deal of experience in working with Grief & Loss. The griefwork I have done has been with adolescents, adults and families. I allow my clients to work through their traumatic issues, loss, and grief in a compassionate, gentle, safe manner while assisting them to achieve greater relief from pain over time.

The loss of a loved one can be a devastating experience. It is natural to feel sad, empty, and emotionally disoriented. If you suppress your natural feelings of grief, you might gradually become numb and apathetic. Psychotherapy can help you feel and experience such complex emotions as denial, sadness, guilt, and anger typically associated with the experience of loss. Once you allow yourself to express, process, and understand the meaning of these feelings, you would be ready to put them to rest and reconnect with life. Once you experience your grief in a deeply genuine way, you would no longer be held back by crippling emotions.

The grief and loss that you can experience after the death of a loved one can be overwhelming and can make you feel cut off and isolated from the world as you have known it to be. You really have a need to talk about your loved one but often friends and family are limited in their ability to support you in this way. I can offer you a safe place in which you can talk in depth about your loved one, exploring and expressing feelings about your life with that person, what he or she meant to you, from the beginning of your relationship through to the end. I can also help you to begin to face what it means to move on without that person but still holding on to your memories.

Dealing with grief requires addressing the many layers of life that grief touches. Facing the loss of a loved one can also bring up reminders of other losses we have experienced - some of which may still feel unresolved, and are now coming to the surface along with the acute pain that the current situation brings. Since grief is ultimately about loss of connection, my approach involves finding unique ways of "reconnecting" and healing the wounds that can be left behind when a painful loss has been experienced. I provide a safe and compassionate environment to assist in healing through grief and understanding all aspects of the grieving process as it evolves.

Life isn't fair. You loved someone, and now they are gone. Or maybe you've lost a job you love... or become disabled. Your whole world has been turned upsde down. Sometimes it seems like there's not much point in going on, but that's not really the case. Let me help you move through the stages of grief without getting stuck. You deserve to have a wonderful second act. Let's write a great new script together!

An experience of loss can be tangible such as termination from a job, death of a loved one, etc. It can also come during happy occasions, such as a wedding. While this is a celebrated occasion it can represent a loss for parents whose children move away, or a loss of singleness for the one marrying. While loss is often intangible, it can create intense grief. My work with loss and grief deals with the underlying emotions such as anger, sadness, denial, depression, hopelessness, etc. These emotions can often appear, resolve and re-appear at different times of life or during special occasions. Ultimately, acceptance and peace comes through the act of grieving which leads to reorganization.

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.

Grief and loss are normal, universal emotional experiences, but there is a tendency to get stuck in depression or anxiety rather than feel the sadness involved with loss. That’s understandable, because suffering is painful and difficult to bear alone. A therapist can support an individual with strategies for finding hope that a broken heart will mend. The aim is to build trust that, by allowing the expression of these feelings, the energy spent on suffering can be freed and reinvested back into creating a fulfilling life. As you do with a broken shoulder, you pay attention to the pain and attend to it in healthy ways while nature takes its course, allowing broken bones or hearts to heal.

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.

Have you found yourself in deep sadness from a recent loss or that may be many years old and perhaps you are only recently recognizing? People were designed to reach out to someone when they are grieving and have had a loss. Unfortunately in our modern world, we are expected to be brief about our losses, to shrug them off and move on. You don't have to suffer alone. I will support you to more fully allow yourself to experience this loss and sadness in safety so that you can truly process the pain. Please contact me for help.

Grief and loss can include feelings of anger, depression and numbness. Sometimes we can get stuck in our grief because we think we "should be over it" by now. Or we get unhelpful messages from others, like "time heals all wounds." That just makes us feel like we shouldn't talk about it, or that we'll be a burden if we do. I can help you understand your grieving process and move through it with greater ease, self-compassion, and patience.

Grief is complicated. You can experience grief from any kind of loss or disappointment in your life. My approach to grief and loss is personalized; everyone experiences grief and loss differently so I believe their therapy should reflect the stage of grief and loss they find themselves in. Using mindfulness and guided reflection, you and I will work towards building a greater sense of peace and integration regarding the grief and loss you've experienced.

Grief and loss are frequently a root cause of substance abuse, addiction and disorders. The grief process tends to deplete a person's resources, taking up a great deal of their physical, mental, and emotional energy. The absence is not the only thing they are mourning. Their plans, dreams and wishes have changed, and they are being required to let go of the future they anticipated. The phases of mourning include a desire to reverse the loss, feelings of pain and chaos, and the reordering of one's life. At Valiant Recovery, clients receive personalized grief counseling tailored to their needs, as well as specialized sessions on grief and loss.

Individuals often come to see me for therapy in my practice in the downtown area of Toronto in order to help them cope with grief, bereavement, and difficulty adjusting to painful loss. For some clients this includes the loss of a close family member, for others this includes the loss of an intimate relationship. In either case, the opportunity to discuss such losses and to understand their impact is an important part of the psychotherapy process.

I use a very holistic approach to loss and grief. We bring many aspects into the work including talk therapy, meditation, body centered relaxation, spirituality, letter writing, Emotional Freedom Technique, New Decision Therapy, Polarity Therapy, Cranosacral, Reiki, visualization, forgiveness work and acceptance work. We touch on how loss Can be a catalyst for growth and transformation.

Clients come to me experiencing many forms of grief and loss- death, illness, job loss, a big move. Everyone experiences losses and grieves in their own unique way. Being able to experience your grief is immensely healthy and an vital to finding peace and healing. In therapy, you'll have the support you need to do just that, while simultaneously discovering the meaningfulness and sense of purpose you need to move forward.

I specialize in relationship loss due to infidelity or betrayal trauma. Whether you have ended the relationship or are trying to work things out with your partner, it's can really help to have someone to guide you. Recovery from betrayal trauma can feel like a marathon. Having someone to offer support and resouces can make a big difference in your overall mental/emotional health and future choices.

We all must deal with grief sometime in our lives. However, there are times we lose someone dear to us and it feels as if we will never see the sun again. Processing our loss through therapy helps to make that dark journey less difficult and in time blur the sharp painful edges of pain. During therspy we will look at and restructure negative debilitating thoughts and replacing them with more constructive and positive ones. We never fully get over the loss, but we learn how to celebrate and cherish our missed loved ones.

We are seldom prepared for grief and loss. Yet through it, we often discover new strength and resilience. This is not what we feel at first . Sadness, self doubt, and feeling overwhelmed by the simplest task may cloud your days. Finding ways to make sense of the loss and changes in your life can open new meaning and purpose going forward. You do not have to do this alone. Grief counseling can help you along the way.

Life is fragile. At any moment our life can be turned upside down by the loss of a loved one. If you are suffering from a loss, I will support you and offer you a safe place in which to express your grief. My approach is based on an understanding of the dynamics of loss, combined with my own experience in handling loss in my life. Loss can take other forms as well...such as the loss of a job, the loss of a relationship, or the loss of health. Together we will discuss your pain and come to understand the impact your loss has had on you. We will then develop new ways to manage your loss so that you can move forward again.

Grief, another powerful emotion we experience when dealing with loss, is a conditioning that affects all human beings. In our society there is often a notion that we should hurry up and get over our grief but maybe we should grieve as long as we need to. One way to see loss is to see loss as change and then to let change in. By developing a practice of loving kindness towards ourselves and others we can take a gentler approach toward loss and pain.

This is such a vulnerable and difficult time where great compassion and tenderness is required. My approach includes the need to feel and express our in-depth feelings in order to heal grief and loss. I offer a way to explore this compassionately and more thoroughly in order that clients can emerge from this time of difficulty more whole and healed.

Has your loss fundamentally effected you? Surprised at how difficult your loss has been on your entire life? When we have lost a loved one a part of who we are is lost. Of course you were thrown off balance, that's normal. You can get back that part of you. I can support you in coming to a place of celebrating what once was while discovering new joys. You have an innate ability to transform yourself now, I can help you get back in touch with your strengths.

Every person's grief and loss is unique. I will work with you to process that unique experience through discussion in sessions, and exercises that I will give you to process your thoughts and feelings. These exercises wll be specific to your loss. We will also embrace the healing power of time, and the notion of radical acceptance of what cannot be changed.

Loss is like the experience of having the air knocked out of us: it leaves us gasping and in shock. Whether through death,separation or divorce, loss of a career,death of a beloved pet or the moving away of a child for university: loss brings about a change to our relationships both within and outside of ourselves. It alters how we see ourselves and the roles we play for others. We need to give ourselves the opportunity to grieve and come to terms with what has changed. In allowing ourselves the time and space to say goodbye we create a new space within us, to hold our old relationships, and that is something that cannot be lost or taken away.