Grief and Loss Counseling in Woodlyn, PA.

Experiencing a difficult loss is disorienting and can feel paralyzing. It can also bring up pain from the past that you thought was long gone, or cause you to question your view of the world. This is difficult but normal. It is important to talk about your grief with someone who really understands. I offer a safe place to work through your grief in your own way, without rushing, without having to put on a pretend smile or a brave face. I cannot undo your loss, but therapy can help you begin to find meaning in it, to make sense of the world again, and to find practical ways to cope.

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.

Grief affects our lives in many different ways. Often we are not aware of its impact physically, emotionally or spiritually or how a loss has impacted us even years later. REACH Counseling Services offers support that encompasses all these dimensions and understand that grief and loss can be healed and that life can move forward with hope and healing. We use a variety of approaches to help you deal with loss and grief.

Whether you are grieving due to the death of a loved one, ending of a significant relationship or the loss of the life you expected, it is a process. We all grieve for different reasons & in different ways, but it is important to allow yourself to grieve so that you can move forward. I'll work with you to understand the grief process including the stages of grief. An important part of the process is helping you identify & express the variety of feelings & thoughts you are likely experiencing. Often, human instinct is to avoid or numb what is painful. Unfortunately, this can prevent healing, extend the pain & create other problems. Instead, I'd like to help you find your way through the pain.

To help a client cope through grief and loss, I sometimes use the example of how an oyster forms a pearl. The oyster ingests a grain of sand that causes pain, and which cannot be removed or dissolved (just like we cannot eliminate the pain of missing a loved one). So the oyster begins to encase the grain of sand with layers of calcium-like substance, that makes the grain of sand easier to carry and hold, without the rough edges. Coping through grief and loss can involve learning how to unpack, experience, and adjust how we carry the pain. Therapy can help you soften and encase the pain of loss, forming a "pearl" around it that is easier to carry with you, and perhaps make it more precious.

Grief and loss is a normal part of human experience. We can too often rush to pathologize and/or attempt to get rid of the feelings of loss and grief, something to stay away from. However, letting our grief be, or letting ourselves simply experience grief, making it a normal experience can help us not only heal from loss but move forward and grow from our painful experiences.

The grieving process can be different for every individual. It is also an opportunity to make meaning out of our loss. My approach is to help in the meaning making process and help with working toward a sense of acceptance. I have years of experience helping individuals through the grieving process and focus on how sense can be made of loss and how to grow through this painful human experience.

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.

You can grow from grief. I can help you build the skills to better manage your loss. Grief has no infinite definition. There is grief associated with death. The death may be sudden, or it may be due to a long term illness. There is grief associated with relationship loss. This may be due to separation, divorce or loss of friendship. Catastrophic loss may be loss of a job, financial status, accident or medical illness. You can move on and grow from your experience.

In grief and traumatic loss therapy, we recognize that there's no universal formula for healing, nor do we suggest that you "get over" your loss. Grief can be a lifelong journey, morphing in shape as time passes. At times, it may feel like an emotional roller coaster, unpredictable and intense; at others, it may numb you. Our mission as therapists specializing in grief loss is to guide you in reshaping your grief into a more manageable form and restructuring your life after your loss. We'll explore ways to honor and maintain a lasting connection with your loved one through collaboration. We firmly believe that even when someone leaves us physically, the love and connection we shared endure.

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.

Grief and loss can be particularly challenging areas to address in therapy. They are often require long-term therapy. Grief and loss does not just happen once, particularly in the event of the loss of a loved one. When the grief/loss is connected to that of a loved one, most people still have some level of grief or sadness even when therapy is complete. This is normal as the loss will forever change the person's life. Much of therapy focuses on normalizing this experience, helping to determine ways they might want to stay connected to the person they lost, or just provide the space to process those feelings. Loss can also include loss of status, finances, and relationships.

Grief is not a hole we can fill. Its about expanding our lives around the loss and finding ways to incorporate what we loved about the person into our own life to honor their memory. Grief is not only about who/what we lost. We must also address the hopes, dreams, and expectations that were part of it. Its about learning to adjust to a new normal.