Grief and Loss Counseling in Lake Forest Park, WA.

Grief and loss are very challenging. The difficulty of processing these complex emotions is compounded due to the fast paced nature of our lives pushing us forward, not providing the space and time for the necessary reflection. In order to move forward, we need time to grieve what has been lost. Our work begins with addressing the loss currently burdening your heart. It continues with examining the depth of the loss and its various levels of impact on your life. For example, losing one's mother could also mean the loss of a confidant, a cheerleader, a friend, an advocate etc. Finally, we will work together through the stages of your grief, supplementing with reading material when necessary.

Death of a loved one or loss of something significant can creep up in ways you hadn't expected. Together, you and I look at your situation with compassionate presence to help you explore your feelings and allow you deeper freedom to get through this difficult time. Finding the right fit with a counselor is of utmost importance. For that reason, I view our first few sessions as a period for us to get to know one another. I

I support clients through grief and loss by helping you to understand the phases of grief, set expectations of what the the grieving process will look like, and understanding how to balance the need to continue living with the need to mourn the loss. Grief can be complex and bring out many emotional shifts that are at first confusing and hard to understand. Though grief and loss therapy, you will be supported in understanding your unique grieving process and how to work through each stage.

You do not need to be alone with your grief. Together we can chart a path that will greatly reduce your pain and help you naturally process emotion, thought, and physical sensations that may be held in your body and mind. Although loss is a part of life, when we are not able to fully process these experiences we can become stuck and unable to create joyful relationships or feel happy in our daily lives. Feeling bad, angry, numb, or depressed can be a symptom of being stuck in the grieving process. Our society expects us to "get over it" when we actually need much longer to come to a place of acceptance. I provide a compassionate healing space to resolve your losses and return to life.

Is grief making it difficult to function in daily life, leaving you unable to enjoy living? Are you feeling overwhelmed by excessive bitterness, guilt or anger? Do you find yourself withdrawing from friends and family with near constant feelings of despair? If you find you answered yes to several or all of these questions, your grief may have evolved into clinical depression and it may be time to seek help. Be gentle with yourself, knowing there is no right or wrong way to grieve and all of your feelings are normal, even if it feels like you're going crazy. I will help you to understand what is happening to you and walk beside you as you move through your very personal grieving process.

How do you move on when desire, hope, a loved one, or the something core to you has been lost? I am hesitant to answer that question in words because I think that there are no cognitive solutions to loss. You may have experienced this. In some ways, the only way to work with the grief is to go straight through it. It is a difficult journey, one you may have just entered or one you may have found yourself in for years. I offer a caring hand in your journey through it.

When you're going through a time of significant loss, our therapists at Mill Creek Family Services provide the support, care and understanding you need. We come alongside you with genuine warmth and compassion as you move through your time of grief. During a time that you just want the deep hurt to go away, we offer you a companion on your path as we shine a light in the direction of hope and renewal.

There is no right way too grieve, no right amount of time to do it in, and no way of avoiding it. It is common for a person to withdraw from their friends and family, feel overwhelmed and helpless to the intense waves of emotions—sadness, anger, fear, anxiety, and numbness. When the emotional intensity becomes too much, we don’t seem to be able to move forward with life. I offer grief therapy to help you find ways to cope with grief and mourning following the death of loved ones, pregnancy loss, or the mourning that often comes along with major life changes.

If you have lost someone close to you through death, relocation or the end of a relationship, and feel isolated and lonely, it takes time and support to gently move forward in life. If you are shy or feel anxiety in social situations it can be hard to reach out for help and create the supportive relationships you need. I can help you move forward, gain a new sense of self worth, and begin to create meaningful nurturing social connections.

Grieving and recovering from the Loss of a beloved companion can be difficult and traumatic. Many people are surprised and confused when they are caught off guard at the intensity of their emotions regarding the loss of a loved one. Sometimes friends and family offer all of the care you need, but if you need more help and support, working with therapist can give you the additional warmth and nurturing care you need to move through your grief. I specialize in helping grieving clients to process their grief, so they can find peace again.

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.

Losing someone or something you love is profoundly painful. One of the greatest myths we hear is that “time heals all wounds.” In reality, time often deepens the ache unless we give ourselves permission to grieve. Healing requires space to mourn, honor what has been lost, and gently begin to carry it in a new way. It is my privilege to walk alongside clients as they move through grief toward healing, meaning, and peace.