GREATER LIFE GRIEF COUNSELING SERVICES
Kelly utilizes an individualized approach and uses the modality that best fits you and your goals. Kelly believes in utilizing cutting-edge, proven techniques to help you experience the pain of your loss in a healthy way and adjust to your new life without your loved one. In the first few sessions, Kelly will get to know you and help you identify your goals for therapy, and learn more about how your grief is impacting your life. Kelly utilizes techniques such as EMDR, progressive counting, mindfulness, IADC, and more that will help you achieve your goals. Kelly's goal for grief counseling is to help you remember your loved ones' life and the love you shared rather than focusing on their death. She believes in teaching her clients tools they can use outside of the therapy office that will help them reintegrate into their new life in a healthy way and find relief when their grief feels overwhelming and unbearable.
INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING
"Grief is the last act of love we have to give to those we loved. Where there is deep grief, there was great love.”- Anonymous
Grief is the feelings associated with the loss of someone or something. Each person grieves uniquely and therefore working through your grief is different for everyone and doesn't follow a neat or orderly set of stages.
Grief is experienced physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. Grief counseling will help you adapt to your loss and all of the secondary losses associated in a healthy way; it allows you the opportunity to work through the pain of your grief while being validated, supported, and encouraged.
Individual Counseling is offered in person at my Malta office or from the comfort of your own home via a secure web-based platform.
Individual counseling is currently available for any individual living in New York, Florida, or South Carolina.
PROGRESSIVE COUNTING
Kelly has been utilizing Progressive Counting for almost 10 years and has helped clients process the memory of their loved ones' death (even if they did not witness it) and utilizes it to help a client keep their connection to their deceased loved one.
Progressive Counting is a psychotherapy procedure for resolving trauma or loss memories via memory reconsolidation. Briefly, it entails guiding the client to imagine a movie of the distressing memory, from beginning to end, while the therapist counts aloud first from 1-10, then 1-20, then 1-30, etc., to a maximum of 100. As the distress level goes down, the movies get shorter. This continues until no memory-related distress remains. PC can be done as a stand-alone treatment or within the context of a comprehensive phase model of trauma-informed treatment.
-From California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse
EMDR
Kelly utilizes EMDR when appropriate to help her grieving clients process the trauma regarding specific circumstances of the death, negative memories of their loved one, or current triggers that increase the pain of the loss. EMDR will not take away the pain of the grief but will allow individuals to process the loss and help them adjust to their new reality.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy was developed by Dr. Francine Shapiro and is an extensively researched, effective method proven to help people recover from trauma and other distressing life experiences. EMDR utilizes bilateral eye movements while the client focuses on the memory and any thoughts, feelings, and body sensations that this memory includes.
INDUCED AFTER DEATH COMMUNICATION
Continuing bonds with your loved one is a healthy and normal response to grief. Many people grieving experience after-death communications (ADC) from their loved ones in the form of signs, dreams, visualizations, etc. After-Death Communication (ADC) refers to the spontaneous experience of perceiving the presence of a deceased loved one. ADCs are a frequently reported and naturally occurring phenomenon. This helps people feel more connected to their loved one and find it comforting.
Induced After Death Communication (IADC) was developed by Dr. Allan L. Botkin, Psy.D in 1995.IADC is a variation of EMDR and focuses on the core sadness of the loss. IADC is a two-session protocol, each session lasting about 90 minutes over the course of two consecutive days. It is reported that approximately 70% of clients who go through this treatment will experience after-death communication and feel a strong connection with their deceased loved one. An ADC is not guaranteed to occur, and several factors may impact someone from not having an ADC. Although a client may not achieve an ADC, clients report a reduction in their sadness associated with the loss of their loved one.
It is recommended that it has been at least one year since your loved one died to participate in this treatment modality.
This treatment is not covered by insurance. To learn more, please contact Kelly at 518-219-8625.
To learn more about IADC please visit:
IADC® Therapy with Dr. Allan L. Botkin, Psy.D. - Induced After Death Communication (induced-adc.com)
PET LOSS COUNSELING
The death of a beloved pet can be especially challenging. Pet loss is a type of disenfranchised grief which means that your grief isn't always accepted and validated by society and even your friends and family. You may feel very alone in your grief and don't feel comfortable talking about it with friends who don't understand what you are going through. Depending on the way your fur baby crossed the rainbow bridge may be causing you some distress. Pet loss counseling can be very effective in providing you with the tools to help you on your grief journey, normalize your grief feelings and also decrease the intensity of any bad memories that are causing you distress. This is available to anyone in NY, FL or SC. If you are interested in learning more fill out the contact form and Kelly will be in touch.