Life Transitions
Therapy
Are You Feeling Alone Or Underprepared Following A Big Life Change?
Is a recent change or development in your life throwing you off course?
Have feelings of fear and self-doubt shaken your confidence, making you even more uncertain about the future?
Are you suddenly grappling with new worries and questions about your self-worth, identity, and purpose?
Do you feel isolated in your experience?
Life changes take many forms, ranging from joyful, highly anticipated developments to sudden, stressful shifts in circumstance. Though they encapsulate a broad range of human experiences, some examples of common life transitions include career or educational changes, breakups/divorce, relocation, getting married, starting a family, changes in physical health, and the death of a loved one. Alongside shifts in routine, life transitions tend to trigger uncomfortable emotional, mental, and physical symptoms.
Fear, worry, and overwhelm are normal responses in these situations, even if your life transition is welcome. Anxiety is very common among those navigating a big change, and it’s possible you’re second-guessing your decisions or becoming increasingly hypervigilant in an attempt to keep some order among the chaos. Whether you’re treading unknown territory, gaining new responsibilities, or embarking on a big challenge, you may be worried you’re leaving an essential part of yourself behind.
Therapy is a great tool for the “in-between” moments in life as you gain the skills and confidence to tackle what’s next. In the process of individualizing support to your unique life transition, counseling can offer affirming perspectives that will allow you to cultivate a sense of peace for what is being left behind and hope to face the future.
Life Changes Tend To Affect Our Most Important Relationships
Due to their highly personal nature, big life changes often trigger feelings of loneliness, even when they’re shared experiences. In fact, many people seek therapy because they feel like their support system isn’t being sufficiently supportive in the process of their life transition. Though this sense of isolation no doubt occurs among those navigating a big change by themselves, it can often be intensified when the experience is shared (i.e., mourning a death in the family, having a baby with a partner, becoming empty nesters).
The writer Bruce Feiler spent years doing research on disruptive life events—what he calls “lifequakes”—and noticed a trend of isolation among the people going through them. He found that while the first instinct may be to avoid or withdraw from these situations, connection is the real healing tool. Through making connections with others, we find greater purpose and consolation in our suffering.
The concept that we share a common humanity and are thus not alone in times of suffering is foundational not only to Felier’s research on life transitions but also to the greater idea of therapy in general. A therapist can offer support, a listening ear, and an unbiased, nonjudgmental perspective on the journey of integrating your unique life transition. As you explore emotions and gain coping strategies, you can feel confident moving into a new phase of life with a sense of balance and forward momentum.
Online Therapy For Life Transitions Through Jay Counseling, LLC
Therapy teaches you skills for navigating change, building relationships, and finding healthy ways to alleviate the impact of stress on your life. I will collaborate with you to understand your goals and values, individualizing the treatment process to your needs. Through our work together, my goal is to equip you with a support system that draws from your relationships and insights to help you embrace this new life circumstance and identity.
What To Expect
Counseling begins with a basic intake that will help me understand how certain changes or transitions are impacting your day-to-day life. Part of this process will be evaluating your current support systems and what’s needed—whether it’s asking for help or initiating boundaries—to make those relationships as healthy and supportive as possible. The ultimate goal, however, is to connect with yourself in a way that will help you integrate new changes and developments more peacefully.
Some of the tools we use in therapy for life transitions are:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – examines the relationship between your thoughts, feelings, and emotional responses so that you can slow down the process of escalation
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) – teaches essential skills in the areas of distress tolerance and interpersonal Solution-Focused Therapy – addresses immediate symptoms and concerns by building on innate strengths and wisdom
Body scans/grounding exercises – fosters the ability to tune in and interpret the body’s messages in a way that promotes calm, clarity, and comfort
No matter what your life transition is, I can assure you that you are not alone in your experience of grief, anticipation, and worry as you embark on this new chapter. It’s possible to find support that allows you to feel seen and understood, paving the way to meaningfully connect to yourself and others in this time of change. Adjusting to these new circumstances is within reach, and with some work, a sense of balance can be restored in your life.
Common Concerns About Therapy…
Discussing this life transition with a therapist will only make my stress worse.
If you’re undergoing a significant life change or transition, it’s likely you feel uncertain about everything—including the prospect of going to therapy. You may be worried the therapeutic process will cause you to dwell on difficult experiences or worsen the discomfort you’re already feeling. That said, therapy is meant to help relieve your pain, not intensify it.
Acceptance and empathy are absolutely key on the journey of healing, and developing these skills alongside a therapist is likely to help you feel less alone in the process. I promise to treat you with respect and understanding as we figure out ways to help you feel better.
I shouldn’t need counseling if my life transition was something I wanted.
There are many human milestones—including going to college, getting a promotion, getting married, or having a baby—that are generally viewed as positive experiences. Yet, the truth is that these milestones, while welcomed, still often trigger feelings of sadness, loneliness, and anxiety.
Therapy is available to anyone struggling through their life transition. Regardless of what’s changed for you, you deserve a place to feel supported and process your emotions.
I’ve tried therapy before and didn’t get the results I was looking for—I am not sure that working with you will be any different.
Attempting therapy without success can be such a frustrating and discouraging experience; it’s so hard to open up to someone, put in the work, and not see the progress you want. The client-therapist relationship is essential in determining treatment outcomes, so my goal is to build a sense of trust and rapport that feels encouraging.
I work collaboratively with clients, always keeping your unique goals and values in mind, and pace the treatment process according to what feels comfortable and productive. From there, we will build on the therapeutic relationship to facilitate deeper insights and healing.
Pick Up The Pieces To Create A New Picture
If a recent change or life transition has shattered aspects of your identity, daily life, or relationships, online therapy through Jay Counseling, LLC can help you figure out how to regroup and move forward. For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact me.
Recent Posts
