Life Transitions Therapy
Has a major life transition thrown your world off balance and made you anxious about the future? Do you find yourself reevaluating your goals and values and questioning your life’s purpose? Is fear of the unknown interfering with your ability to adapt to life’s changes?
Maybe you’re a recent college graduate who feels like you’re not prepared to live on your own yet. Perhaps you’re transitioning out of the military and having a tough time finding your autonomy. Or maybe you’re in between careers, and although you’re excited about what comes next, you feel burnt out from your previous career and overwhelmed by all the options in front of you.
No matter what kind of life transition you’re facing, you’ve probably found it hard to stay grounded when everything around you is changing so drastically. For the first time, you may be considering talking to a therapist.
Are You Struggling To Navigate A Time Of Significant Change In Your Life?
Even The Best Life Changes Can Bring About Uncertainty And Anxiety
Perhaps your life transition was a positive one—you got married, became a parent, or wound up with your dream job. Yet as excited as you are, you’ve found yourself dealing with unforeseen stressors and struggling to meet expectations. Imposter syndrome might rear its ugly head and make you feel inadequate or unworthy. Your whole identity may feel shaken, as if you don’t know who you are anymore and what kind of values you hold onto.
In the midst of your stress, you might end up pulling away from your support networks and isolating more than usual. Rather than rising to meet new challenges or seize new opportunities, perhaps you find yourself shrinking before the weight of uncertainty.
If you want to feel more confident entering this new chapter of your life, we encourage you to pursue therapy with us. At The Pursuit Counseling, our therapists specialize in helping clients navigate the stress of life transitions and cultivate peace of mind no matter what’s going on around them.
We are hardwired for consistency. Our nervous systems are drawn to what’s familiar. Whenever we’re in the midst of a life change, our sense of consistency and routine is altered and that naturally creates a lot of anxiety. We want to be on the other side of our life transition as quickly as possible, because we aren’t built to thrive in uncertainty.
What’s more, many people struggle in transitions because they tend to isolate and have less accountability to help them persevere. Without a strong support system, it’s hard to maintain perspective. It’s easier to spiral down and believe our negative thoughts (“I’ll never be successful” or “I’ll never get through this transition”) when we don’t have people there who can help us question the things we tell ourselves. Most of us fall into all-or-nothing thought patterns, believing that if we don’t get that dream job or graduate with a 4.0 GPA, then our lives have been failures and our efforts have been completely wasted.
This is why it’s essential for us to seek support and lean on others for help. By working with a compassionate and knowledgeable therapist, you can begin to challenge harmful thinking and see your situation in a clearer, more empowering light.
Our Brains And Bodies Are Built For Routine, Which Is Why Change Is So Stressful
Therapy Can Help You Experience Peace In The Midst Of Major Life Transitions
The beauty of counseling is that it gives you a chance to be yourself unreservedly without any fear of how you’ll be viewed. Even if you bail on that important interview or turn down that new date, we’re not going to judge you or be mad at you. Instead, we’re here to listen to you and help you figure out why you do what you do. We’ll teach you about the importance of understanding how your brain and body are competing during this time of change. Your brain may know that skipping out on your interview is bad, but your body may react in fear and self-sabotage. Our mission is to help you increase your self-awareness so that you can recognize when your actions don’t align with your values.
At The Pursuit Counseling, our therapists help people going through divorce, job loss, empty nest syndrome, career changes, midlife crises, and many other life transitions. As a result, we’re confident that we can help you grieve what you’ve lost, prepare for what is to come, and learn to thrive in the midst of uncertainty.
Our sessions will provide you with accountability, support, and guidance as you move from one chapter of your life to the next. We draw from a wide range of interventions to help clients, several of which are listed below:
Attachment Theory—Oftentimes, our attachment style changes when we go through a significant life transition like divorce or separation. For example, if you have a secure attachment style but your spouse leaves you, you might fall into an anxious attachment style. Attachment theory can help you understand what a secure attachment feels like and overcome fears of abandonment, betrayal, rejection, etc.
Narrative Therapy—A transition is a new chapter that you’re writing in the story of your life.
Using a narrative approach allows you to learn from previous chapters so that you don’t repeat the unhealthy chapters you wrote earlier in your life. It can help you challenge the story you’re telling yourself and edit it so that it accurately reflects your life and empowers you to be your best self.
Mindfulness Therapy—Life transitions can lead to extreme levels of stress and overwhelm. Having a mindfulness routine can help you regulate your nervous system during times of uncertainty. You can learn to maintain present-moment awareness so that you stay grounded in the here and now instead of getting caught up in the future.
Ultimately, the goal of therapy is to help you lean into your courage when you feel discomfort. When you can learn to walk confidently in the midst of uncertainty, your courage can grow by leaps and bounds and you can feel prepared for whatever comes your way. If you are open to collaborating with us, we believe we can help you build a plan for navigating this transition together.
What To Expect In Life Transition Counseling Sessions
Why do I need a therapist to help me with my life transition?
Everyone needs support and life transitions are a time when we all need more support than usual. After all, when left to our own devices, we tend to believe the things we tell ourselves unquestioningly because we don’t have others to challenge us. And although it’s good to lean on our friends and family for support, they may be biased about our decisions if our decisions directly impact them. Since a counselor has no personal stake in your situation, they can provide an unbiased perspective and help you determine what choices align with your goals and values.
Is it normal to feel anxious about new opportunities?
Maybe you got your dream job, but now you’re worried that you won’t be able to live up to expectations. Or perhaps you’re in a new relationship, but anxieties due to past relationship trauma have made it hard to feel grounded and safe with your partner. All of these feelings are normal. Life transitions are stressful even when they’re overwhelmingly positive. Counseling can help you work through the anxieties and traumas that are preventing you from being able to live joyfully and mindfully.
Can you help me if I’m transitioning from the military back to society?
Transferring out of the military is a major life change, since you’re learning how to have autonomy instead of rank. Our therapists have been working with military personnel for decades, so we understand your unique situation and can help you overcome the hangups that stand in the way of getting back into civilian life.