Are You Struggling To Navigate A Major Life Transition?

• Do you feel overwhelmed by a significant life change?
• Are you having trouble accepting that you have to move forward in difficult circumstances?
• Do you have a strong sense of anxiety about your future?

Perhaps you’re undergoing a shift in your professional life. You may have just retired, and you’re trying to find a new sense of purpose. Maybe you’re going back to school and have to get used to student life again. Or you may have graduated and are trying to figure out your next steps.

Conversely, your family may be going through changes together. You might be dealing with empty nest syndrome, and you and your partner feel down now that your children have officially moved out. Maybe you and your partner are new parents, and even though you knew that you wanted to have children, caring for your new baby is harder than you expected. Or perhaps you’re now a caregiver to one of your parents, and getting used to this new role is emotionally challenging. 

It may also be that you’re struggling with some form of loss. You may have recently gone through a divorce or separated from a long-term partner, and now, you are trying to get used to life on your own. Or perhaps you lost a loved one and don’t know how to handle your grief in a healthy way.

Whatever sudden changes you had to face, you may have felt unprepared to deal with them. You might be criticizing yourself for not coping with these life transitions as well as other people in your life, or you might find it difficult for you to connect with your loved ones for support. 

Thankfully, life transitions counseling can help you find peace in the midst of major changes. 

Everybody Experiences Dramatic Life Changes

Although people crave certainty and predictability, change is the only true constant in life. Every single person experiences disruptive life changes from time to time. And while people generally expect that negative changes will be unpleasant to deal with, many don’t realize that even welcome, positive changes can present a difficult adjustment period. 

On the surface, it may look like some of us handle change much better than others. But dealing with change isn’t truly easy for anyone. When we’re struggling, seeing other people on social media embrace major life changes seemingly without issue can make us feel like we’re alone facing our challenges. How well we can navigate change often depends on our support system, environment, and overall mental and physical well-being. 

Often, we don’t know where to turn for help. We may find it hard to talk to people who haven’t gone through the same thing. We may even feel ashamed to admit that we’re struggling, especially if our life is changing for the better overall. Furthermore, when we’re going through a major life change, we often have to deal with financial and logistical challenges which can make it feel practically impossible to focus on self-care and emotional reflection. 

If you had envisioned your life proceeding down a certain path, but your plans have gone awry, therapy can help. Life transitions counseling can give you the space to reflect on complicated emotions, process where you’ve been and where you’re going, and navigate this stage of your life with confidence. 

Life Transitions Counseling Can Provide Support In The Midst Of Uncertainty

While change is simply an integral part of the human experience, you may still feel unsteady and frustrated about dealing with it on your own. Life transitions counseling can offer you the support you need during these uncertain times.

Your therapist will establish a warm, inviting environment that will allow you to safely explore your fears related to life changes. Whether you’re going through a career change, divorce, job loss, or even a chronic illness diagnosis, counseling can help you move forward in life with confidence and discover new opportunities for growth.

Depending on the specific changes you’re facing, your therapist will draw up a treatment plan that is uniquely tailored to your personal needs. In your first sessions, you will get an opportunity to share what you’re going through and discuss your goals for the future. Your therapist might recommend treatment that focuses on developing your skills for coping with your life transition, or they may encourage you to spend time on self-reflection during sessions. And even if a particular problem you were dealing with ceases to be an issue as time goes on, you can continue working with your therapist to process what you’ve learned during that period of change.

Through life transitions counseling, you can also learn more about your own strengths (you may be surprised by just how resilient you really are!). You can reflect on unhealthy habits and coping mechanisms you may have picked up, become more adaptable in how you respond to changes, and learn how to spot opportunities for personal development and growth when times are tough. Plus, your therapist can help you come up with systems that will allow you to manage any new obligations and establish routines to bring structure back to your life.

During sessions, your therapist may utilize techniques from one or more therapeutic modalities. For example, they can help you address cognitive distortions and dismantle thought patterns that no longer serve you through Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Psychodynamic therapy will encourage you to reflect on how your life has changed and how to process unresolved emotions. And if you’ve undergone traumatic changes, your therapist can help you let go of negative associations to these memories through Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). 

At Affinity Psychological Services, we work with clients who are dealing with all kinds of life transitions. No matter what you’re struggling with, one of our therapists can help you accept and navigate a major life change and build a future that you can be proud of.

But you may still have questions about life transitions counseling…

Won’t my problems eventually pass with time?

Nothing lasts forever, and it’s true that the problems you’re experiencing now are not permanent. But if you are truly struggling with the transition, your mental health may still suffer long after the problem itself is in the past. You do not have to simply wait to feel better—therapy can provide you with the support and tools you need to start feeling better now.  

I should be able to handle this on my own—why do I need therapy?

When you’re going through a tough life transition, it’s easy to look around at others who seem to handle change in a healthier way and think you should be able to do that as well. But truthfully, you never know what’s going on behind the scenes in someone else’s life. Furthermore, there is no shame in asking for help when you’re trying to adjust to a new phase in life. 

With everything I’m going through, I don’t have time for counseling.

When your life is changing, and you’re trying to get a handle on your new roles and responsibilities, you might feel like there is simply no room in your schedule for any new commitments. To help you fit life transitions counseling into your busy life, we will match you with a therapist at the closest location to your home. 

You Can Tap Into Your Strength And Navigate Life Transitions With Success

If you are undergoing an important life change and you’ve decided that you want to pursue life transitions counseling, you can reach out to us with any questions you might have through our contact page. And when you decide to schedule your first session, you can book an appointment at one of our Minnesota locations in Plymouth, Edina, St. Louis Park, or St. Cloud through our scheduling page.