Life transitions occur many times throughout a person's life. They are events that occur that lead to a transformation of some kind, and the starting of something new. Some life transitions involve big changes that are choices, like getting married, getting divorced, or choosing to start a new job. Some life transitions involve big changes that are not necessarily choices that we made, like going through the hormonal and bodily changes of puberty or menopause.
Still other life transitions that we often overlook due to the frequency with which they occur can include going from the school year to summer break as a child, starting a new grade with a new teacher, taking a promotion within a company, and adding a new hobby or volunteer role to your plate. Many life transitions are celebrated by our loved ones, which may minimize or ignore the difficult emotions that arise while going through the change. A child may see their parents celebrating that they graduated elementary school, and therefore feel it is inappropriate to express their anxiety about going to middle school. An adult may celebrate their wedding to their partner, yet quietly carry anxiety about married life. |
Therapy is often focused on helping individuals express and process their feelings about their current situations and struggles in a safe, non-judgmental, welcoming environment. A therapist is able to sit with you (in person or online) and help you to process the emotions that are coming up related to your current life transition. Sometimes it is even helpful to process feelings related to past life transitions that have for some time been ignored or "put on a shelf". Our therapists will never judge you for having the feelings you are having. They will help you to better understand them and cope with them.
Therapy is helpful during or following a life transition in assimilating to a new identity that may be formed due to the transition. A life transition - from fiancé to husband, from student to employee, from adolescent to teen, from woman to mother - can come with a reorganization of our identity. Having someone to talk through that with can be extremely helpful. |