Therapy for life transitions
Our lives are full of changes and hopefully, growth. But transformation can be messy. Not to use a hackneyed metaphor, but have you seen caterpillars becoming butterflies? Messy, for sure. For us, when we explore and discover new aspects of ourselves, uncover something true that’s been hidden, or first begin to realize that we’ve outgrown where we are, we have to reconcile our new inner world to our existing outer world.
And that’s where it gets messy.
Our current job, home, relationships, the town where we live—we’ve built all of these foundational aspects of our lives around who we were, and now they are up for review in light of who we’re becoming.
Please don’t dynamite everything.
You may have to dynamite everything. But more likely than not, you won’t have to do that. Relationships are flexible and can change with us so long as we can communicate effectively with the people in our lives. Homes can be rented, jobs can be restructured, and a change in mindset can breathe new life into our experience of our surroundings. Therapy can help you separate the proverbial baby from the bathwater.
My approach to therapy for life transitions
As a client-centered therapist with a cognitive behavioral background, I follow your pace for making change. You are the expert of your life. I’ll use cognitive behavioral tools to help you separate fact from fiction within the swirl of ambivalence in your mind. We’ll look at your needs and prioritize what’s most important to you. We’ll tease out truth from interpretation and identify what information your emotions are trying to share with you.
I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify the wounds that unconsciously drive your thoughts, actions, and mood.
I use Reality Therapy to understand how unmet needs create barriers to the life you want, and to center your ability to choose your life.
I use Interpersonal Process Theory to offer feedback based on the ways we interact in session so you know how you impact the people in your life.
I couch all of this in a client-centered approach that honors you as the expert of your life, and leverages the wisdom you already hold.
Do I need therapy?
Therapy could help if:
You are invested in your goals for therapy
You feel ambivalent about choices you’re facing
You feel anxious or depressed and don’t know why
You are considering ending a relationship or job, or thinking about moving
You are struggling to come out to friends and family