Counselling Services for Life Transitions

Life transitions refer to events or milestones that create changes in our lives. These changes may be positive and welcome, or negative and not of your choosing.

One thing that life transitions have in common: for better or for worse, they are almost always stressful – and sometimes traumatic – experiences.

Examples of life transitions include:

• Leaving adolescence
• Finishing high school
• Entering the workforce
• Starting college
• Moving
• Getting married
• Having children
• Making career changes
• Receiving a new health diagnosis
• Breakup of a relationship
  
• Loss of friend, colleague, family, pet

You likely relate to some if not many of these events. As Canadians, most of us go through many of the same life transitions as we grow up and age.

But even though most of these experiences are common in our society, that doesn’t make them any less difficult to maneuver.

If several of these life transition events happen at once, it can be extremely challenging to find healthy outlets for your thoughts and emotions.

It’s perfectly normal to need help getting through a difficult transition. Working with a counsellor is a great way to get unbiased feedback and professional guidance.

Together we can develop a practical, customized plan to help you understand and navigate the complex and strong emotions that accompany a large life change.

One of the most common emotions my clients describe when needing help with big changes in their life is of being overwhelmed.

But because everyone processes stress differently, there isn’t a single, universal symptom that indicates you may need outside help with a life transition.

What you can do is watch for unwanted or negative changes in your feelings, your thoughts, and your actions.

Changes in your feelings:

• Grief, fear, or dread
• Anger or irritability
• Apprehension
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Emotional exhaustion
• Low self-esteem

Changes in your thinking:

• Uncertainty, confusion
• Frequent nightmares
• Lack of attention
• Indecisiveness
• Poor concentration or memory
• Intrusive thoughts

Changes in your behaviours:

• Sleeplessness
• Withdrawal
• Antisocial behavior
• Increased alcohol/drug consumption
• Change in how you communicate
• Change in your appetite
• Engaging in addictive or dangerous behaviours

Changes to your mental, emotional, behavioural, and physical states are a great indicator that your body is telling you something’s not right, and that it needs to be addressed.

If you are experiencing these types of changes, you may benefit from talking with a counsellor.

Together we can work on understanding how you’re processing your life transition, and come up with a custom treatment plan to help you work through your feelings in a healthy, productive manner.

Counselling offers a safe, supportive, and non-judgemental space to discuss what you’re going through. Your counsellor is an unbiased sounding board that helps you get through these changes.

Big decisions and major milestones are often difficult to navigate because they affect so many people and so many areas of your life.

It’s normal to have mixed feelings about how to respond to the challenges you face in these situations.

You might even ask for advice from people you know, love, and respect – but receive such a variety of input that it makes the decision making even more difficult.

Do you have a big decision to make, or an upcoming milestone you’re having difficulty facing? You may benefit from the unbiased input that a counsellor can provide.

If you need help working through any mixed emotions so you can move forward with confidence, I offer a free phone consultation to get you started.