Therapy for Change and Transition
Support and Guidance for When Things Don’t Go According to Plan
It wasn’t supposed to be like this and yet it is.
You might have seen the change coming and yet, the impact still caught you off guard. On paper it looks like life is going according to plan but it does not feel the way you expected. Or maybe the change itself was unexpected and you are struggling to find balance in a world that feels like it suddenly shifted. You are probably thinking that this is not fair. Things are really hard right now. How can I know how to move forward when I never expected to be here?
You might have had hopes and dreams for a future that is no longer possible. Perhaps you thought your relationship would last forever but now it is at an end. Or maybe you have dreamed of a healthy relationship with a parent or family member and, even though you wish you could, you are realizing you cannot change the relationship on your own. Maybe you thought you would be getting married or having kids or making big career moves but now you feel left behind as you see these things happen for your friends but not for you. It could be that your parent or another loved one has been diagnosed with dementia or another chronic illness and you have found yourself in a new role as caregiver that you never imagined.
Or maybe you are living the future you wanted, but it does not feel the way you expected it too. You might have just started college, grad school, or a new career and it is more overwhelming and stressful than you thought it would be. Or you recently retired and now you are not quite sure of who you are or how you want to spend your days. Perhaps you just moved to Colorado and while it is the place you thought you wanted to be, it just doesn’t feel like home.
When life throws us these curveballs, it can be hard to find the path forward.
It is challenging to see a life that brings you meaning and connection when it is not following the plan that you envisioned for yourself. Maybe you are struggling to even want to find a new path, because there is loss in moving forward from what was supposed to be.
The path forward might be different but it can still be beautiful.
Though the path forward might not be the one that you had envisioned or the experiences are not what you were hoping for, that does not mean that there is not a path forward to a bright future. The times in between what was and what will be are some of the hardest times to navigate. It can feel impossible to know what new path to take, what you want life to look like now that things have changed.
Therapy for changes and transitions can help support you in these times. To help you find a sense of control, of yourself and the decisions you make moving forward, even when life feels a bit out of control. It can be hard to find a place where the pain of lost dreams and futures is understood. I have experienced these types of unexpected shifts multiple times in my life so I understand first hand the challenge of these seasons, the hurt of being misunderstood or your experiences minimized, and the difficulty in finding new paths forward. But, standing on the other side, I also know that it is possible to have a life that has meaning, connection, and purpose balanced with loss and changed directions.
I am here to support you in navigating the pain of the unexpected and to develop strategies to help you cope with the difficult moments in your day to day. It might be messy and it might not always be clear, but together we can navigate the tough times and find a new path forward, while still honoring the loss in your experience.
Therapy for Change and Transition can help you:
Grieve the ambiguous loss of a future that no longer is reality
Develop strategies for managing the hard moments
Build relationships that provide you with support and understanding
Honor your pain while also finding new ways of having meaning and connection in your life
Find direction and clarity related to your needs and desires in the present moment and your future
“Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next.”- Gilda Radner
Frequently Asked Questions about Therapy for Change and Transition
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It is okay to feel the loss of a dream and a future that does not exist today. There is space in our work together to hold both the loss and work towards finding a new way forward. In our work together, I can help you build coping skills to navigate the challenging times and loss while also being there for when you are ready to start exploring the steps to moving forward.
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There is no such thing as change without loss. Every time something changes, even if we wanted that change to happen, we inevitably lose something along the way as well. Most things in life are neither all good or all bad. It is okay if there is pain even in a decision that feels right for you and it is okay if you realize that something that felt right no longer feels right to you. I can support you in determining what feels right for you and making decisions to support what you need moving forward.
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Sometimes we do not have the power to change things about our situation. No matter how hard we might want to, we cannot make our future go according to the plan that we had hoped and dreamed for. The pain of those losses will likely be a part of your story forever. However, it does not have to be the full story. It is possible to find a new path for your future that can still bring you happiness, contentment, meaning, and connection. It will not erase the loss of what is not to be but, at the same time, the loss does not erase the potential for a beautiful future. In our work together, I will both honor the truth of your pain and loss while also holding space for finding new dreams and paths forward.
