Therapy for Transformative Events
Milestones that changed your thoughts, beliefs, and identity
Life is full of changes, and not all of them are traumatic - but they are all stressful.
Perhaps you are getting married, promoted, having a baby, relocating, retiring. These events can be exciting, but… maybe you are also feeling more stressed. Anxious. Pressure to perform. Overwhelmed. Scared you will fail. Maybe even regressing or noticing flare-ups of old symptoms you thought you’d resolved.
The truth is, many of these are “supposed to be” positive. But these events can also prompt monumental shifts in identity, time, money, values, and independence. They inevitably create stress.
You have more to lose now than ever before.
Transformative events include:
Starting or changing careers, whether through promotion, job loss, or retirement.
Moving to a new place, “starting over”.
Shift in identity, such as leaving the military, no longer playing sports, “who am I now?”.
Achieving a long-term goal and wondering, what’s next?
Becoming a parent, or an empty-nester.
The loss of a loved one, including pets.
Something seemingly innocuous from 3rd grade that lives rent free in your head (note: there is a reason).
Whether this change was wanted, and how much choice you had in it, influence the degree of stress experienced.
All change, even positive, involves loss.
Exciting events — getting married, job promotion, having a child, retiring — may be rewarding opportunities, but they also require a significant shift in your identity, resources, and dreams. It isn’t often talked about, but it is common to feel some disillusionment, even regret, with a positive milestone.
How can therapy help?
Therapy can help you embrace all that comes with the significant changes:
Gain clarity in decision-making, particularly in distinguishing worry from intuition.
Develop tolerance for managing ambiguity.
Strengthen relationships and trust while navigating uncertainty.
Explore deeper self-awareness and purpose.
Accept that it is okay to feel mixed emotions and stress about milestone events.
Learn skills to manage stress and calm your nervous system.
Honor what you have left behind and embrace what is coming ahead.
You want a therapist with life experience, who knows what it’s like to have something to lose. I will gently but firmly help you navigate the highs and lows of transformations. I meet you where you are — no judgment, only compassion and curiosity.
I have built my career around understanding and treating PTSD, Anxiety, and Stress — the good, the bad, and the insanely ugly. There are dark truths to explore, intrusive thoughts to understand, and somewhere is a guiding intuitive light. Let’s sift through the noise and find your path.
You are in good hands.