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Transitions in Life: How Psychotherapy Can You Help Transition Easier

Marcelina Hardy | May 16, 2008

Over the course of your life, you will find there are many transitional periods. You may or may not see these periods coming but either way; they probably will great affect you.

How You React to Life Changing Events

When presented with a new event in your life, you experience some stress from it. This can be bad stress or good stress but either way it is a crisis. How you handle the event and overcome will determine how you feel for the rest of your life.

Understanding Stages in Your Life

An example of this is adolescence. Adolescence is one of the biggest transitional periods in your life. If you had a good adolescence and were able to express yourself, you probably graduated from this stage in your life with a sense of confidence. However, if you were constantly having trouble with peers, parents or finding your identity, you may still feel you didn't accomplish what you wanted to in that stage. Being able to learn from an experience and then use it for future problems is one of the greatest indicators you successfully overcame a transition in your life.

How Psychotherapists Can Help You Resolve Past and Present Issues

If you feel you did not accomplish what you needed to in a past transitional period in your life, you may need the help of a psychotherapist to discover what happened and what you can learn from it. A therapist will help you go back to that time and understand how you might have done things differently. The differences you discover with your therapist, you will be able to use in future problems.

Another way that a psychotherapist can help you is by working with you on current issues. If you are presently going through a transitional period, your therapist can help you examine what it is that is giving you difficulty. Knowing why you are feeling a certain way is a great way to start working on it. You can start to identify what you need to do next so you can overcome this phase successfully and confidently. Remember, everything that happens in your life will teach you something you can use in the future. A therapist can help you learn the lessons you might not have learned without him or her.

Therapy In and Outside of the Office

When you start seeing your therapist, you will have to work in and outside of the office. You will need to take techniques and information he or she provides you and use it in the "real world". Becoming active in your therapy will give you the best outcome.

Once your transitional period is complete, you may decide to continue seeing your therapist. Your therapist will continue to help you get through challenges. Alternatively, you may decide you no longer need help in your life and stop therapy. Know that if you stop you can always go back when you find yourself in a difficult time again.