As we progress through our lives and experience each new phase of the family lifecycle, we are challenged by the looming hurdle of change over and over again. Although change is a normal and healthy part of life, it does not always mean that change is easy. It's completely natural for us to feel some resistance to change, and maybe even fear it. Luckily, this change doesn't have to be scary!
The emotional and intellectual stages we experience from childhood to retirement years as a member of a family are called the family lifecycle. In each stage, we often face challenges in our family life that force us to develop or gain new skills. Developing these skills helps us work through the changes that nearly every family (traditional or nontraditional) goes through. Not everyone passes through these stages smoothly. In certain situations (such as severe illness, divorce, children moving out, or the death of a loved one) we can have difficulty passing through these stages on on our own, and that's where therapy comes in.
Life transitions, even the positive ones (such as marriage or the birth of a child), can leave us feeling stressed, confused, and vulnerable. Afraid of what the future holds and concerned about how to adjust to this new version of our lives. With the right tools and mindset, you have the power to not only overcome any adversity but learn to embrace change.
Common life transitions that bring people to therapy include:
- Moving away to college
- Adjusting to university life
- Adjusting to first professional job
- Moving in with partner(s)
- Getting married
- Having a new baby
- Becoming an "empty-nester" (when an adult child moves out of the home)
- Break up, separation, or divorce
- Remarriage/Becoming a blended family
- Retirement
- Job loss or major change in career
- Relocation
- Financial gain/loss
- Serious illness or disability
- Issues pertaining to aging
- Death of a loved one
- Questioning the meaning of life
- Questioning your faith/spirituality
- Questioning your sexual/gender identity