Life transitions therapy helps you navigate major changes with steadiness and clarity. Even positive transitions—career shifts, marriage, relocation, parenthood—can activate anxiety, uncertainty, and identity disruption. If you are feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or emotionally untethered during a significant life change, therapy can provide grounded support and direction.
Why Life Transitions Feel So Disruptive
Transitions often involve loss and possibility at the same time.
You may be navigating:
-
Career change or promotion
-
Graduate school or graduation
-
Relocation to or within Denver
-
Relationship shifts (engagement, separation, divorce)
-
Becoming a parent
-
Empty nest adjustments
-
Health changes
-
Retirement
-
Caregiving responsibilities
-
Identity or values redefinition
Even when a transition is desired, your nervous system may register it as threat.
Change disrupts predictability.
Predictability creates safety.
When structure shifts, anxiety often rises.
Common Emotional Responses to Transition
During major life shifts, clients often report:
-
Increased anxiety or overthinking
-
Decision fatigue
-
Identity confusion
-
Comparison to peers
-
Irritability
-
Sleep changes
-
Grief for what was
-
Fear of making the “wrong” choice
These responses are not signs of failure.
They are signs that your system is recalibrating.
Transition Stress vs. Anxiety Disorders
Not all distress during life change is a clinical disorder.
However, transitions can amplify:
-
Generalized anxiety
-
Imposter syndrome
-
Relationship strain
Therapy helps you distinguish between temporary adjustment stress and deeper patterns that may benefit from structured intervention.
How Therapy Supports Life Transitions
Therapy during transitions focuses on:
Clarifying Values
When external roles shift, internal values become anchors.
We explore:
-
What matters most now?
-
What am I carrying forward?
-
What am I releasing?
Regulating Anxiety
Transitions activate uncertainty.
We build tools to tolerate ambiguity without shutting down or overcontrolling.
Identity Integration
Who are you becoming?
How does this change fit into your broader narrative?
And with decision support, we also strengthen confidence in your ability to navigate uncertainty, rather than eliminate it.
Major Transitions I Frequently Support
-
Early career shifts
-
Leadership promotions
-
Returning to work after parenting leave
-
Divorce and relationship transitions
-
Empty nest phase
-
Relocation and community rebuilding
-
Shifts in faith or values
-
Aging-related identity transitions
Life transitions are developmental.
They are not detours.
They are thresholds.
Life Transitions Therapy in Denver and Online Across Colorado
My practice is based in Denver, Colorado. I work with adults navigating significant life shifts and identity transitions. Sessions are available exclusively via secure online therapy sessions across Colorado, and in participating PSYPACT states when appropriate.
If you are in the middle of change and feeling unsteady, therapy can help you move through it with clarity and intention.
Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to explore next steps.
.
LIFE TRANSITIONS FAQ
Can positive life changes cause anxiety?
Yes. Even desired changes disrupt predictability. Anxiety during transitions is common and treatable.
How long does adjustment stress last?
Adjustment varies by individual. If distress persists for several months or begins interfering with functioning, therapy can help.
What is adjustment disorder?
Adjustment disorder involves emotional or behavioral symptoms in response to a significant life stressor. Therapy is an effective treatment approach.