Life transitions
Some changes are chosen: a new career, a move, a marriage, retirement. Others arrive without permission: a diagnosis, an ending, or an identity that no longer fits. Even the welcome ones can bring grief and anxiety, and questions that surprise us with their weight. Who am I now? What matters from here? Often, the tools that carried you through earlier chapters stop working right when a new one begins.
Therapy during a transition is collaborative work. Together with your therapist, you'll make sense of what this change actually asks of you emotionally, not just logistically. What's being lost. What's being asked to grow. What old patterns the disruption has stirred up. Our therapists work from psychodynamic and existential perspectives: we pay attention to the history you bring to this threshold, and to the questions of meaning and identity that transitions force open.
Over time, this work does more than help you cope. The story you tell about your life can expand to include this chapter honestly, not as a detour or a failure but as part of a life still being written. People often leave this work with a clearer sense of direction, and with sturdier ways of meeting whatever comes next.
Need support through a life transition?
Our initial consultation is intended to assess whether Self and Other is a good fit for you, or to make referrals to other healthcare professionals if needed.
Our therapists will also use this time to discuss fees, scheduling, confidentiality, and whatever other concerns you may have about the process of beginning therapy.
If you or someone you know is unsafe (suicidal, homicidal, putting oneself or others in danger, or experiencing a medical emergency) call 911 immediately. If you are having any other kind of mental health crisis, please call the King County 24-hour confidential crisis hotline at: 866-4-CRISIS (866-427-4747).