Life Transitions Counseling in Avondale and Phoenix
Support through big changes, chosen or not, for adults, teens and children.
Finding Your Footing After a Big Change
Big changes, expected or not, can ask more of you than you have to give, even when the change is a good one. Counseling can help you name what's changing, decide what comes next and cope with not knowing.
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Change often brings loss and gain at the same time. Even a move you chose, a new job or a new baby can mean leaving behind routines, people and a familiar sense of who you are. Feeling unsettled doesn't mean you made the wrong choice, or that something is wrong with you.

Changes People Bring to Counseling
- A move, near or far
- A new job, a job loss or retirement
- Marriage, separation or divorce
- Having a baby, or children leaving home
- An illness or a change in health
- Caring for an aging parent
- Going away to school
- Money worries
How Counseling Can Help
- Naming what has changed, including what's been lost
- Sorting through mixed feelings
- Clarifying what matters and what comes next
- Coping skills for stress and uncertainty
- Adjusting routines, roles and relationships
- Building on strengths from changes you've already weathered
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Understanding Life Changes
Why change is hard
Every big change, even a wanted one, means letting go of something: a routine, a role, a place, a picture of the future. The mind needs time to catch up, and until it does, people often feel unsettled, tired or unlike themselves.
What it can stir up
A change in one part of life tends to shake the others. A new job strains a relationship, a new baby changes sleep and identity, a move takes away the people you leaned on. Old worries can come back when the ground shifts.
What helps
Naming what you've lost as well as what you've gained, keeping a few steady routines, and breaking decisions into smaller ones. Counseling gives you a place to think out loud with someone who isn't part of the change.
When to reach out
It's time when you've felt stuck or overwhelmed for more than a few weeks, or when the change is costing you sleep, your mood or your relationships.
When to Talk With Someone
- Your reaction feels bigger than you'd expect
- It's hard to keep up at home, at work or at school
- Sleep, appetite or focus has changed
- You're pulling away from people or things you enjoy
- You're leaning on alcohol or other substances to cope
- You're having thoughts of suicide (call or text 988 now)
Getting Through a Big Change
- If you can see a change coming, line up support ahead of time
- Keep some routines steady: sleep, meals and movement
- Stay close to people who support you, and to your community or faith
- Break big tasks into small steps
- Focus on what you can change, and make peace with what you can't
- Go easy on alcohol and other ways of numbing feelings
Therapists Who Work With Life Transitions
Alysa OrehowskyMS, MSW, TherapistApproaches: DBT
Monica CañezMSW, Bilingual TherapistHabla españolApproaches: TF-CBT, DBT, Strengths-Based Care
Angel GonzalezClinical InternHabla españolApproaches: DBT, Person-Centered, Trauma-Informed
Riziki DeogratiasClinical InternApproaches: CBT, DBT
If You Need Help Now
If you are in crisis, call or text 988 any time, day or night. For Spanish, call 988 and press 2, or text AYUDA to 988. In an emergency, call 911.
Common Questions
Do I need a serious problem to get counseling for a life change?
No. Many people come in during a change that's hard to navigate, even when nothing feels seriously wrong. A first conversation can help you decide whether counseling fits.
Is it normal to struggle with a change I wanted?
Yes. Welcome changes, like a new job, a move or a new baby, can still bring stress, loss and uncertainty. Mixed feelings are common.
What is an adjustment disorder?
When the stress of a change is stronger than expected, or makes it hard to keep up at home, work or school, a clinician may call it an adjustment disorder. It usually starts within three months of the change, and often eases within six months once the stress settles. Talk therapy is the main treatment.
We're ready when you are
In person at our Avondale or Phoenix office, or by telehealth from home, in English or Spanish.
Avondale919 N Dysart Rd, Suite F, Avondale, AZ 85323Get DirectionsAbout this office
Phoenix11225 N 28th Dr, Suite C-206, Phoenix, AZ 85029Get DirectionsAbout this office
TelehealthBy video appointmentGet Started
- (623) 439-7472
- Avondale: Mon–Fri, 8:30am–5pm
- Phoenix: Mon–Fri, 10am–6pm
- Weekend and after-hours availability by appointment
- In person or telehealth


