Major life changes — even positive ones — can trigger significant psychological distress. Whether you are navigating a career change, relationship breakdown, retirement, migration, or loss of identity, psychological support can make the difference between crisis and growth.
Our registered psychologists in Melbourne provide evidence-based support for life transitions across four clinic locations and via Telehealth.
WorkCover, NDIS or TAC approved? YOU PAY NOTHING.
If your claim has been approved, we bill your funder directly. Zero out-of-pocket cost — no gap, no upfront payment, nothing.
Life transitions are significant changes that alter a person’s roles, relationships, routines, or identity. They may be anticipated (retirement, becoming a parent) or unexpected (job loss, divorce, health diagnosis). All transitions involve loss as well as possibility — and many people underestimate the psychological demands of even desired changes (Schlossberg, 2011).
Common transitions we support include:
A life transition may benefit from support when you experience:
Adjustment disorder — a clinically significant emotional or behavioural response to an identifiable stressor — affects up to 35% of people experiencing major life events (American Psychiatric Association, 2022).
Major transitions disrupt the four key resources that support psychological wellbeing: situation (circumstances), self (identity), support (relationships), and strategies (coping repertoire) (Schlossberg, 2011). When multiple resources are affected simultaneously — as is common in major transitions — psychological distress often follows.
Effective support addresses:
Narrative therapy and ACT are particularly well-suited to identity reconstruction and meaning-making during major transitions (White & Epston, 1990).
Our psychologists use approaches tailored to the specific demands of life transition:
Helps clients accept the losses inherent in transition while clarifying what matters most and committing to values-based action in the new chapter. ACT is particularly effective for the identity disruption and existential questions that arise during major life changes (Hayes et al., 2012).
Supports people in re-authoring their story — understanding the transition as part of a broader life narrative and constructing a coherent, meaningful identity across the change. Particularly useful for retirement, role loss, and post-trauma transition (White & Epston, 1990).
Addresses the cognitive appraisals (catastrophising, all-or-nothing thinking about the future) and behavioural responses (avoidance, withdrawal) that amplify distress during transition (Casey, 2014).
Many transitions involve grief — for a relationship, a role, a version of the future, or a part of the self. Our psychologists are experienced in supporting grief across all its forms, including anticipatory grief and ambiguous loss.
Treatment is tailored to your specific transition, its personal meaning, and what you need to move forward.
Your first appointment explores the nature of your transition, what you’ve lost, what is shifting, and where you want to land.
We work collaboratively — drawing on your strengths, values, and support network alongside clinical skills.
Many people navigating life transitions benefit from 8–16 sessions. Some transitions — particularly complex grief or identity reconstruction — benefit from longer work.
We offer appointments in-clinic at our Mooroolbark, Wheelers Hill, Reservoir, and Melbourne CBD locations, as well as Telehealth sessions from anywhere in Australia.
WorkCover, NDIS or TAC approved? YOU PAY NOTHING.
If your claim has been approved, we bill your funder directly. Zero out-of-pocket cost — no gap, no upfront payment, nothing.
Is it normal to struggle with positive life changes?
Absolutely. Even positive transitions — promotion, new relationship, having children — involve loss and adjustment. The psychological demands of change do not depend on whether the change was wanted.
How is this different from coaching?
Psychological therapy is clinically supervised, involves formal assessment, and is equipped to address clinical-level distress, mental health conditions, and complex grief. Coaching typically focuses on goal-setting and performance in people without mental health difficulties.
Can I access Medicare rebates for adjustment difficulties?
Yes. Adjustment disorder and emotional difficulties arising from life transitions are within the scope of Medicare-rebated psychological therapy via a Mental Health Care Plan.
Transitions are hard. You don’t have to find your way through alone.
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American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). APA. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
Casey, P. (2014). Adjustment disorder: New developments. Current Psychiatry Reports, 16(6), 451. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-014-0451-2
Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (2012). Acceptance and commitment therapy: The process and practice of mindful change (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
Schlossberg, N. K. (2011). The challenge of change: The transition model and its applications. Journal of Employment Counseling, 48(4), 159–162. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1920.2011.tb01102.x
White, M., & Epston, D. (1990). Narrative means to therapeutic ends. W. W. Norton & Company.
