****Providing Teletherapy and In-Person Psychotherapy****
Psychotherapy for Midlife
Each phase of life has its unique challenges, developmental tasks, and possible pitfalls. Midlife is a time when the foundations of your life are usually in place; patterns that are both life-affirming and others that are less productive or satisfying are evident. It is a time of assessing and evaluating what your life has been so far; you may also be questioning the meaning of life in general and
of your life in particular, and wondering what is next.
Carl Jung observed that the first half of life is turned outward toward establishing a life with a focus on career and family while the second half of life is more introspective and inward oriented. Depth psychotherapy is an excellent vehicle in this phase of life to initiate or deepen an inquiry into your life, its meaning, and any changes you would like to make.
of your life in particular, and wondering what is next.
Carl Jung observed that the first half of life is turned outward toward establishing a life with a focus on career and family while the second half of life is more introspective and inward oriented. Depth psychotherapy is an excellent vehicle in this phase of life to initiate or deepen an inquiry into your life, its meaning, and any changes you would like to make.
Life really does begin at 40.
Up until then you are just doing research.
Carl Jung
Up until then you are just doing research.
Carl Jung
Some concerns common in midlife that we may address in psychotherapy include:
(this is by no means an exhaustive list; What is on your mind?)
- Growing older: As you reach your 40s and beyond, you may be having mixed feelings about growing older. You may feel an urgency to address feelings and behaviors that have presisted or that you have previously pushed aside. You may also feel a sense of freedom, relief and clarity as it becomes easier to see your life in perspective.
- Career/finances: Midlife is often a time to assess your career trajectory, and particularly for Millenials, to take stock of your career choices and sometimes think about change and more meaningful work. Yet, you may feel trapped by the financial security or "golden handcuffs" your current job or career provides.
- Exploring your inner world: You may find that you have more interest in (and time for) introspection; mindfulness, self-care and dreamswork may feel important now.
- Creativity: You may find yourself wanting to pursue creative interests such as art, music and dance. These may be new interests or picking up old ones.
- Health and body: This may be a time when concerns, thoughts and feelings about physical aspects of midlife arise, including body image, menopause and illness. It may also be a time to reassess your sleep, eating and exercise patterns.
- Relationships: This is a time of life when there are often many different feelings present about the relationship you have or don't have. It is a time when, if you are in an intimate relationship, it may be shifting, as you grow into more of who you are. This may lead to more satisfying connections, an acceptance of the status quo, or end in divorce. All these scenarios are evocative and require reflection and awareness. This may also be a time of general reflection about solitude/loneliness or companionship/partnership.
- Parenting: This may be a time of adjusting to being parents of teens or young adults or to being an older parent to young children. As throughout the entire parenting experience, you may have a lot of different feelings about your parenting and about who your children are.
- Empty nest: Many different feelings arise when your kids begin to leave home for college and/or work opportunities. There may be feelings of loss, emptiness and purposelessness, of spaciousness and freedom, or frequently a mixture of both.
- Aging Parents: This is often a time of coping with the challenges of aging parents, facing their mortality, and your shfting role in their lives which often includes more responsibility and decisionmaking.
- Facing regret, loss and grief: As you reach your 40s and 50s, you may be looking back at how your life has unfolded so far, what it's like right now and what may or may not be possible going forward. This is often connected to family, relationship, children, career and financial security. Psychotherapy provides a safe place to explore it all; to feel loss and regret, experience grief, and begin to make peace with your life up until now and the choices you made or didn't make so far. This may help you clarify how you want to move forward in the second half of your life.
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