Therapy for Difficult Life Transitions in Toronto Doctoral-Level Psychological Care

Therapy for difficult life transitions at Laksman Doell Psychology is delivered by doctoral-level registered psychologists, both in person at our office in the Annex neighbourhood of Toronto and virtually across Ontario.

What Difficult Life Transitions Look Like

“Transitions require us to make sense of who and where we are, and to hold the complexity of both what we’re losing and what we’re stepping into, so that we can move forward with more clarity”

A new role. The end of a relationship. Becoming a parent. Losing someone. The diagnosis that you didn’t see coming. The career chapter that closed, by your choice or not. The empty house. The full one. The version of your life that used to fit and yet no longer feels comfortable.

Life transitions ask everything of us. Even the ones we wanted. Even the ones that look good from the outside. The disorientation. The grief for what is ending. The uncertainty about what is next. The question of who you are if you are not who you used to be.

Identity is built around the structures that we live our life in. When the structures shift, the sense of self often has to shift with them, and that work can take both time and effort. There is nothing wrong with you for finding it hard. The hardness is the work.

Periods of transition are, by definition, periods of change. They can also be accompanied by new emotional or behavioural stressors that we may or may not have anticipated. Sometimes our old coping mechanisms and ways of surviving or thriving no longer work well for us. We may need new tools to help us to navigate our new position, to face and address the stressors that are arising, and to build our sense of resilience as we face what life has put in front of us with confidence and skill.

Transitions also tend to surface other things. The longstanding questions about identity and purpose that were quietly waiting for the right moment to ask. Behaviours that may have not been serving us for years, but that only now are begging to be addressed. Patterns from earlier in life that the new chapter is bringing back into the room. Relationship dynamics that are being rearranged by the changes that are surrounding you. Part of the work is to recognize when one transition has opened the door to another, and to give each of them the attention that they deserve.

IF YOU ARE READING THIS

You may not be sure what you need, but something brought you here…

The version of your life that used to fit doesn’t anymore. The job ended, or the marriage did, or the role that you played for years is over. The version of yourself that was supposed to fit this new chapter has not yet shown up. You are standing in the gap, and the bridge to whatever is next still has to be built
You wanted this transition. The new role, the move, the baby, the relationship, the next chapter. It looks good from the outside, and from inside, it is harder than you expected. You are not sure who you can say that to without sounding ungrateful.
Someone you love is gone, or the diagnosis came, or the life that you planned is no longer possible. You are reorienting around something that you didn’t choose. The grief is part of it. The exhaustion is part of it. So is the part of you that is still trying to figure out what you do now.

This is what has brought you here. And you are in the right place.

Therapy for difficult life transitions in Toronto

The life transitions that we work with:

At Laksman Doell Psychology, we work with individuals and couples who are navigating change and transition at every stage of adult life. Whether you are a young adult who is trying to figure out what comes next as you graduate from school, you are someone who is grappling with decisions about, or transitions to, marriage, parenthood or the end of a relationship, or you are an older adult who is moving into retirement and reflecting on what life has brought you.

Our doctoral-level psychologists have experience helping people to successfully navigate a variety of difficult life transitions, including:

Career Transitions

Graduating and starting a new career. Experiencing job loss, or promotion, or embarking on a significant career change. Each of these changes can bring with them a complex array of both positive and negative impacts on our emotional health, our sense of control and stability, and our experience of identity and direction. Having a dedicated space to more fully process the impact of these changes can help us to face them with clarity and to address our needs more completely.

Navigating Divorce and Relationship Dissolution

Relationship transitions can be painful and difficult, even at the best of times. The process of deciding whether or not to end a relationship can be fraught with ambivalence, guilt and fear. Being broken up with can leave us feeling blindsided and grappling with a complex mix of betrayal, hurt and anger. Many individuals seek help when they find themselves feeling lost and alone as they navigate this complex emotional landscape and as they find themselves looking to figure out what comes next.

Starting Over Somewhere New

Moving to a new city or country can be daunting. The move may have been precipitated by something positive like a new academic or career opportunity, or a committed relationship that is moving to the next stage. However, it may also have been thrust upon you by changes that are less in your control. Either way, the loss of predictability that accompanies the disruption in our familiar routines and support systems can be a major source of stress, and deserves to be thoughtfully addressed.

Becoming a Parent

The transition to parenthood is often considered one of the most meaningful life changes for those who choose to become parents, but it also involves a complete and permanent reorganization of one’s identity, routines, priorities and personal relationships all at once. The role transitions, the sleep deprivation, the relationship strain, the financial pressures, the loss of autonomy and all of the complex emotional and behavioural sequelae, often benefit from being actively acknowledged and addressed so that individuals don’t lose themselves in the transition.

Illness and Loss

Whether you are navigating a new or progressing diagnosis, rediscovering yourself and your body as you engage in treatment, or you are finding a new path through recovery and survivorship, change is everywhere. Individuals and caregivers who are navigating the complex social, emotional and psychological terrain of serious and chronic illness, often benefit from working through some of the most difficult conversations with a professional who can hold the complexity, the honesty, the uncertainty and the hope all at the same time.

Retirement and Aging

Some of us look forward to retirement as a time of life where we can finally focus on ourselves and our interests with fewer competing priorities. Others have retirement thrust upon us earlier than expected and may be feeling unprepared. In either case, we are also often faced with other unanticipated changes related to shifts in our relationships, our health, and in the world around us. Sometimes there is work that needs to be done in order to ensure that our autonomy, enjoyment and sense of meaning and purpose are not overshadowed by uncertainty, grief and disappointment.

Our Approach

Treatment that starts with understanding you.

At Laksman Doell Psychology, we work with both individuals and couples who are navigating the major transitions that reshape a life. Our doctoral-level psychologists utilize evidence-based treatments to address the indecision that sometimes stops us from pursuing valued life transitions, to process the emotional and psychological changes that often accompany major life transitions, and to address the challenges that these transitions entail. The work is built around the complexity of what you are actually facing. It is not a manual that is pulled off of a shelf.

When you come to us for therapy, you can expect to start by working collaboratively with your psychologist to develop a comprehensive understanding of who you are, how you came to see the world, the way that you do, what it is that drives you, and the things that are most important to you. It is through this formulation that we can develop a better understanding of your experience of the transitions in your life, the ways that you respond to them (or don’t respond to them), and the places where we can most effectively intervene to help you navigate these transitions with increased understanding and skill.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) helps us to address ambivalence and uncertainty about embarking on major life transitions and engaging with change. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) helps with the patterns of thinking that come up around self-doubt, identity, and what comes next. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is particularly well-suited to the territory of transition, because it helps you to carry both grief and movement at the same time, and to act on what matters, even when the ground is still moving. We also bring in humanistic approaches that hold space for meaning making in chapters where meaning is one of the most important parts of what you are reaching for.

We help you to make sense of where you are, to hold the complexity of what you are losing and what you are stepping into, and to move forward with more clarity. Some individuals come to us looking for help in deciding whether or not to embark on a transition. Others come in the middle of change, when they are feeling lost and are looking for direction. Some come months or years afterward, when the dust has settled and they realize that they never actually processed everything that shifted.

We are here whenever you are ready.

Our Difference

Specialist training.
Private practice access.

Every clinician at Laksman Doell Psychology is a doctoral-level psychologist who is registered with, or working toward registration with, the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO). Our psychologists have extensive training and experience across the full range of major life transitions, including areas related to career, relationships, health, identity, parenting, aging, and loss. Several team members bring particular depth in transitions tied to severe and chronic illness, caregiving, major mental health diagnoses, and the chapters that no one prepared you for. Our team has trained at sites including, but not limited to, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto General, North York General, Cleveland Clinic Canada, and the University of Toronto.

Sessions are available in person at 27 Prince Arthur Avenue in the Annex neighbourhood of Toronto, or virtually across Ontario via PHIPA-compliant video. All services are available virtually to any Ontario resident. No referral required.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What kinds of transitions does this work address?

We work with any transitions that are contributing to emotional distress or difficulties in functioning. Career changes and endings, relationship transitions including divorce and separation, becoming a parent, children leaving home, retirement, health diagnoses, grief, immigration and relocation, identity transitions, and the disorientation that follows even positive change. If your life has reorganized and you haven’t found your footing, then this is the right work.

Do I need to be in crisis to reach out?

No. People come in at all stages of transition. When they feel stuck in making a decision about embarking on a transition, in the middle of significant changes, during the aftermath, or sometimes years later when something finally cracks open. There is no threshold to meet.

How is this different from grief counselling?

Grief is often part of transitions, but it is frequently not the full picture, and we work with all of the social, emotional, and psychological concerns that transitions may entail. If loss is the primary presenting concern, our grief counselling page describes that work in more depth.

Do I need a referral for therapy for difficult life transitions in Toronto?

No. You can contact us directly. No referral from a physician or psychiatrist is required.

Is therapy for difficult life transitions at your practice covered by OHIP?

Private practice services are not covered by OHIP. Coverage may be available through extended health benefits, as many plans cover the services of a registered psychologist. We recommend confirming with your provider before commencing treatment.

Can I be seen virtually?

Yes. All services are available virtually via PHIPA-compliant video for any Ontario resident.

Life is complicated. We give you clarity.

The first step is a brief consultation to help understand what you are looking for.
Email us at [email protected] or complete our contact form online.