What to Lean On When Everything Is Changing

How does therapy help you handle big life changes?  When everything is changing around us, sometimes it can feel like we have nothing to rely on. That’s when working with the right therapist can make all the difference in the world. 

You know better than anyone the specifics of what you’re going through, but how do you translate that into finding the right therapist? What kinds of therapy can help you navigate a big change, and where can you find them? 

“Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes.” -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

DIY Therapy Techniques To Deal With Life Changes

A therapist is going to offer you a vital piece on how to cope with and recover from a big change, but we’d like to give you something between now and the first appointment to help you stay afloat. Let’s start with what you can do right now (on your own!) to cope with a big life change.

• Therapeutic Rituals. Rituals are the tasks we perform regularly that offer us structure and purpose. This could look like a morning coffee, a weekly D&D game, or taking the time to write in your gratitude journal. The right rituals can provide security and meaning in our lives no matter what is changing around us. 
• Finding Joy Through Play Therapy. For adults, finding the joy in our lives can be difficult. For kids? Not so much. Play therapy is the act of engaging in childlike play to help us unlock the joy in our adult lives, and you can start doing it right now. Think about the things you did for fun when you were a kid, especially the things you stopped doing because you felt judgment for them as you got older, and then try some of them out. Ride your bike, draw a picture, play a sport, pick up a musical instrument, or whatever else sparks joy in your heart of hearts and feel your inner child full of delight.
• The Therapy of Exploring Symbolism. Symbols, whether they’re in dreams, memories, or recurring motifs throughout our journey, can carry powerful meanings that words alone struggle to capture. Exploring what these symbols are in our lives and what they make us feel can be highly meaningful. What are some of the most powerful symbols in your life, and how do they make you feel?

Do Therapists Help New Relationships? 

Starting something new, even when it’s joyful, can stir up old wounds, insecurities, or fears of vulnerability. Working with a therapist can help you stay grounded in your own identity, learn better ways to communicate, and give you a safe space to explore your vulnerabilities outside of your new relationship. 

Starting a new relationship is exciting, but it’s also a big transition, and those are tough for everyone. Working with a therapist means a golden opportunity to move on from the relationship mistakes we’ve made in the past and forge a brighter future with your new partner. 

So what are some of the common relationship pitfalls that a therapist can help you with?

• Emotionally Supporting Your Partner Through Tough Times. When your partner is going through a big change, that often means big changes for the both of you. Offering your support often looks like taking on new responsibilities, empathizing even when we’re upset, and putting our own needs second, and these are all no small order. The right therapist can be your dedicated line of support when you’re busy supporting others.
• How To Forgive And Be Forgiven. A relationship that is unskilled in forgiveness will last only until its first mistake, then be doomed to resentment and separation (one followed by the other). Without forgiveness, we live forever in debt to the past. Fortunately, this is one of the skills that they teach us in therapy: how to forgive, when to forgive, and, importantly, how to be forgiven when we make a mistake.
• Understanding How To Securely Connect With Your Partner. Human beings are not lego pieces that neatly connect at designated points with perfect accuracy. Our connections more closely resemble the  shifting tectonic plates of the planet earth. Yes, we are close to one another, and yes, at times our edges seem to fit together perfectly like matched puzzle pieces, but some of us grind together creating earthquakes and some of us drift apart creating wide swaths of distance. In other words, our connections and ways of connecting are both vital to understanding of the world and utterly chaotic and messy. Working with the right therapist can help you make sense of the different ways you and your partner connect. 

Does Integrative Counsel Accept My Insurance?

If you’re considering starting therapy at Integrative Counsel, one of the first questions you might have is whether we accept your insurance. Navigating insurance coverage for mental health services can feel overwhelming, and that’s not the ideal therapeutic environment to say the least. Here’s what you need to know to find out whether your insurance plan is accepted and how to get the most out of your benefits. 

Whatever your insurance provider is, we’re here to help you find affordable care. If you book an intake appointment with us, we’ll help you get matched with a therapist who’s in your price range. Whether that means working on a sliding scale, using the illusive insurance magic of the “superbill”, or even sending you to a mental health provider outside of our team, Integrative Counsel is here to help you!

• Counselors Who Accept Aetna Insurance. If you have health insurance from Aetna, you’re in the right place! Our team is covered by your insurance, and here to offer you quality expansive therapy that’s covered by your insurance.
• Therapists Who Accept Cigna Insurance. There’s no reason that it should be so difficult to find a therapist who accepts your Cigna insurance. Wherever you are on your ever-changing journey, we have a right-fit counselor who’s got you covered (and is covered by your insurance!)
• Art Therapy For People With Optum. Finding counseling that fits in your lifestyle can be quite the journey, but Integrative Counsel is here to help you at every step of the way. If you’re covered by Optum Oscar, Optum Oxford, or United Optum, we can match you with a right-fit counselor who’s covered by your plan.

How Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy Can Help With Big Changes

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy offers a unique and promising approach to navigating these transitions by creating a therapeutic space where deep healing and insight can unfold more rapidly. In a KAP session, the “zooming out” effect of the ketamine combines with the expert guidance of a trained therapist to help you process whatever uncertainty, trauma, or grief is sticking in your mind.

• Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy Helps With Anxiety. KAP has been shown to reduce long-term symptoms of anxiety, even in patients  with anxiety that was otherwise resistant to treatment. Ketamine may help “retrain” the brain, making it more adaptable and better able to cope with stress and emotional challenges. That is because ketamine reduces the activity of the Default Mode Network (DMN) in the brain, which can make your brain grow more distant from habitual thoughts and gain perspective. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with anxiety and uncertainty over a big change in your life, it could be worth it to consider what ketamine therapy could do for you. 
• KAP Can Profoundly Help With PTSD.  Ketamine is an especially potent medicine for healing the psychological symptoms of trauma. Ketamine helps create an altered state of consciousness, which can allow people to tap into deep emotions and experiences that might be difficult to access through regular talk therapy. This can lead to significant breakthroughs, helping individuals confront and heal from unresolved trauma. If you’ve been traumatized by big changes in your past and are struggling to move forward, then KAP could be the right option for you.
• Ketamine Therapy Helps With Depression. If you are already depressed, of course you’re going to feel overwhelmed when you go through a big life change. You didn’t have the energy to do the dishes, and now you’ve got a whole new set of problems on your plate? Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy has worked miracles when it comes to treating  people with long-term depression, and it could do the same for you. Ketamine helps by targeting the neurotransmitter glutamate, which influences mood and thought patterns. It promotes neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to form new connections. This process allows for a “reset,” helping you break free from stuck patterns of thinking.

St. Petersburg Counseling For Life Changes

At Integrative Counsel, we support you through every life transition. We know that life is complex and full of unexpected twists, challenges, and growth. We also recognize that every individual is unique, which is why we tailor our approach to meet your specific needs.

We believe healing is both an art and a science. Our therapists blend creative, expressive, and somatic therapies with evidence-based techniques to provide care that is both profound and practical. Whether you’re navigating a major change or seeking deeper self-understanding, we’re here to meet you exactly where you are on your journey.

Click here to schedule a consultation and get matched with a therapist on our team.

Sunny Ebsary is an educator, multi-modal artist, and writer specializing in the intersection of myth and mental health. Sunny’s writing walks the line between poetic and logical, giving readers a chance to interface with the mind and imagination. Sunny’s been putting pen to paper since he was a child, writing everything from albums, novels, and plays, to essays, interactive games, and of course, many articles! While studying both psychology and writing, he realized his real passion in life was helping others unlock their creative spark. Whether he’s leading a D&D game, directing a production, or diving deep into the brain, you can be sure Sunny will be ushering you toward finding meaning in your life.