Anxiety and Stress Are Common When Children Return To School

Students are starting to get ready for class from kindergarten to college. For some students, they’re starting school for the first time. For others, it’s transitioning to a new grade or moving from home to start their first year of college. These new changes are common triggers for stress and anxiety. Managing stress and anxiety at school is very important.

This year, almost 21 million new students will be starting or returning to American colleges. As exciting as these new experiences are, they can also trigger feelings of anxiety and possibly even more serious mental illnesses.

It is not just leaving home to begin a new academic career, it is also learning how to maneuver in a new social environment. This transition is difficult in terms of triggering mental health issues.

Additionally, in the teenage years and early 20s many psychiatric illnesses start to appear because the causes are genetic. College students often struggle with depression which can be triggered by stress and change of environment, as well as abusing alcohol and drugs.

Up to 30% of college students had a serious enough depression to interfere with functioning during school. In fact, the second leading cause of death among college age youth is suicide

It is important to make college students aware that they are not alone and that they are able to seek help.

Other helpful tips for coping with the changes of college life are as follows:

1. Get enough sleep. Eight hours of regular sleep are key to having enough energy for a balanced academic life.

2.  Eat a nutritious and balanced diet.  Avoiding junk food is important as well as eating enough fruit and vegetables and eliminating eating late at night.

3.  Developing a social network such as getting involved in clubs, finding people who have similar interests in dormitories or in class.

4.  Maintain your support system at home by phone or visits.  It’s very important to keep the connections with people at home who can offer good support and guidance.

5.  Don’t fall behind in your classes, one of the biggest sources of stress in college is falling behind and feeling like you can’t catch up.

It is not just college students that are vulnerable to stress at school. Younger children can be vulnerable to anxiety when they start returning to school or start a new grade. It is very important for parents not to discount these fears. Parents need to realize that their children’s anxiety and stress is real, and it’s important to let their children know that they are not alone and other children feel the same way they do.

Parents can help their children with the following tips:

1.  Start to the school schedule with plenty of time to prepare. A good time to start transitioning is two weeks before school starts.

2. Prepare your kids for school by getting them information such as mapping out their classes and schedule and reviewing it together prior to the start of school period

3.  Know your children’s abilities. Do they need extra help to keep up with their grades, and if so provide extra help and support such as hiring a tutor.

4. Make sure your children know that there are clear boundaries and that they have consistent rules. Consistency is very important to create a feeling of safety so children know what behaviors are acceptable.

If you need help managing anxiety caused by a transition to school, or helping your children manage their own school anxiety it is important to seek out professional advice from a psychotherapist. Patricia Hecht, MFT, is very experienced in helping managing school anxiety, so please contact her at 415-813-0404 for an appointment today.

Managing Anxiety in the Workplace

Employees with an anxiety disorder can have immense psychological suffering in the workplace. Workplace anxiety can lead to them turning down a promotion or other opportunities just because they either involve public speaking or a lot of traveling. It can also lead them to make excuses to get out of office meetings, staff lunches or office parties.

In a national survey conducted on anxiety in the workplace, persons with anxiety disorders raised the following difficult situations; setting and meeting set deadlines, dealing with problems, participating and contributing in meetings, making presentations, and maintaining personal relationships.

Tips to Manage and Control Anxiety and Work Stress In The Workplace

It’s normal to feel stress at the workplace as it happens to everyone. However, stress that keeps recurring, or that is overwhelming and persistent and interferes with functioning may point to an anxiety disorder. If you find yourself suffering from persistent stress that impairs your daily functioning, here are some of the tips you can employ to keep your life manageable:

1. Work

Besides getting the needed finances, work can boost your self-esteem and add to your social identity.

2. Share Your Problem With A Trusted Coworker

Having someone who knows and understands your problem at the workplace can help reduce any anticipatory anxiety and worries of having a panic attack at work.

3. Learn About Your Problem

Do a research about anxiety and panic attacks and learn to recognize the symptoms of anxiety. This will help you to handle them before they become full blown.

4. Practice Time Management

Prioritize your work and make to-do lists often. Give yourself enough time to complete the needed tasks or projects.

5. Plan and Prepare

Begin performing the major projects early enough and set mini-deadlines for yourself. Try to anticipate problems and try to prevent them from occurring.

6. Be realistic

Don’t promise to perform a project or overcommit if you don’t realistically have ample time to carry out the task.

7. Be open

Open up about your problem in a diplomatic and calm manner if you have too much to handle. If you fail to speak up, how will your supervisor know that you overextended?

8. Ask For Help

Don’t hesitate to ask for any help from your coworkers anytime you feel overwhelmed. You can return the favor later on after you’ve settled.

9. Avoid Negative Minded Coworkers

Try as much as possible to ignore gossip and negativity in your workplace.

10. Savor Success

Celebrate yourself for completing a major project before moving on to the next task. Thank everyone who helped you accomplish your projects.

11. Take Breaks

Taking breaks in between your daily routines can help clear your head. You can take a walk around your workplace compound or take a few minutes of deep breathing.

12. Be Healthy

Have a healthy lifestyle where you get enough sleep, eat healthy, and exercise regularly. Limit alcohol and caffeine. All these habits will keep you mind and body in shape to handle challenging situations.

13. Set Boundaries

Avoid bringing work home with you. If you are at home or on a vacation, stop checking your email every hour. If it’s time to relax, do so.

Getting Help

Getting help and therapy for stress and anxiety disorders is important if these feelings are causing problems in daily life. Get help from a professional therapist. Most people have improved and overcome workplace anxiety by getting therapy for anxiety from a health care professional.

If you need therapy for anxiety and help with stress management you can contact San Francisco Therapist Patricia Hecht, MFT at (415) 813-0404 or through her therapy website.

Seven Reasons to Seek Marriage Counseling

Successful marriage rates are on the decline with 50% of first marriages ending up in divorce. Divorce rates vary depending on the partner’s religious beliefs and level of education, among other factors, but when divorce happens, it leads to a lot of difficulties in both children and adults.

To adults divorce is one of the most stressful events in life and it often leads to uncertainty about the future. Where children are involved, they may experience negative effects such as guilt, blame, anger, feeling of abandonment and acting out. While at time divorce may be necessary, some couples may wish to salvage their union by seeking marriage counseling which is helpful in a variety of situations. The following are seven reasons to seek marriage counseling in order to save your marriage.

1. Poor communication

Once communication deteriorates it often leads to recurring arguments and conflicts. Withdrawal and negative communication is equally detrimental. When communication is negative, partners can feel insecure, depressed and disregarded. Withdrawing or avoiding conversation has the same effect as unspoken complaints as many issues remain unaddressed.

Marriage counseling helps to build communication in a relationship and teaches partners how to properly communicate with one another.

2. Infidelity

Infidelity puts a real damper on the trust and innocence of any marriage which makes it difficult to recover. However, if both partners are willing to recommit and reconcile, then the marriage can be salvaged through marriage counseling.

A marriage counselor helps the partners to rebuild trust with one another and move forward.

3. Missing the spark

When couples begin to behave more like roommates rather than a married couple, it indicates a need for marriage counseling. This decline in the marriage is often caused by lack of intimacy, conversation and communication and it is accompanied by detachment and emotional alienation making it feel like a couple is just co-existing. If not addressed, these feelings may lead to divorce.

Counseling can help a couple restore the emotional connection they felt initially as well as understand the things that led to the emotional estrangement.

4. Lack of intimacy

The day to day stress, kids, bills, work, family, chores can stress the marriage. The stress can flow to the bedroom leading to lack of passion and intimacy.

Marriage counseling can help to determine the issues in the relationship or life in general that are putting a strain on your sexual life and get intimacy back to normal.

5. When a couple is considering separation

When a couple often argues or disagrees, a break can be helpful. However, recurring arguments can lead to temporary separation which indicates a need for counseling. A temporary separation does not resolve any situation, it just avoids the problem and often leads to more absences and may eventually lead to divorce.

A marriage counselor focuses on the cause of the problem and comes up with the best technique to prevent the problems from reoccurring.

6. Finances

Disagreements over finances are a major cause of conflict in families. When couples disagree on how to handle the finances, conflict escalates quickly.

By contacting a marriage counselor, couples can talk about their concerns and frustrations and the counselor will help sort out the arguments and help the couple to focus on the real issues.

7. When a couple is only staying together for the sake of the children

Most couples find themselves staying together for the sake of the children only. Often, they believe that they are doing the right thing but it is actually detrimental to the children. Kids are very intelligent and intuitive and no matter how a couple tries to fake happiness, most children can read between the lines.

In such a case, a marriage counselor is needed to help resolve the issues and help the couple move towards a positive and healthy relationship.

All marriages require work. Marriage counseling helps one to develop a better understanding of their partner and their needs. Seeking counseling is a perfect way to remind each other why you fell in love and know how to remain in love.

If you need to seek help from a professional and compassionate marriage counselor, please contact Patricia Hecht, MFT, to make an appointment now either through her website or by calling 415-813-0404.

Anxiety Disorders – A Common and Treatable Mental Health Condition

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), about 40 million adults are affected from anxiety disorders, which is about 18% of Americans. These disorders as such, are among the leading mental health illnesses by prevalence. If you are a patient suffering from any of the many anxiety disorders, there are many people like you. This narrative describes the various kinds of disorders, looks at how each of them may affect your mental health and, offers an insight on the various anxiety disorder treatment available.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

More than 3% of the American population suffer from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The common symptoms are excessive and chronic worrying. People suffering from GAD harbor fear for considerably longer durations, sometimes even years. This feeling is extremely exhausting and so GAD patients often feel drained and fatigued. They also have a hard time concentrating and may suffer muscle tension and insomnia. It however is possible to treat GAD using antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication. Another anxiety disorder treatment applicable here is cognitive behavioral therapy.

Panic Disorder

Patients suffering panic disorder often experience sudden attacks of panic or fear that leave them weak. These attacks may interfere with the patient’s daily life. Other signs that accompany the panic attacks include increased pulse, hyperventilation, light-headedness or dizziness, chest pain, tingling limbs and abdominal pain. These physical symptoms will scare almost anyone especially considering that they draw a parallel with heart attack or stroke symptoms and, this may accentuate the attack. Panic disorder is however treatable with both psychotherapy and anti-anxiety medication.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Though science offer ways of debunking the myths associated with OCD, it remains poorly understood. People suffering from OCD are often stereotyped as being overly orderly or clean. The two descriptive characteristics of OCD are obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions refer to images or thought processes that push patients to feel less and less in control. This feeling is disturbing especially because it comes accompanied by worrying. Obsessions may involve fears associated with unwanted sexual thoughts, contamination, consternation of erring in the ways of religion and morality and even fears of hurting people close to the patient.

Compulsions are more of afterthoughts and acts that the obsessive thoughts push the patient to follow through. Following through with these acts make the patient feel in control. Because of its complicated nature, treating OCD isn’t easy. However, certain cognitive behavioral therapies such as Exposure and Response Prevention therapy (ERP) can help patients face the fears and overcome the resulting obsessions and compulsions.

Phobia

Phobias are some of the leading anxiety disorders and affect almost 9% of the American population. Women are the most affected. The common symptoms here include excessive fear for an organism, object or objectively harmless situations. Certain kinds of phobias such as the fear of snakes or closed or open space can seriously interrupt a person’s daily life. Phobias can be managed using beta blockers, sedatives, anti-depressants as well as certain anxiety disorder treatment regimens such as exposure, cognitive behavioral or desensitization therapies.

Social Anxiety Disorder

This refers to the fear of undergoing scrutiny or the judging eyes of the public. Social anxiety disorder makes patients uncomfortable and almost unable to go to work, socialize freely, or even leave their homes. Exposure therapy may help patients overcome this disorder. Exposure therapy is effective because it helps patients overcome the nervousness associated with being in the eye of the public. Anti-anxiety medications are also helpful.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Certain studies list PTSD as an independent mental illness though most faculties of psychology group it together with the other anxiety disorders. However, there is no question that it is one of the gravest of these anxiety disorders. PTSD is characterized by depression, severe flashbacks and anxiety often precipitated by past traumatic incidents or brain injuries. Such incidences or injuries are often serious enough to damage the patient’s mental health. There are many possible anxiety disorder treatments capable of managing PTSD. However, almost all are individualized because the causes vary from one patient to the other.

If you need the help of a professional psychotherapist experienced in the treatment of anxiety disorders, contact Patricia Hecht, MFT through her website or at 415-813-0404.

Seven Simple Ways To Re-establish a Loving Connection in Relationships

Many people who enter couples counseling think that most marital problems, start with communication problems. They think that resentment from both sides and being overly defensive is the effect of lack of communication, but the fact is that’s just part of a bigger, underlying problem.

The truth is, it’s the lack of connection that should be addressed in order to revitalize your intimacy as partners. It’s the glue that holds most relationships together. Without it, passions fade, fighting and bickering increases, then separation and/or resentment takes over.

Now, how do couples get it together and restore that love connection? Here’s seven ways to reconnect with your partner on a deeper level:

1. Lighten Up

Whoever said that marriage should be serious and boring? A bit of misunderstanding shouldn’t hurt the relationship; keeping the thought in perspective and sharing a communal sense of humor helps in seeing the big picture in partnership. Grudges shouldn’t be held. Instead, focus on being appreciative, caring and affection to repair the marriage and bring about real healing.

2. Be Kinder

Though you’ve been together for a good number of years, you shouldn’t assume that you know what the person is thinking. The everyday worries and stress can take a toll on anyone’s mind, so move back a little and allow some space for an emotional and spiritual recharge.

3. Reflect

Think about why you both agreed to be married in the first place. Ask yourself, “why do I love him/her?” “what kind of life do I want together with him/her?” Don’t be afraid to share this in couples counseling; speak from the heart and listen to your partner without judging or thinking of a response.

4. Go For a Hug

Physical intimacy can start with a partner’s hug. Don’t think about the consequences such as saying something dumb, your partner hugging you back half-heartedly or refusing on a hug. Do it, and let the reconnection take its place back in the relationship.

5. Say Sorry

It could be especially hard to apologize especially if you feel wronged, but you can phrase it in such a way that you say sorry for any disconnect caused. Make it with as little excuse as possible, and with short, kind words.

6. Set Aside Couples Time Everyday

Set a special time at least once each day for just talking or spending time with each other. Remove any and all distractions such as mobile phones, the TV or social media; drop everything and look at your spouse in the eye, then focus on listening and pay attention to what he or she is saying.

7. A Daily Thank You

This is a great way to show how important the relationship and your partner means to you. Say a little thank you and be appreciative of the little things you do for each other. For example, you can show how much you’re grateful as your other half prepared breakfast, or made coffee.

If you need professional help in establishing a better connection contact Patricia Hecht, MFT at (415) 813-0404, a professional San Francisco couples counselor, to rekindle that flame of love and trust.

Talk Therapy Helps Anxiety Disorders

Feeling anxious at times is normal for everyone. Anxiety is part of the body’s natural reaction to stress. Anxiety can also be helpful at times, making you more alert and prepared to act.

Anxiety disorders occur when feelings of anxiety such as fear or nervousness start to become an interference with daily life. This is called an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorders are amongst the most common mental health disorders. A variety of anxiety disorders exist including phobias, social anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder.

Approximately 15% of people have an anxiety disorder at some point during their life. Women are more likely than men to develop an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders start early in life, and the average age of onset is 11.

The cause of anxiety disorders are probably due to a combination of personal experiences and genetic predispositions. Stressful or dramatic events, such as loss of a job or a divorce, can trigger development of an anxiety disorder.

Treatment of an anxiety disorder with psychotherapy can be extremely effective. Psychotherapy consists of talk therapy with a trained mental health professional. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a form of psychotherapy commonly used to treat anxiety disorders. It focuses on changing unhealthy patterns of thinking through talk sessions with a trained therapist. During cognitive behavioral therapy, you work with your therapist to develop new techniques for coping with the symptoms of anxiety, and learn how to identify and manage triggers for your anxiety.

You will also learn how to change negative thought patterns which will lessen the symptoms of anxiety over time. You will also learn techniques for relaxation, which will counteract anxiety symptoms when they occur.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is effective but does not work quickly, and requires several months before you start seeing benefits from therapy sessions.

If you are experiencing anxiety to the point where it’s causing problems in your life, call Patricia Hecht MFT at 415-813-0404, to start having effective therapy for your anxiety. You can also reach her through her website.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder: How to Cope with Worry

A report on the Harvard Health Blog certainly makes for interesting reading for those individuals that are affected by generalized anxiety disorder. In particular, it focuses on the impact of both worry and stress and the point whereby it becomes too much and evolves into the disorder itself.
The problem is more widespread than you perhaps realize. Indeed, according to the report it is estimated that a quarter of people that attend their physician in connection with anxiety do actually have this condition. However, the report also indicates that there are certain groups that are deemed to be at high risk from GAD including those that were subjected to trauma in childhood or as an adult, females, family issues, and being under money stress are all precursors to potentially developing this condition.

The problem is that this does not then explain why those that suffer from GAD do so thanks to their inability to cope with general worry and stress.

What the report states is that it can generally be put down to the fact that people do not worry for no reason and instead they are doing so as a form of personal protection. Now, this does sound rather strange to consider this as being the reason for them to worry, but when you look at the study in more detail then it does begin to make more sense.

When you worry, you initially put your mind into a more negative state and what then happens is that when something goes wrong it does not affect you quite as badly. For those individuals who suffer from GAD they believe that it is better for them to be in a constantly negative state of mind to then protect them for whenever anything goes wrong, which it appears to always do in their lives.
You see, for somebody with GAD they are trying to prevent that huge swing in emotion from elation to deflation that worries them and to the sufferer it makes sense to avoid getting caught up in this mood swing even if that means they need to be in this state of mind. To those that do not suffer from this constant worry it seems to be a strange way of looking at things as they believe that worry works against them, but not so for the GAD sufferer.

So how does this have an impact on treatment? Well, in all honesty getting them to just stop worrying is not going to work. Instead, research has indicated that people with GAD are almost wired to find negative news to further strengthen their thoughts and beliefs. However, all is not lost because it is possible to change how the brain recalls things and the best method is talk therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as it is otherwise known.

With CBT, you go over your assumptions and change your thoughts by directly challenging what you think. If that is you, then according to this blog it is also a good idea for you to accept that worry is doing something positive for you. At this point, you can then perhaps begin to come to the realisation that the negative swing you worry about is probably not as bad as you think. After this, you can then come to terms with the thought that worry is not actually worth it and look at changing those negative thoughts and experiences for more positive memories.

In other words, worry does not have to cripple you in the way that you fear and by tackling it you too can overcome the debilitating disorder that is GAD.

If you are interested in getting help with your anxiety through cognitive behavioral therapy, contact Patricia Hecht, M.F.T, at 415-813-0404 or through her website here.

Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

I found this interesting article on social anxiety disorder. The article gives information on how social anxiety disorder is one of the most common mental health problems. Many therapists in San Francisco struggle to implement an effective treatment. However, new research suggests that with cognitive behavioral therapy, the therapists may well be on their way.

Earlier research done by the scientists, show that cognitive behavioral therapy can effectively cause neurobiological changes in the brain of the patient suffering from anxiety disorders. A recent study undertaken by Swedish researchers aimed at investigating the link between the brain volume and internet delivered cognitive behavioral therapy. Any neurobiological changes were indicative of the effectiveness of the therapy.

The key components of the study

The study included 52 participants. 26 out of them suffered from social anxiety disorder. The participants suffering from social anxiety disorder were given an internet delivered cognitive behavioral therapy treatment for a period of nine weeks or they were treated with attention bias modification or ABM, which was administered through the internet for 4 weeks, twice weekly. The ABM treatment is an intervention program that aims to improve the cognitive bias that is responsible for detecting the threat. This is administered through the internet as well. After the treatment was over, they were given a magnetic resonance imaging or MRI test. The participants without social anxiety disorder were made to undergo only a MRI test.

The conclusive results

The results from the MRI test proved, that those participants who had social anxiety disorder responded to the CBT treatment much better than the ABM treatment. The results also displayed decrease in brain activity and volume due to cognitive behavioral therapy treatment in the amygdala region of the brain. The amygdala region of the brain is associated with the emotion and fear centers of the brain. The treatment of social anxiety disorder with the cognitive behavioral therapy technique was a complete success.

Effectiveness of the research

The size of the amygdala in the patients grew much smaller with the improvements in their social anxiety disorder. The survey proved that a reduction in the volume also resulted in the reduction in the activity of the brain. Researchers did a press release of the study from the Karolinska Institute, Umea Univeristy, Stockholm University, and Uppsla University. The researchers said that the study proves a positive relationship between social anxiety disorder and cognitive behavioral theory treatment. The researchers said that even though the number of subjects examined are small, the study effectively gives a comprehensive analysis of the two various post treatment changes.

Plans for the future

The conclusions of the study proved that social anxiety disorder is effectively treated with cognitive behavioral therapy in just nine weeks. The changes are not only in their behavior, but also in their brains. The researchers believe that this is the first step towards creating more comprehensive mental treatment plans. The next step is for the researchers to recruit more number of people with this condition and gain an effective insight into what parts of the brain are changing exactly in terms of volume and activity while the process of cognitive behavioral therapy is being conducted. They will test to see if the larger scale application of these treatment methods is possible.

If you are interested in effective treatment of your social anxiety disorder through cognitive behavioral therapy you should contact Patricia Hecht, MFT at (415) 813-0404 or through her website here.

Marriage Counseling Help In San Francisco

The phrase “In sickness and in health, till death do us part” in marriage isn’t so sacred, nor is it so lasting in today’s world. Statistics show that less than half of all marriages end up in painful divorce, which shows the impermanence of what we thought of as a lasting commitment. Fortunately, marriage counseling proves that there’s still hope for couples who wish to save their marriage in San Francisco.

What drives a marriage into a road of breakup? Some experts state that some marriages could have been saved if only the couples themselves recognize the warning signs and get immediate help. While that holds some truth, the problem is that it isn’t always easy to spot the danger early on in the relationship. Even the best and the most loving couples have small disagreements here and there. Arguments such as what name should be given to their firstborn, or where should they go to eat dinner isn’t reason to seek professional help, but if these “minor” occurrences keep happening on a daily basis, then there might be a serious, underlying issue.

Unhappiness in marriage can start when either partner feels they are contributing more than the other person. This can take the form of bringing in more income, unequal sharing of child care, or someone who’s getting the lion’s share of household chores and responsibilities. It’s a slow poison that can end the relationship if not addressed immediately. Constant and hostile disagreements are also an indication of an unhealthy marriage, more so if these spats aren’t resolved or there’s no effort to diffuse the festering problem.

Marriage counseling and seeking the help of a professional doesn’t always solve each and every marital issue. Sometimes, a marriage might even be better off if dissolved. What marriage counselors in San Francisco can and usually do is to bring to light the true situation a couple has found themselves in, offering solutions that can bring the marital dilemma to a satisfying end. When you start to see the undeniable warning signs of relationship problems, or have been keeping quiet about marital issues for a time now, seek counseling as soon as you can. Visiting a marriage counselor’s office doesn’t mean that it’s the end for you or your marriage. You still have the power to save your ailing marital relationship, turn it around for the better and come out of it with an even stronger and healthier marriage.

For help, call marriage counselor Patricia Hecht, MFT, at 415-813-0404, or send her a message here.

Individual Psychotherapy to Help With Career Transitions and Lifetime Learning

Career transitions are an important reason that people come to see me in my Pasadena individual psychotherapy office. Career transitions are often a stressful time in people’s lives. Navigating a career transition successfully, however, will lead people to a more fulfilling life and better self-esteem and confidence. As people live longer, people often find that career transitions can occur later in life after many years spent successfully in their first career. An interesting article in the New York Times tells the story of how a few people have successfully made this career transition later in life [www.nytimes.com/2013/05/15/business/retirementspecial/retired-and-back-in-school-for-the-degree-not-just-the-fun.html]

The story describes a lawyer, who was a partner at a law firm in New York for 32 years. The lawyer said that he enjoyed practicing a lot, but at a certain point he felt he didn’t need to keep doing it. He left the law firm after retirement, and started taking college classes and eventually this led to a Masters degree in classics at the city University of New York, and eventually to teaching positions.

Many people in this lawyer’s position, have a determination to do more than just simply taking courses. People who have completed many years of work in one career and want to explore another career often find auditing classes too passive, and want to play a role in another field. Many people are in this position because the lifespan has increased and there are people live longer, with good health and mental abilities. Marc Freedman, who is interviewed in the article and CEO of a company that helps baby boomers find second careers, suggests that the older model where people work 30 or 40 years and then get a balloon payment of leisure at the end is not designed for our longer life spans.

Often, people who go back to school at a later age may have to make some adjustments in their lifestyle. One person highlighted in the article was a physician who retired, and then fell in love with French literature. He has chosen to complete his doctoral program in French literature at the City University of New York, and stays with one of his sons overnight to control costs. He lives in Pennsylvania because it is less expensive, and has also gone to a less expensive university.

As an individual psychotherapist, I find it extremely rewarding to help people navigate these career transitions. People often have some anxieties and trepidation about making these transitions, and as a therapist I can help them learn ways to adjust and complete their transition successfully. Once you make this career transition, a new road towards life fulfillment will open for you.

If you are facing a similar situation in your career, call Pasadena individual psychotherapist Patricia Hecht at (626) 657-8638 now to discuss your current concerns and schedule an appointment.