Specialities
Life Transitions Therapy in Brookline, MA
There are moments when the ground you’ve stood on for years suddenly shifts. A marriage ends. A job disappears, or you finally leave the one that was slowly hollowing you out. A child leaves for college, or a parent needs your care in ways you never anticipated. You retire after decades of identity built around work. You move to a new city, or back to an old one. Even good changes — a new baby, a long-awaited promotion — can leave you feeling strangely off-balance, uncertain of who you are on the other side.
Life transitions are not a sign that something is wrong with you. They are some of the most disorienting experiences a person can go through, precisely because they ask you to let go of a version of your life — and often a version of yourself — before the next one has fully taken shape. In that in-between space, old fears, old griefs, and old patterns of coping tend to resurface, sometimes more intensely than the transition itself seems to warrant.
In short: That’s usually not a coincidence. In my practice, I’ve found that how strongly a transition hits us is rarely just about the transition. It’s shaped by earlier experiences of change, loss, and uncertainty — patterns formed long before this moment, now being activated again. Working from a contemporary psychodynamic approach, I help clients understand why a particular transition feels so destabilizing, so that instead of just getting through it, you come out of it with more insight, more resilience, and a steadier sense of who you are.
Life transitions that bring people to therapy
Some transitions arrive with a single defining event; others build slowly and are harder to name. People come to me for support navigating:
Career changes — job loss, career pivots, burnout that finally forces a decision
Becoming a parent for the first time, or adjusting to an empty nest
Relocation — moving to a new city, or moving back to one you thought you’d left behind
Aging and the role shifts that come with it — becoming a caregiver, becoming the one who’s cared for
Marriage, blending families, or other shifts in household and relationship structure
Divorce, separation, or the ending of a long-term relationship
Retirement and the shift in identity and daily structure that follows
Major health changes, for yourself or someone you love
Post-graduation uncertainty — the transition out of a structured environment into an undefined “next”
Loss of a role, community, or sense of purpose that once anchored daily life
If you recognize yourself in any of these, you’re not overreacting. You’re responding to real disruption — and there’s real value in having support while you find your footing.
How I approach life transitions
My approach is contemporary psychodynamic — I don't offer a scripted set of coping techniques or a fixed number of "stages" to move through. Instead, we work to understand the particular meaning of your loss, so that healing is rooted in who you are and what this loss actually represents in your life.
Getting to the root of why this transition hits so hard
Two people can go through the same transition — a divorce, a retirement, a move — and have very different experiences of it. That difference usually traces back to something older: how you were taught to handle change and uncertainty growing up, what loss has meant in your life before, or what stability had to look like for you to feel safe. My psychodynamic approach focuses on uncovering these older patterns so we understand not just what you’re going through now, but why it’s landing the way it is. That insight is what allows change to move from something you survive to something that reshapes how you handle whatever comes next.
Relational — how transitions ripple through your relationships
Transitions rarely stay contained to one part of life. A career change affects a marriage. A new baby changes how you relate to your own parents. A move disrupts friendships and support systems you didn’t realize you were leaning on. We look at how the transition you’re facing is shifting your closest relationships — and how patterns in those relationships, some going back years, are shaping how you’re coping.
Attachment-based — understanding transitions as disruptions to felt security
Attachment theory tells us that our sense of safety is built on consistent, dependable connection — first with early caregivers, later with partners, friends, and communities. Major transitions disrupt that consistency, which is part of why they can feel so destabilizing even when they’re expected or even welcome. Drawing on my training in attachment-based work, I help clients understand what security has meant for them and how to rebuild a felt sense of stability amid real change.
Mindfulness-based — staying present amid uncertainty
Transitions live in uncertainty, and uncertainty is uncomfortable. A natural response is to spend all your energy anticipating what’s next or replaying what’s been lost — leaving little room to actually be in your life as it is right now. I incorporate mindfulness-based practices, drawn in part from training with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, to help clients stay grounded in the present moment, even while the bigger picture is still unfolding.
Who I work with
I’ve spent 21+ years working with people navigating exactly this kind of disruption — college and graduate students facing what comes after school, working professionals reevaluating careers, parents adjusting to new family structures, and adults moving through retirement and later-life role changes. Many of my clients are busy, accomplished Brookline, Newton, and Chestnut Hill residents who are used to managing a great deal — and who are surprised by how much a life transition can knock them off center. My office is at 1577 Beacon St in Brookline, and I also offer secure telehealth sessions to clients throughout Massachusetts, so support is available whether you’re able to come in or need the flexibility of meeting from home.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if I need therapy for a life transition?
If a change in your life — expected or not — has left you feeling persistently anxious, low, stuck, or not like yourself, that’s a good sign therapy could help. You don’t need to be in crisis to benefit. Many clients come in simply because a transition is bigger than they expected, and they want support making sense of it rather than trying to power through alone.
How is this different from coaching?
Coaching typically focuses on setting goals and building forward momentum around a specific change. My approach goes deeper: we look at the underlying patterns, emotions, and history that shape how you experience the transition in the first place. Understanding why a change feels the way it does tends to produce more lasting steadiness than strategy alone — and it also means the insight carries forward into whatever transition comes next.
Can therapy help even if the change is positive (new baby, promotion)?
Yes. Even welcome changes ask you to let go of an old identity or routine and step into an unfamiliar one, which can bring up surprising grief, anxiety, or self-doubt. It’s very common to feel guilty for struggling with something that’s supposed to be good news. Therapy offers a place to hold both — genuine excitement and the real disorientation that can come with it — without judgment.
How long does life transitions therapy typically last?
It varies by person and by transition. Some clients find real clarity and relief within a few months of weekly sessions, especially around a single defined change. Others continue longer to work through deeper patterns the transition has brought to the surface. We’ll talk through what feels right for you and revisit that pacing as we go.
Do you offer telehealth for life transitions therapy?
Yes. I offer secure telehealth sessions to clients across Massachusetts, in addition to in-person sessions at my Brookline office. Many people going through a major transition — a move, a new baby, a demanding new role — find the flexibility of meeting from home makes it easier to prioritize this support.
I'm here for you.
Life transitions can be disorienting, but you don’t have to navigate them alone — or start from scratch each time. Understanding the roots of how you respond to change is what makes it possible to move through this transition, and the next one, with more steadiness and self-trust.