Life transitions therapy
Life Transitions Therapy in Grand Blanc, Michigan
Support through career change, divorce, retirement, caregiving and health changes — in person in Grand Blanc or by secure video across Michigan and 14 other states.
Change is hard even when you chose it
People often arrive slightly embarrassed. The new job was a promotion. The move was what they wanted. The divorce was the right call. And yet something is off, and it feels unreasonable to be struggling with a good thing.
It isn’t unreasonable. Transitions ask you to give something up even when what replaces it is better — a routine, a role, a version of yourself, a set of assumptions about how the next ten years were going to go. That loss is real whether or not the change was welcome, and it doesn’t announce itself as grief.
I’m Kevin B. Stachowiak, MSW, LMSW. I’ve worked with people through most of the transitions on this page, and the common thread is rarely that someone made the wrong decision.
How we work on it
We start with what actually changed, including the parts that don’t show up on the surface. A retirement isn’t only the end of a job; it’s often the end of being the person who knows what they’re doing. A divorce isn’t only a separation; it’s a future that no longer exists. Naming the real loss tends to make the reaction stop feeling irrational.
From there the work is orientation rather than repair — what matters to you now, what you want to carry forward, what genuinely has to be rebuilt. I draw on acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, narrative work and mindfulness-based approaches.
Sessions run 45 to 60 minutes, and this is often shorter-term work. See fees & insurance →
Transitions people bring in
When a transition is really grief
Some of what people call a transition is closer to bereavement — a death, a diagnosis, the end of a long marriage. Grief has its own shape and its own timeline, and it doesn’t respond well to being treated as a problem to be organised.
If that’s nearer to what you’re carrying, grief and loss counseling is the better starting point. We can work that out together in a first conversation.
Good to know
Life transitions: common questions
Is this really something to see a therapist about?
Yes. Adjustment difficulties are among the most common reasons people come to therapy, and they respond well to it. You don't need a diagnosis or a catastrophe to justify a few sessions while the ground is moving.
How long does this usually take?
Often shorter than people expect. Transition work tends to be focused — a defined problem, a defined stretch of time. Some people come for six or eight sessions and finish. Others find something older underneath it and stay longer. We'll talk about it as we go.
What if I don't know what's wrong, only that something is?
That's a normal way to arrive. Working out what's actually going on is part of the work, not a prerequisite for starting it.
Do you work with people around retirement?
Yes. Retirement is one of the transitions that gets least sympathy and causes a surprising amount of difficulty — loss of role, loss of structure, and a marriage that suddenly involves a lot more hours together.
A change you chose can still be hard
A free 15-minute consultation is a low-pressure way to ask questions and see whether this feels like the right fit.
Also available
Other concerns I work with
If you’re in crisis: this website isn’t for emergencies. If you or someone you love is in danger or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or call 911. You deserve immediate support.