Life Transitions: Support through change, loss, and new beginnings

Life is full of changes — some expected, others sudden. Even positive transitions can leave us feeling overwhelmed, uncertain, or emotionally adrift. Whether you’re facing the loss of a loved one, the adjustment to retirement, a major illness, or the arrival of a new baby, it often helps to find and benefit from professional help.

Support through counselling provides a compassionate space to explore what you're going through, make sense of your emotions, and begin to rebuild with clarity and confidence.

Common Life Transitions you may be experiencing:

• Retirement – Letting go of a role that defined you for decades can feel both freeing and disorienting. Through counselling you may explore what purpose and identity look like now.
• Grief and Loss – Whether recent or long ago, the passing of someone you love can reshape your world. Gentle support can help you move through sorrow at your own pace.
• Pregnancy and Parenthood – From the joy of anticipation to the anxiety of change, Psyche-Care offers a space to process, prepare, and feel grounded.
• Menopause and Midlife Changes – This natural stage can bring emotional upheaval, changes in mood, identity questions, and even grief. Counselling can help you navigate this time with compassion and perspective.
• Chronic or Serious Illness – A diagnosis can bring fear, grief, and questions about the future. You don’t have to carry that alone.
• Relationship Breakdowns – Separation, divorce, or the end of a significant connection can trigger a profound sense of loss and identity shift.
• Becoming a Carer – Supporting someone you love through illness or aging can be deeply meaningful — and emotionally exhausting.
• Midlife or Empty Nest – Changing roles, adult children leaving home, or questioning what’s next — all part of the natural, though sometimes confusing, arc of life.

You may not have words for what you're feeling — just a sense that something has changed and you're struggling to find your footing. If you have friends and family to offer support, that is great! However, sometimes that may not be an option or you may need more profesional support depending on your situation.

How Counselling Can Help

Counselling offers more than just coping tools — it’s a chance to:

• Reflect and be heard without judgement
• Process complex or conflicting emotions
• Reconnect with your strengths and values
• Make thoughtful decisions about what’s next
• Find meaning in times of change or uncertainty

Why Choose Psyche Care?

Christine Bennett offers a depth of experience and a calm, respectful presence to help you feel safe and understood. With a background in both individual and relationship counselling, she provides insight into how transitions affect your sense of self, your roles, and your relationships.

Sessions are available on the Central Coast, Sydney’s North Shore, or online, depending on your location and preference.

Source and for more information on depression, please visit The Black Dog Institute website.

Also hear Professor Gordon Parker speak on depression: The Black Dog Institute.

The Black Dog Institute is a not-for-profit, educational, research, clinical and community-oriented facility offering specialist expertise in depression and Bipolar Disorder.

The Black Dog Institute website is a comprehensive, informative resource for information on the nature of depression and about help available.

Are you depressed? Try this quizz

"This quiz is based on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, a questionnaire developed in the 1970s to detect major or clinical depression. The questions are easy to answer and cover most of the areas included in the diagnostic criteria for depression.

Almost 85 per cent of those found to have depression after an in-depth structured interview with a psychiatrist will have a high score on the CES-Depression Scale. On the other hand, about 20 per cent of those who score high on the scale will have their symptoms resolve quickly and not turn out to have major or clinical depression.

You should not take your quiz score to represent a mental disorder diagnosis. Always consult with a trained mental health professional if you are experiencing depressive feelings or difficulties in your daily life that cause you anxiety or worry. A full physical examination is necessary to rule out physical disorders presenting as mental disorders."

Reference

Radloff LS, The CES-D scale: a self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement Vol 1, pp 385-401, 1977.

Take quizz at ABC Health and Wellbeing.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Mood Disorders

ABC Health Report, 28 August 2006

"Some studies suggest that a deficit in omega-3 fatty acids is a contributing factor to mood disorders".

"A paper in the American Journal of Psychiatry from Gordon Parker, Neville Gibson and other colleagues at the School of Psychiatry and Black Dog Institute at the University of NSW argues that diet and lack of omega-3 fatty acids typically found in seafood play a strong role in mood disorders."

Professor Gordon Parker says, "We think so, maybe one of the very important factors causing certain mood disorders. Secondly it appears a fairly safe treatment, particularly where we do have worries about anti-depressants such as adolescence and also women with peri-natal disorders."

Full interview between Norman Swan and Professor Gordon Parker

Video Game Playing and Adolescent Depression

Article:

Daily Violent Video Game Playing and Depression in Preadolescent Youth

Tortolero Susan R., Peskin Melissa F., Baumler Elizabeth R., Cuccaro Paula M., Elliott Marc N., Davies Susan L., Lewis Terri H., Banspach Stephen W., Kanouse David E., and Schuster Mark A.. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. September 2014, 17(9): 609-615. doi:10.1089/cyber.2014.0091.

Published in Volume: 17 Issue 9: September 11, 2014

How can counselling help you if you are suffering from depression?

Christine Bennett offers help through counselling and psychotherapy for people suffering from depression and low self esteem. Christine finds that Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Ericksonian Hypnosis and lifestyle education can make a significant difference to improve mood.

If you would like to make an enquiry or appointment, please call or use the form provided below. We look forward to hearing from you.