Counseling Adults Through Life Changes…
Are You Facing Changes In Your Life?
My name is Mary Ellen Brayton and I am a board certified Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), National Certified Counselor (NCC) with a Master’s Degree in Counseling. I specialize in guiding adults through difficult transitions.
Through the years the common theme I have found counseling adults of all ages in academic, clinical, and career settings as well as in my own private practice is that change is difficult. It is sometimes said that “change is the only constant in life,” but not all change is easy. I specialize in helping clients who are experiencing a difficult transition in their career, their relationship or in the roles they play throughout their life.
Today people no longer stay in one job, or even one career, for their lifetime. We are living longer and working longer than our parents and grandparents. The notions and expectations surrounding “retirement” have changed requiring those retiring to navigate uncharted territories.
Our relationships can become very complex. Today’s marriages are feeling the strain of our precarious economic environment; young couples beginning a life together have unclear expectations for the roles each will play within a marriage because their lives are so very different from that of their parents; couples can experience an “empty nest” after older children begin their lives outside of the family. The time consuming role of mother and father changes to that of wife and husband again causing change and uncertainty.
Navigating the ever changing roles we play in life can catch us off guard. Transitioning into and out of college isn’t always seamless in this job market; becoming a parent, while at first miraculous and euphoric, necessitates us losing our independence, becoming accountable, responsible, and sometimes even giving up a career in order to focus our time on family. Caring for an aging parent or spouse can entail role reversal. We are now the caretaker instead of the one being “cared for”.
If you are experiencing any type of life change, you may feel anxious, depressed, out of control, overwhelmed, stressed, stuck, angry, or even physically ill. Talking confidentially with a trained professional can significantly alleviate the anxiety and depression associated with change by helping you to understand the underlying concerns and by teaching you strategies for coping or alleviating the stressor.
Mary Ellen Brayton is a counselor who specializes in guiding adults through difficult transitions relating to their Careers, Relationships, and Roles in life.
My practice is named Transitional Counseling. As I counsel adults experiencing change I realize that they may often feel depressed, overwhelmed, confused, stuck, anxious, angry, or even feel physically ill. Change may be a fact of life and it can bring opportunity, but at times it may be daunting and stressful for someone to handle on their own. My specialty is in helping adults successfully manage difficult changes in their