- Are you experiencing any number of troubling life changes such as a breakup with a boyfriend or fiancé, divorce, job loss or change, moving into a new environment, or stress with being a mom?
- Do these changes feel overwhelming?
- Or are you feeling stuck in your current life situation and wish you could get motivated to change it?
- Are you concerned about when you do make changes how they will impact your relationships, finances, not to mention your immediate and longer term plans?
- Have you been feeling like you are not heard, or just plain misunderstood, alone, or angry with those closest to you who are not supportive of you?
- Do you find yourself being too hard on yourself or worry that you’re making a lot of “bad” choices?
- Have you experienced unexplained sadness, or hopeless feelings, restlessness, weight loss or gain, aches and pains or ups and downs with your energy?
- Do you worry that these experiences are abnormal or that you are “weird”?
- Or do you just not like yourself going through all these changes?
In all of these changes, you are not alone. We have found over the years of counseling women that issues related to expected or unexpected change have a varying degree of impact on each woman individually and that each one deserves to be heard, understood and validated. When you discover that you have an experienced female counselor on your side, these changes not only become more manageable but are able to be worked through many times with positive and successful results.
Consider times during your life when reproduction and hormones may throw you into a blender of emotions. It’s not always easy being woman! We have discovered that during these ever changing and sometimes uncertain times in our lives we may want to get some support in areas such as:
When we have difficulty trying to get pregnant, and often battle with feelings of sadness, anger, jealousy, loneliness, hopelessness, fear and anxiety.
When we experience a loss of a pregnancy whether through miscarriage, stillbirth, or even after an abortion, and we often find it very hard to heal from the loss especially with overwhelming feelings of fear, guilt, shame, sadness, and worry. We also may find ourselves far apart and feel distant from those we care about (which includes those who are trying somehow to care for us but may not know how) such as a spouse, partner or other family members.
When after childbirth we are not at all how we had hoped we would be. We may feel alone at times and begin to experience a
great deal of feeling sad (or depressed), anxious, worry, and snap at others. Our doctor or healthcare provider may have told us about postpartum depression as something to be aware of after giving birth. Especially with many new mothers it can be very difficult to manage as feelings of confusion, sadness, and just plain feeling overwhelmed with the gigantic role of motherhood! With this comes a tremendous amount of responsibility as you start or continue building a family, determining whether to juggle a career or job on top of your current relationship with your spouse or partner.
When we go into menopause we find ourselves passed the thought of having more children but our hormones have kicked in causing those hot and cold flashes, night sweats, poor sleep, and lack of libido not to mention mood swings which may cause conflict with our spouse/partner and put our family on edge. We have found that although many of these issues that women experience are troublesome, finding another woman to walk through it is not only very helpful but increases her strength, courage and confidence.
We are here to provide counseling and support for women’s issues such as:
- Life changes and challenges
- PMS
- Pregnancy
- Postpartum depression
- Motherhood
- Miscarriage
- Infertility
- Abortion recovery
- Grief / loss
- Menopause
- Relationships
With a wide variety of counseling and personal experiences, we have helped women through their life changes in order to help them regain a sense of self-worth and value. We are here for you — you are NOT alone!
Some Concerns Women Have About Getting Help…
I am so overwhelmed right now with everything going on I just don’t have the time for counseling
This is a common and legitimate concern given that many women today are juggling a multi-tasked life. We have recognized that for many of our female clients those who take the time now to get the help and support they need will in the long (and short) run find themselves improving overall in their lives and enjoying life more fully. Addressing the unique experiences you face will provide you with the support you need to get through these times and help you move on with your life.
Going to a counselor is a sign of weakness
We hear this concern from many female clients as they are often times the responsible one in their family or relationships and hold themselves to high and often times unrealistic expectations. We have discovered that it takes a lot of courage to reach out for help and when clients get started they may need a few sessions to discuss a specific issue and get back on track or may need a little more time for more complex and delicate issues.
I can’t really afford counseling right now
At first, this is a very common if not the most common worry that we hear. Many women look at the cost of counseling and dismiss it right away. We have found that when women consider the cost of not going vs. going they weigh out potential, immediate and long-term results and find a way to make counseling happen. Some will consider what they spend on themselves to help them feel better and ask, “How is this working for me?” Or “Can I get by without this for now?” Or “Does this really make me feel better?” We have also found that clients end up saying something like, “I owe it to myself (to go to counseling where I can get help to feel better from the inside out)”.
We invite you to ask us any questions you may have…don’t hesitate to let us know here at Pathways either by phone 520-292-9750 or email (joel@pathwaystucson.com) or call a specific counselor directly (see their webpage for more details). Feel free to check out our blog and other articles here on our website. Thanks.