The challenges that transitions bring, whether planned or unexpected, can often feel too big to tackle on your own. Together we aim to pause, reflect, and continue forward through life’s greatest opportunities for change.
The Meaning of a Life Transition
Life transitions are periods of significant change that mark turning points in our lives. These events, whether positive or negative, necessitate evaluating our circumstances in order to adjust to our new paths forward. However, these adjustments aren’t always graceful, and can often involve significant stress and anxiety.
As a rule of thumb, the experience of life has a certain level of uncertainty baked into it. The various points of transition we will come to experience are much the same. Life transitions can be very positive events, such as getting married or achieving that huge promotion you’ve been working for. They can also be negative, like divorce or losing said job. Other forms of significant, affecting change can look like new babies moving in or adult children moving out, gender identity changes, transitioning from adolescence to adulthood, and retirement.
It is not uncommon for people to feel overwhelmed by these often sudden disruptions to routine and regularity. Facing these challenges alone can be disorientating, anxiety inducing, and even isolating. No matter where your new path is leading you, you don’t have to face it alone.
Counselling Therapy During Life Transitions
Life transition counselling can be an important constant in otherwise fast-changing times. Our counselors can help you overcome the barriers ahead through compassionate support, build new coping strategies to reduce stress, and solidify your ability to face your circumstances with resilience. Other benefits to life transition counselling include the encouragement and facilitation of personal growth and increased self-awareness.
Through counseling, our therapists can help you set and achieve goals that you may have found challenging to reach on your own. By reflecting on your values and strengths, clients feel a renewed sense of passion and confidence. This can often lead to an improved ability to identify new possibilities and move past stagnating thought processes.
Perhaps most importantly of all, though least sensational, is the effect of just taking an hour here and there to pause. Life transitions often come into our lives with a feeling of velocity and urgency, a feeling that we are on a ship that won’t slow down. Counselling gives you that time.
Life transitions often come into our lives with a feeling of velocity and urgency, a feeling that we are on a ship that won’t slow down. Counselling gives you that time.
Nightingale’s Therapeutic Approach to Life Transitions
At Nightingale, we stand as pillars of support during otherwise tumultuous times. We believe that as counselors our role is to empower your sense of autonomy and direction. As such, our goal is to meet you wherever you are at and begin building confident steps towards whatever you’ve set your sights on.
Our counsellors are well versed in multiple domains of transitions, drawing from a collection of modalities in order to best serve your unique needs. Counselling styles can vary depending on the specifics of the challenge you’re currently facing. Family therapy is a multi-faceted approach often used to address changes to your family dynamic and/or structure. Cognitive behavioral therapy is another model that aims to assess thinking patterns and behaviours in order to reframe your perspective. Similarly, emotionally focused therapy seeks to bring awareness to your feelings in a way that positively aligns with communication and emotional management needs. These last two approaches both seek to harmonize how you think and feel with how you want to think and feel, all while being centered around your growth. Taking into account the origin of our perspectives is similarly important to adapting to new challenges. Together, we strive to reshape your past perspectives into ones that will better serve you today.
Meet the Nightingale Clinicians Working With Life Transitions
Great counselling means different things for different people. Thankfully, Nightingale is made up of a team of wonderful, unique counsellors who each bring different strengths to the table. All Nightingale counselors prioritize compassion, flexibility, and attunement while utilizing different training across modalities. Take a look at some of our different counselors below:
Bernadette Amiscaray, RCC
Counselling with Bernadette A. is a chance to slow down and tap into hope. Drawing from her training in existential humanism and narrative therapy, Bernadette uses her wealth of hope to inspire and uplift us through life’s greatest challenges. Her therapeutic approach rests on the notion that connecting with your inner-self is a worthwhile journey, fueled by empathy and encouragement.
Check out Bernadette’s full bio here.
Tori, RCC
Tori’s practice involves an eclectic mix of counselling models to ensure dynamic, reflexive care. Drawing from theoretical domains such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Narrative Therapy, she is well-suited to help you reassess your circumstances and move forward with courage. Her deep curiosity and drive for genuine conversation is key for promoting self worth and deeper personal awareness.
Check out Tori’s full bio here.
Bernadette Yeo, RCC
Bernadette Y. approaches life transitions with the perspective that change is an inevitable experience we all come to encounter. In doing so, her practice seeks to empower us to meet these challenges with support, compassion, and connection. Sitting down with Bernadette is an invitation to bring your authentic self to the table, so that together you may bring to light the wholeness of your experiences.
Check out Bernadette’s full bio here.
Why Choose Nightingale Counselling for Life Transition Counselling
Nightingale Counselling is dedicated to offering the highest standard of therapeutic support. We do this by bringing together a diverse team of counsellors with a wide range of backgrounds and areas of expertise, flexible scheduling options, community-oriented care, and intake processes that adjust to the needs of each client.
A strong client–counsellor fit sits at the centre of that mission. At Nightingale, this begins with our Discovery Sessions, a brief, free meeting with our Senior Clinician & Client Coordinator designed to help you quickly find the right therapist. This matching process is meant to remove friction and ensure you are paired with someone who fits your goals, preferences, and way of working. If you already have a counsellor in mind, you can also book a short introductory meeting directly with them. Both intake choices are 20 minutes, cost nothing, and carry no obligations to continue unless it feels like a good fit.
What to Expect in your First Therapy Session
Whether you’re brand new to therapy or returning after past experiences, we welcome you exactly as you are.
Your first 30-minute session is an opportunity to talk about what is bringing you in right now. Together with your counsellor, you’ll explore the concerns you’d like to address, clarify what you’re hoping to accomplish, and identify the kind of therapeutic support that might work best for you. It’s also a natural moment to ask questions about styles, approaches, or anything else you want to understand about the counselling process.
Your first 50-minute session shifts into the work itself. Your counsellor will help you begin sharing your experiences while pacing the conversation thoughtfully, making sure the intensity feels manageable and the environment feels safe, grounded, and supportive. When it comes to Life Transitions there is not a one sized fits all answer. So expect to spend time helping contextualize your situation, how it’s impacting you, and what great goals for you look like.
More about Nightingale
Nightingale Counselling and Research is committed to serving our local communities and making therapy as reachable as possible. While our primary clinic is located on Granville, we also offer services through our Squamish and North Vancouver offices. For those living elsewhere—or for clients who prefer virtual care—we provide full online counselling options.
Every counsellor on our team offers both in-person and online sessions. We operate seven days a week, with availability typically spanning 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., depending on the practitioner.
Our session fees follow the recommendations set by the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC). Standard 50-minute appointments range from $175–$240, and a limited number of Sliding Scale spots are available. Our administrative team can direct bill to most major insurance providers. To explore our full fee structure, please see our detailed rates page.