” I am stuck, I need help” is a common presenting issue that I hear from new clients. Whether they are men or women 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 + years of age – feeling stuck is linked to feelings of frustration, depresssion, anxiety and anger. And, these feelings can exacerbate as a result of the ‘stuckness’ not being fully understood nor fully resolved. The frequency of these emotions usually signal the onset of a life transition.
Today, more and more people at various times in their lives do experience feelings of ‘being stuck’. Such a feeling is very prevalent given our times i.e. fast pace, on-going change, longer lives. And, more people are activating and navigating life transitions initiated by prolonged feelings of ‘stuckness’ than ever before.
Clients who schedule to see me because they are feeling stuck are usually stuck because they could be: i) in a job/career that no longer challenges or motivates them ii) in a relationship that is not fulfilling iii) in a social scene that they have outgrown iv) in a university program that disappoints and so on.
How do I help these clients? In a solution-focused manner, I use both counselling and coaching techniques to help these clients. Once they have told me their personal story then I conduct a comprehensive assessment that gives both me and the client a lot of information about the client. Following some key questions that I pose, clients are able to face and examine their fears and/or other barriers that keep them stuck. Once their stuckness is understood – often times it is the “ah-ha moment realized” – then together we explore what happy and moving forward would look like for the particular client.
Feeling stuck is a sign that you are in a life or career transition and once in it then the only way to get unstuck is to move through the process of a transition fully and completely. Yes, to do so requires some soul searching which most clients have started before they have contacted me. Navigated fully and properly, a life transition can be a wonderful journey to self discovery and self empowerment.
