Life Transitions

You are at a crossroad. You grieve the loss of the life you had or expected. You struggle to make a transition to a life where you can be as happy.

You need a compassionate listener. But you need more than that.

You need someone with whom to think through what to do. You need someone who can pinpoint the beliefs that make you doubt you can be happy again.

Life transitions can be challenging for everyone. Challenging for people who haven’t been accepted into graduate programs they hoped to enroll in. Challenging for people who’ve completed graduate programs and haven’t found jobs in their fields. Challenging for people who’ve lost jobs or resigned from jobs because of disenchantment. And for people who’ve lost their partners.

People in these situations can feel that they need to revise their sense of what could be a happy life.

My name is Sara and I’m a certified philosophical counselor. If this is what you’re going through, I can help.

Years ago I was in the same boat. I finished my PhD in philosophy and didn’t get a teaching job. I felt as though my life was shattered. I’d wanted to be a professor of philosophy since I took my first course in it, at eighteen. I felt that I’d lost what I thought of as my identity and an opportunity that I needed in order to be happy. I didn’t know what to do next.

Therapists commiserated. It didn’t help.

Then I went to a philosophical counselor. She asked the right questions. I found ways of making a living that draw on the skills I most enjoy using: writing, editing and indexing for The Philosopher’s Index.

I recognized, questioned, and rejected my assumption that “being a philosopher” means being a philosophy professor.

I regained my confidence and started presenting and publishing in philosophy again, joined the organizing committee of a philosophy café, and trained as a philosophical counselor.

Philosophical counseling helped me create a new life that is, generally, a happy one. I want the same for you.

If you’re struggling with a transition, reach out! We’ll explore who you think are, what you think is important, what might be the best paths. You’ll see progress in your quest for a life where you express who you are – that is, for a happy life.

Email me at philosophicalpractice@gmail.com.