Life Transitions Therapy in California
Online Therapy Across California With In-Person Sessions in West Los Angeles (Century City) and El Segundo
Life can change quickly. A divorce, career shift, relocation, death of a loved one, becoming a parent, or simply reaching a point where the life you built no longer feels sustainable. Even positive transitions can create anxiety, uncertainty, and emotional exhaustion.
Major transitions can pull you away from your own sense of self. I work with adults across California to help them stay grounded in who they are and what they value while their lives change around them.
Life Transitions Therapist in West Los Angeles (Century City) & El Segundo
I'm Tom Andre, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with offices in El Segundo and Century City. I work with teens and adults across California, online statewide and in person in both locations.
My approach focuses on what matters in times of change: what you want to hold onto as things transform, and what you might be ready to leave behind. I think it’s especially important to challenge conventional wisdom during these times, because there is no one-size fits-all approach to change.
Not everything that gets disrupted in a transition needs to be recovered, and sometimes transitions shake loose new possibilities.
Signs Life Transition Stress May Be Affecting You
One tricky thing about transition stress is that it rarely stops you from functioning. You are still doing everything you are supposed to do.
But there is a difference between functioning and actually feeling okay, and over time that gap tends to widen. Sometimes it’s helpful to be aware of signs that things may be tougher than you originally thought:
Difficulty sleeping: Your mind won't switch off at night. You close your eyes, but your mind is racing through scenarios. You remember all the things you were supposed to get to.
Feeling disconnected: Something feels a little flat, or off. You go through the motions and keep up with life on the outside, but you know that the trajectory you’re on isn’t where you want to be.
Irritability out of nowhere: You are snapping at people you care about or feeling a low hum of frustration that does not seem proportionate to what is actually happening.
Trouble making decisions: Even small choices feel harder than they used to. Bigger ones feel impossible to commit to with any confidence.
Loss of interest: Things that used to matter to you like work, hobbies, or relationships have lost some of their pull and you are not sure when that happened.
Waiting to feel normal again: You keep assuming it will pass on its own, but weeks go by and you still do not feel like yourself.
Therapy for Life Transitions in California With In-Person Sessions in West Los Angeles and El Segundo
I work with teens and adults throughout California who are going through major life changes, uncertainty, or emotional stress. For adults, that may involve career changes, relationship issues, burnout, divorce, relocation, or other transitions that have affected their sense of stability or direction.
For teens, it often involves identity changes, academic pressure, social struggles, or difficult family transitions.
For many clients, online therapy makes it easier to stay consistent during periods when life already feels overwhelming or unpredictable.
I offer virtual sessions across California, including Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Orange County, San Jose, and surrounding areas.
For clients who prefer in-person therapy, I offer sessions in West Los Angeles (Century City) and El Segundo.
Types of Life Transitions I Help With
Divorce or Separation
This shows up differently in every family, and for every person. Divorce is a long term transition, especially when there are children involved. It’s not like you set a course, outline some parameters and forget about it. Feelings change and circumstances change. Divorce and separation are dynamic, and relationships benefit from extra support
Relocation
Moving somewhere new, even somewhere you want to be, always comes at a cost. We have relationships with places that can be every bit as strong as our relationships with people.
In therapy we take a hard look at the world as it is, and what is possible, and how we’re going to move forward based on reality.
Career Change or Job Loss
What do you do when your job brings you no joy? What do you do when you love your job but it brings you no money? Looming larger is how our sense of identity and what happens when that job ends.
I do not pretend everything is unicorns and rainbows. Sometimes we have to make hard choices and there is no clear winner or best path.
In our work, we will focus on what is possible and where that leaves you, and if it’s worth it to keep going down the same road, or if you’d be happier on a different one.
Grief and Loss
We feel grief when someone passes away, of course. But we also mourn the loss of a relationship, a career, a version of your future you had already started planning for.
There is no one way to process loss that looks the same for everyone. In therapy, we’ll sit with the change and the pain and the sadness together, as long as it takes.
Starting College or Leaving Home
Leaving a structure you have known your entire life and figuring out who you are without it is one of the more disorienting experiences a young person goes through, even when it goes well.
We have strong relationships with some places. College often means the start of a new phrase of important friendships, and responsibilities, and hardships.
How do we put these into context as a person is getting ready to leave.
Retirement
Stepping back from a career after decades is not just a schedule change. For most people it is an identity change, and that part rarely gets talked about before it happens.
Not to mention: if you have a partner, how do they suddenly like having you around all day?
Becoming a Parent
How beautiful it is to get hit by the freight train of parenthood. One night you’re on a date with your partner.
The next you’re awake, all night, trying to figure out how to keep this tiny thing alive. Becoming a parent strains all of our relationships. We think we are supposed to know how to be parents, but we’re all winging it at least for a while.
Therapy helps delineate the specific changes that are going on, and it should help you find direction in an increasingly complex world.
Health Issues
A serious diagnosis, a chronic condition, or a significant physical change does not just affect your body. It changes how you see your future, your relationships, and your sense of who you are. It can be terrifying, and it’s so personal. Our therapy focused on identifying areas of control - what do I still have control over, and why - and marshalling all of our resources to push back.
Life Transitions Therapy in West Los Angeles (Century City) and El Segundo
If you prefer to meet in person, I have offices in West Los Angeles and El Segundo.
10 Minutes from:
Manhattan Beach, Playa del Rey, Westchester, Hawthorne, UCLA, Santa Monica, Westwood, Brentwood, Rancho Park, Beverly Hills
15 Minutes from:
Marina del Rey, Playa Vista, Venice, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Gardena, Culver City, Pico-Robertson, Sherman Oaks, Bel Air
Common Questions About Life Transition Therapy
-
There is not always a correct answer. Time will often do its repair work, but it might take decades or more. Even most broken bones will heal without major problems. Therapy will not support everything, but it will support people who need help.
I can help you feel better faster. can help with adjustment, but sometimes people stay emotionally stuck long after the transition itself has happened.
If you notice ongoing stress, anxiety, emotional exhaustion, relationship strain, difficulty making decisions, or a persistent feeling that something feels “off,” therapy can help you process what is happening more clearly instead of simply waiting for it to pass.
-
Yes. I work with teens who may be struggling with academic pressure, identity changes, social stress, family transitions, relocation, or other major changes affecting their emotional well-being and sense of stability.
-
Yes. Major transitions often affect both partners, even when they experience the situation differently. Career changes, parenting, relocation, grief, burnout, and relationship shifts can create stress, communication issues, or emotional distance within a relationship. Therapy can help couples navigate those changes more effectively together.
-
Individual, Couples & Family Therapy
50 minutes | $300
80 minutes | $450
Many clients are able to get partial reimbursement through their insurance plan's out-of-network benefits. I am happy to provide a superbill to support that process.
Let's Get Connected
Call or text me at (310) 776-5299 or fill out the contact form below to schedule a consultation.