mid-to-late life transitions & identity reinvention counselling
Starting over at 40, 50, 60 or beyond and finding out who you are on the other side.
this may be for you if...
you're navigating a divorce or separation
you're adjusting to life in a blended family
you've migrated and are navigating cultural identity
you're facing retirement or a major career change
you're experiencing the 'empty nest' transition
you feel lost, stuck, or 'not like yourself'
you're starting over and don't know who you are now
you feel like the next chapter is waiting, but you don't know where to begin
transitions I work with include
divorce & separation
The end of a long-term relationship is one of the most significant identity disruptions a person can experience. This work goes beyond the logistics to the identity questions underneath.
step-parenting & blended families
The complex, often unacknowledged challenges of building a blended family - navigating loyalty conflicts, identity shifts, and the grief of what was expected versus what is.
migration & cultural identity
The long, layered process of finding yourself between two cultures and the grief, adaptation, and identity reconstruction that this requires.
retirement & career change
When a major professional identity is removed or transformed, the question of 'who am I without my work?' can be surprisingly destabilising.
empty nest & parenting transitions
The identity shift that comes when children leave home and the space that opens up, which can feel like freedom, loss, or both.
ageing & later life
Navigating the identity questions of the second half of life - legacy, meaning, physical change, and the renegotiation of relationships and purpose.
the work of reinvention
Reinvention doesn't always mean becoming someone completely different. Often, it means working out what still feels true beneath the roles, expectations and responsibilities that have shaped your life.
This work takes time. It involves grief, as well as discovery. It requires a willingness to sit with uncertainty, and a therapist who can hold that uncertainty with you without rushing to resolve it.
I know this territory firsthand. The lived understanding of loss, reinvention, and not quite recognising yourself sits alongside the clinical training and it shapes how I work.
ready to talk?
I offer a brief initial conversation to explore whether this practice is the right fit for you. No obligation, no pressure.
Yolande Barkhuysen, Master of Counselling
Online Counselling based in Perth, Western Australia
Australian Counselling Association (ACA) | ACA College of Supervisors
If you are in crisis, please contact Lifeline 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636