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Life transitions revisited: manage crisis
Life is hard at times. Everyone experiences emotional pain over the course of their entire life.
Our pain comes from various crisis. A crisis may be “situational” and “maturational" or "developmental." Situational crsis refers to a sudden, accidental, frightening, and often catastrophic event that one can’t anticipate or control. Examples are physical illness and injury, loss or death of the loved one, assault, fatal accident, natural disaster, war, terrorist attack, separation/divorce, the loss of your job and severe economic depression to name a few.
This crisis threatens one's psychological well-being and can produce disequilibrium.
Psychological problems may arise as the person struggles with a transition from one life stage to another during the maturational processes. During each stage of development, a person experiences psychological, social, and physical change accompanied by certain developmental tasks. Let’s take a look at the stages.
In childhood, a person’s developmental tasks involve socialization, family relationships, friendships, and school performance. A crisis may arise from peer conflict, loss of friends through moving, conflict with parents, school difficulties, and entering school in early childhood.
In adolescence, a person’s tasks center on identity issues. A crisis may arise from performance in academics or athletics, graduation from high school, going to college, conflicts with parents over personal habits and lifestyle, breakup with boyfriend or girlfriend, unwanted pregnancy, career indecision, and challenges on first job.
In young adulthood from ages 18-34, one’s concerns center on intimacy, parenthood, and getting started in a career or occupation. Potential crisis events include rejection by boyfriend or girlfriend, extramarital affair, separation/divorce, unwanted pregnancy, birth of a child, inability to have children, illness in a child, discipline problems with children, inability to manage the demands of parenthood, academic difficulties, job dissatisfaction, poor performance in chosen career, financial difficulties, conflict between career and family goals, and age thirty transition.
In middle adulthood during the ages 35-50, the one’s concerns and tasks center on reworking previous developmental issues and confronting new issues and challenges. The one evaluates his or her accomplishment in personal and professional area. A crisis may arise from awareness of physical decline, chronic illness of self or spouse children, rejection by adolescent children, decisions about caring for an elderly parent, death or prolonged illness of parents, career setback, conflicts at work, financial concerns, moving associated with a job promotion, unemployment, sense of discrepancy between life goals and achievements, dissatisfaction with goals achieved, regret over past decisions related to marriage and having children, marital problems, return to work after raising children, and death of friends.
In maturity stage between 50-65 and after 65, the one’s concerns center on consolidating his/her experience and resources and reorienting one’s life toward later years. A crisis may arise from health problems, decisions related to retirement, resistance to retirement, changes in physical living arrangements, conflict with grown children, adjusting to an empty nest, death of a spouse, divorce, and conflict with parents.
These life transitions can be anticipated. You may go through emotional and somatic distress. Still, prolonged suffering can be avoided via psychotherapy and counseling. You can mentally prepare for these potential crises and learn to handle challenges appropriately.
Trained psychotherapists will provide a safe, non-judgmental and compassionate space in which you can discuss your concerns and your feelings/thoughts, explore options to resolve these issues, and develop coping skills and emotional/mental resilience.
Dr. Olsen is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 11 years experience working with adults, children, adolescents, families and couples at community clinics and in private practice in San Francisco and Bay Area.
Dr.Olsen holds a Doctor of Psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies/Psychology Doctoral program (the American Psychological Association accredited graduate program). She also has a Master's in Human Science, East-West Psychology and Clinical Psychology. She also went through training at UC Berkeley and John F. Kennedy University. She has a BA in Human Science from Keio University in Japan.
Certified trauma response & treatment specialist (CDMHRS).
Dr.Olsen has rich experience working with a wide range of issues, including, but not limited to: Anxiety; Trauma; Self-esteem; Emotional Health; Relationships; Parenting; Childhood; Addiction; Anger; Depression; ADD/ADHD; Eating disorders; Workplace issues; Motivation & Purpose, and Sexuality.
Dr.Olsen's treatment style is: Psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, Cognitive-Behavioral, Humanistic/Person-centered, Solution-focused, and Holistic. She also provides Therapeutic Lifestyle coaching (TLC). For details, go to her website.
Dr.Olsen is well trained in Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytic (Freudian and Jungian), Cognitive-behavioral, Play, Humanistic, Existential, Transpersonal, and Holistic approaches. Her treatment style is comprehensive, flexible and holistic. She tailors her treatment to an individual's unique situation, culture, personality, needs, wants, and current concerns. She is bilingual in Japanese/English. She has extensive experience in working with diverse populations. She works with her clients collaboratively to attain their short-term or long term goals.
Dr. Olsen maintains a private practice in San Francisco financial district, as well as community service. She provides individual and couple psychotherapy, consultation, and psychological testing to clients.
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