Eldercare Issues, Life Transitions Play Therapy

Eldercare Issues, Life Transitions

Eldercare issues are one of life's common challenges. It's only natural to age, and challenges are to be expected. It can be hard for elderly people to manage the difficulties of retirement, and dealing with medical or frailty issues. Adjusting to the death of peers, partners and friends can be a catalyst to facing one's own mortality, which could cause anxiety and depression.

Boredom is one of the biggest eldercare issues that therapists deal with. In order to avoid isolation, loneliness and boredom, it is important to find meaningful and enjoyable hobbies or activities. A large percentage of Canadians experience Alzheimer's disease or another type of dementia by the time they retire.

Additionally, eldercare issues can affect those who care for elderly family members. If you find it hard to see your loved one struggling with the loss of independence and coping with other issues related to aging, you need not feel alone. It is hard seeing your once young and strong parent or relative looking weak and frail and having someone depend on you so heavily. Your emotions are natural and expected.

However, therapy can help both elderly people and those who offer elderly care to sort through their emotions and deal with communication issues. Therapy is particularly important in cases where the elderly person has dementia. It can also put you in touch with any available community resources.

You don't have to feel depressed or lonely if you have eldercare issues. Thousands of people face the same issues and the therapists below deal with that every day and they can help you, too.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who offers professional  therapies or counselling to address your elder care issues, you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

Life transitions can be rewarding, but that doesn't mean they are necessarily easy. Change usually comes with mixed emotions, challenges and stress. It's natural to feel anxious, confused, unsettled and fatigued, no matter how you have looked forward to a change. While promotions at work can be positive and exciting, there are also negative transitions that could make you feel hopeless and negative, anxious and unable to see the solutions to the inevitable problems you face.


Some of the common transitions that people face include moving house, divorce, remarriage, empty nest syndrome, concerns about aging, adjusting to a new job, illness, or death of a loved one.

During periods of transitions, it's common for emotions from some of your past experiences to be triggered, which can make the current situation feel so much worse. That's when confusion takes over, leaving you feeling out of control and confused.

Transition counselling can help you deal with your life changes and the emotions that you are feeling in a safe and effective manner. You will be able to find the root causes of your reactions and you will be able to face the changes head on. You may even be able to push past your self-imposed limits to broaden your horizons and find a strong, new you.

You will gain clarity and understanding, as well as self-confidence to help you feel more grounded and you will develop a sense of purpose in your life. Transition therapy  has helped hundreds of thousands of people to come to terms with difficult issues in life and you can too.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who addresses transitions, you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

Play Therapy, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy

Play therapy uses the client's internal self-healing mechanisms to access unconscious and conscious experiences. The therapist forms a relationship with the client and encourages him or her to explore life events that affect his or her current life experience.

During play therapy, the therapist works at the client's pace. Talking is secondary to play in this form of therapy, and as such the client is encouraged to play while the therapist observes.

Play Therapy is suitable for adults too, as it helps them to relearn self-exploration, which enhances physical and cognitive behaviours. Play therapy gives children and adults freedom, increased creativity and life experience.

If you are looking for a therapist who offers Play Therapy, please browse our list of practitioners below..

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy encompasses a range of six principles that aim to help clients develop greater psychological flexibility. The six principles include:

1. Cognitive defusion help to reduce tendencies to regard thoughts, memories and emotions as real and concrete events.

2. Acceptance is about allowing the thoughts to surface and pass without the need to allow them to interfere with daily life.

3.  Being present means being aware of current existence and being involved with the now.

4. Self observation helps the client to be aware of the self and the unchanging consciousness.

5. Exploring values to discover those that are most important to the person.

6. Committed action involves setting goals based on the explored values, and setting actions in place to reach those goals.

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy is a form of cognitive behavioural therapy and is commonly used in therapy, and in it's sub-forms and helpful for a range of conditions, including OCD. If you require Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, have a look at the counsellors listed below.

Sky Lee

M.S.W., RSW
    • Online booking
When a loved one is unwell, it can be hard to find your bearings.  With experience stemming from 2008, my area of expertise is providing intensive family and caregiver support services.  If you are... Read more