Career Changers Group
Are you sick of feeling like you’re putting all your energy into work that’s not giving you anything back? Are you feeling like there’s more to life than just working a soul sucking 9-5 job (or let’s be honest, it’s probably more like 8-6 or more)? Have you felt like you have more potential and more to do in this life than your current job is offering you?
I get it - a decade ago, that was me too. I felt so stuck in my career in accounting, and I didn’t know that there could be more to life. I thought everyone else just “tolerated” their job too. It wasn’t until I emotionally hit rock bottom at work that I realized I had to make a change.
What followed was a rollercoaster ride of emotions, frustration, disengagement at work, dreaming and fantasizing of what could be, and 2 am imposter syndrome wakeups wondering “wtf what I even doing?!”. And yet, I’m here today as a therapist, ready to help you with your own career transition, because I managed to push through and find the courage and strength within to keep going even when I felt terrified and uncertain.
Where could you be a decade from now if you had the courage to make the change?
This group is for those who…
Have been feeling stuck and want to make a change into more meaningful work
Feel like there’s something bigger or better our there for them, but just don’t know what it is yet
Have felt a pull towards exploring something new, but fear, anxiety, or trauma triggers have kept them from taking action on it
Are feeling unsatisfied at work and want to make a change but don’t know what or how
Know they want to make a career change but fears are holding them back from taking action
Are in the thick of making career changes and dealing with imposter syndrome, identity confusion, or fears about “what if this ends up not being what I want either”?
Does that sound like you? If so, keep reading to find out how the Career Changers Group can help you find the courage to make the change you’ve been craving!
What this group offers:
Exploratory exercises to help you get started taking action towards making a meaningful change
Practical tips and tools to help you get started on or continue your career change
Opportunities to explore how your trauma might be impacting your beliefs about what’s possible for you in your life
A safe, nonjudgemental space to work through uncomfortable emotions and triggers holding you back from taking steps to make the changes you want
Accountability through monthly meetings and homework assignments, and the option of having additional accountability from group members
The opportunity to connect with others who are also contemplating or going through a career change so that you can feel supported on your career changing journey
Group meeting time will be focused on accountability (primarily through assigning and processing individualized homework assignments), skills training, answering questions, and obtaining support and comraderie from myself and your fellow group members.
In this group, you will have the opportunity to get support that’s personalized to where you are on your journey! The group is divided into 3 different tracks, and each group member will be assigned a track based on where they are in their career changing journey:
The Explorer Track
This track is for the person who might be considering the possibilty of a career change, but might not yet possess the courage to start making changes, or may just not know yet what they want! Curriculum for this track will focus more on exploration, working through emotional blocks around the idea of making a career change, and learning skills and tools to help you tolerate the discomfort of uncertainty in your exploration process.
Central Task: The central task of the Explorer Track is to help you explore, start to get clarity on what you might want, and develop emotional acceptance around making a career change.
Activities that we might do in this track include:
Exploratory exercises and questions to help you start to identify areas you might want to explore more
Intentional exploration of interest areas (i.e. setting up shadowing opportunities or interviews of people in professions you find interesting)
Exercises to help identify what triggers or belief systems could be holding you back
The Preparer Track
This track is for the person who knows what they want, but needs help developing the courage, skills, and preparedness to actually make the change. Curriculum for members in this track will focus more on emotional readiness and obtaining the support, options, and resources that they need to move into The Action Taker Track.
Central Task: The central task of the Preparer Track is to help you prepare emotionally and logistically to make a career change.
Activities that we might do in this track include:
Exploring what you need to feel ready to make a change, whether it’s financial readiness, emotional support, options, timing, etc.
Addressing fears and triggers that arise when preparing to make a change
The Action Taker Track
This track is for the person who is beginning (or has already begun) to take actionable steps towards a career change. You may be starting or in the process of pursuing additional education or credentials, have started a side hustle, or taken other concrete steps towards a more specific career goal. However, you may still be in the exploratory phase of other aspects of the chosen career goal (for example, what niche within a field you want to focus on), or making tweaks or changes to a career you’ve already been pursuing. Curriculum in this track will focus more on navigating the emotional side of identity changes that come with changing careers, overcoming imposter syndrome, fears about “what if this still isn’t it?”, exploring how trauma triggers may be showing up in pursuit of your career goal, and more.
Central Task: The central task of the Action Taker Track is to…
Activities that we might do in this track include:
How much time a person spends in each track is unique to them and where they are in their journey; there is no right or wrong. However, by having people who are in different places in their career change journey, group members can all learn from each other. Group members who are newer to making a change can develop courage and gain insight from those who are already in the process of making changes, and those who are already in process can have the opportunity to reflect on how far they’ve come and continue to solidify the clarity they’re gaining by taking action.
Is now a good time for me to join a group?
Do you feel generally stable and have some basic coping skills or tools to manage dysregulation when you get triggered?
Our first group can often mirror our family - which means that things that trigger us in our family may come up in group too. We don’t have to be in a perfect place with this, but it’s helpful to start group with some tools in place in case we do get triggered during group. Sometimes clients like to get started in individual therapy with me (or another therapist) first to get more of these skills in place and then start a group a few months down the road. If you’re interested in joining a group and/or are curious about the possibility of starting individual therapy together first, click here for more information about getting started and how to apply.
Are you established with (or plan to establish with) an individual therapist?
I strongly recommend that all clients who participate in my groups also see an individual therapist (preferably someone who is trauma informed) - whether it’s me or someone else! Why? Well, as I mentioned above, group can be triggering at times - and the nature of the group is such that we don’t have time or space to do individual therapy during it. So if triggers come up, it’s important that you have a container (individual therapy) to process it. I also find that participating in both a group AND individual therapy at the same time can help maximize the benefits from this type of therapy.
Do you feel like you can generally get along with others and can be a safe person for the other participants?
Safety is paramount in trauma therapy, and especially in groups. As such, I aim to be very intentional about how I put together my groups to make sure that the potential members of the group mesh well together and have good cohesion, which means not every person will be a fit for every group. Do you feel like you’re in a place in your healing journey where you can show up as a safe person for other people? In the context of groups, when I say a safe person, I mean to the best of your abilities:
Being able to show up in a non-judgmental manner
Being able to take accountability for our words and actions when triggered or projecting (or when you’re made aware that that’s happening)
Being respectful of others thoughts, feelings, opinions, life choices, etc.
Being able to refrain from invalidating others or giving advice
Are you in a place in your life where you feel ready to make a 6 month commitment?
While I never prevent anyone from terminating group if they so choose, I do request that members join a group with the intention of seeing it through to the end. If something comes up (I get it, life happens), or if you decide after some sessions that it’s not right for you, that’s okay! However, these groups are closed groups - meaning we don’t add more people after it has started - so we want everyone who starts the group to at least be in the mindset from the get go that they plan to complete it. If you know you won’t be able to complete a group due to work, an extended vacation, big life event coming up, etc., I ask that you consider waiting and join a future round of group when you have more availability to complete it.
Group Details
Start Date: TBD
I tend to start new groups approximately 2x per year (once in the fall and once in the spring), but could have more or less depending on how much interest we get - and if we’re able to get the right mix of people together!
Frequency: Weekly
Groups meet weekly for approximately 6 months. Exact duration of the group may vary +/- a few weeks - I try to pace each group based on what members need, so we may spend more or less time on certain topics as needed.
Duration: 90 minutes
Group sessions are 90 minutes each. The day and time of the group will be decided based on what works best for everyone’s schedule, but I tend to aim to schedule groups around lunch time or late afternoons/early evenings for convenience.
Participants: 6-8 members
I like to keep groups small and intimate, so there will not be more than 8 members in a group at any given time.
Fee: $75/group session
See my Fees and Policies page for more information.
Why should I consider group work and not just individual trauma work?
Group work is a really unique (and important!) modality for healing childhood trauma. When we’re talking about childhood trauma, we’re usually talking about attachment or relational trauma. The trauma happens in relationship - and we heal in relationship. Individual therapy gives us a space to heal in relationship with our therapist, which is helpful and very important! In addition to the healing that happens in individual work, group work allows us to heal in community with other trauma survivors. Sometimes in group, triggers to our family of origin come up - and because we aim for group to be a safe space, it gives us a place to work through these triggers together - hopefully with a different outcome than what we’re used to. It can also be so powerful to share your story and hear it reflected back to you through other’s eyes - which is what can happen in groups. Seeing our own experiences from someone else’s perspective can allow us to gain a new sense of compassion for ourselves, or an understanding about how hard/awful/inappropriate/terrible/not okay that thing that happened to us was. If you’re still wondering if individual or group is right for you, check out my FAQs.