Short answer
Counselling can help with a big life change by giving you a regular, private hour to talk through what is shifting and what you want next. It does not fix the change, and it does not promise a result. On InnerHub, a 50-minute video session is $59.90 AUD, with no referral and no waitlist.
You said yes to the job. You signed the lease. You chose this. And still, some evenings you stand in the kitchen of your new life and feel oddly unsteady, as if somebody moved the floor an inch to the left.
That is a very common place to be. This post covers why change unsettles people even when it is wanted, what people usually try first, and when it makes sense to talk to a counsellor.
Why do life changes feel so hard, even good ones?
Because a change takes away more than it seems to on paper. The Better Health Channel lists major life changes, such as moving, changing jobs and bereavement, among the common causes of stress. Healthdirect makes a similar point, and notes that happy events, such as the birth of a baby or planning a wedding, can leave people feeling like they are struggling.
Look at what actually goes when something shifts:
- Routines. The coffee spot, the commute, the Tuesday call with a friend.
- People. Colleagues, neighbours, the person you used to be when you were around them.
- A sense of being good at things. You were competent in the old job and a beginner in the new one.
- Your picture of the future. A relationship ending or a plan falling through takes the next five years with it.
None of that means you made the wrong choice. It means you are adjusting, and adjusting takes energy.
What kinds of changes bring people to counselling?
There is no list of approved reasons. These are the ones people most often mention:
- changing career, or being made redundant
- moving to a new suburb, city or country
- a relationship starting, changing or ending, including separation and divorce
- becoming a parent, or children leaving home
- retirement
- a gap after a loss, where the life you had no longer fits
Often it is two or three at once. A move for a job, a relationship under strain because of the move, and a quiet loss of friends all arrive in the same year.
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Find a therapistWhat do people usually try first?
Most people try a few things on their own before they talk to anyone, and that is sensible. The common ones:
- Keep a few anchors steady. Sleep, meals, movement and one familiar routine, while everything else is in flux.
- Talk to someone you trust. A friend or family member who will listen without rushing to fix it.
- Give it a little time. Settling in often takes longer than people expect, and being unsettled in the first weeks is not a sign that something is wrong.
- Check free supports. If you work for a larger employer, ask whether there is an Employee Assistance Program.
- See your GP if you are struggling day to day. The Better Health Channel says it is important to get help if you feel you cannot cope, and suggests your GP, a psychologist or counsellor, or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
When does it make sense to talk to a counsellor?
When the conversation in your own head has been going in circles for a while, and the people around you are either too close to the change or too busy to hear all of it. A counsellor is outside your life, which is the point.
In practice, a counsellor can help you:
- say out loud what you miss, and what you do not
- separate the practical decisions from the feelings that are riding along with them
- notice what you are carrying from the old situation into the new one
- work out what you want your next few months to look like
It is a conversation, not a prescription. A session does not give you a plan to follow or a date by which you will feel settled, and nobody on InnerHub will promise one.
How does counselling work on InnerHub?
InnerHub is an online counselling marketplace. You answer a short questionnaire, get matched with a practitioner, and meet them by video. A session is 50 minutes and costs $59.90 AUD, with no referral, no subscription and no waitlist. Evening times are available, which suits people changing jobs or moving house during the day.
InnerHub practitioners are experienced and qualified in their own countries. They are not AHPRA-registered, which is why sessions sit outside Medicare and do not attract a rebate. Each profile shows the qualification, the country it came from and years of practice. If you are not sure the person you met suits you, you can choose a different practitioner for your next session at no extra cost. For how this compares with other routes, see what counselling costs in Australia and the pricing page.
If work is where the change is hitting hardest, stress and burnout counselling may be the closer fit. If it is a relationship, see relationship counselling.
Not sure where to start?
Take the two-minute quiz to see what kind of support fits, or read how matching works.
Take the quizWhen to get help sooner
Counselling is ongoing support, not an emergency service. If you feel unsafe or are thinking about harming yourself, call 000 in an emergency or Lifeline on 13 11 14, any time of day or night. If low mood or anxiety has been with you most days for a few weeks, see your GP. This post is general information for adults 18 and over, and is not medical advice or a substitute for professional care.
General information, not clinical or medical advice. For adults 18 and over. InnerHub is not a crisis service: in an emergency call 000, or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
