Nashville Therapist Guides People Through Life Transitions

Nashville therapist Sarah Wieck, LCSW, utilizes an assortment of therapeutic approaches to treat a wide range of issues, but many issues, she says, stem from the difficulty of adjusting to major life changes, otherwise known as transitions.

“Transitions is an area I love assisting clients with,” Wieck said. “Whether it’s retirement or divorce, any of those major life changes, I find it a great challenge and a great pleasure to assist patients as they work though those transitions and discover their new role.”

Wieck works with both older patients, often facing transitions like retirement or the recent death of a spouse, as well as younger patients, often facing transitions like moving to a new city or life after college. Guiding patients through these transition periods can go a long way toward shoring up a person’s self-worth, which in turn steers them away from more self-destructive habits, drugs and alcohol among them.

“Whether it meets the diagnosis of addiction is another question, but you definitely see an increase in substance abuse when certain transitions are occurring with older adults,” Wieck said. “At the same time, coming out of college can be a fraught time, too. For whatever reason, some young people aren’t ready to stop their Thursday-through-Sunday binge drinking patterns. To them it might feel like everyone is all of a sudden asking, ‘Why are you wasted?’”

Of course, one of the biggest transitions that Wieck has significant experience in dealing with is the transition from drug or alcohol addiction to sobriety.

“Recovery is a huge transition,” Wieck said. “You’ve got to change your playground and your playmates. But working with SUD [substance use disorder] patients is something I feel really comfortable guiding people through.”

The Power of Authentication

One thing Wieck emphasizes in her work with patients is the need for authentication, or the establishment of a genuine identity. This identity can serve as a buffer against the shifting winds of major life changes.

“I encourage my patients to work on their values, where you spend your time and money,” Wieck said. “Once we can figure that out, we get a jumping off point and can start thinking about connecting with likeminded groups and activities that will be rewarding. Hopefully, that decreases the possibility of loneliness or boredom, which can feed depression, which can lead to substance abuse.”

Wieck has herself achieved a high level of authentication, having put in more than 25 years in the mental health field, including work with adolescents, geriatrics, domestic violence cases—both with victims and perpetrators—and people with addiction issues and such co-occurring diseases as depression and anxiety.

She launched her therapy practice late last year, having chosen the sole practitioner route. That said, her office neighbors are therapists with their own specialties and focuses, so the potential for collaboration is always there.

“I share a space with a psychiatrist and two other therapists,” she said, “so clients are sometimes shared. Or maybe I’ll see the wife and one of my colleagues will see the husband. It’s nice to be able to continue sharing in a patient’s progress. I’m very grateful.”

Get Help Now

The disease of addiction is one that can be difficult to manage, even when in recovery. At JourneyPure Nashville, we can help you develop a strong foundation for your recovery so that you can continue to achieve success along the way.