Seniors and Retirees

Aging, Relationships & New Beginnings: Finding Peace in Life’s Second Half

In today’s era, we live longer and healthier lives as compared to our parents and grandparents. Right? In past generations, like in 1960a, the average life expectancy was about 52 years. And, today on average, men live about 73.4 years, while women are expected to reach 80.1 years. Sounds interesting. Marriage, divorce, and widowhood are the significant events that come in anyone’s life who has ever married, but they are especially prevalent among the older population. On the flip side, older adults have rich marital histories that reflect both partnership and loss over their lifetime.

Distressing life transitions

What we probably never expected is the occurrence of rising divorce rates among older couples. Between the years 1990 and 2010, divorce rates for those 50 years and older have doubled. When we reach the age of 65, the rate triples.
Divorce at this time in life can bring devastating emotional consequences. But for some couples, staying together feels more painful than separating. In these cases, couples have a choice to rebuild and repair their relationship or separate and go through life alone.

New life, new relationships

When someone goes through a divorce, it’s common to eventually find a new partner. But starting fresh with a new relationship often means dealing with a whole new set of people, like your partner’s kids, their family, and their friends. This can be challenging because you’re adjusting to new family dynamics. It’s important to set clear boundaries and still stay true to who you are while building these new relationships.

Relating to new people can be difficult, especially if all members of the family do not respect or welcome us. We may need outside support. We may need to develop coping and relating skills that we did not need before. Problems can also occur with one’s own children.

Divorce is painful for everyone, and adult children often suffer as a result of the real concern for each parent. The dream of a whole and happy family has been broken, and adjustments must be made.

Psychotherapy for seniors

In my practice, I see many older people in several different contexts. I met with seniors who have found new families, and I also see couples who have remained together for more than years but are in distress and need to overcome that stress. Retirement is the phase where one is no longer part of the workforce and living off of savings and investments. Even this phase also brings up many unexpected issues as follows:

The loss of a job.
A career makes you feel lost in purpose.
Retirement brings freedom, but it is also associated with loss.
Social relationships associated with the job disappear.
Too much free time will be depressing for some people.

Retirement is often seen as a time of rest and freedom, but without the right mindset and support, it can also bring unexpected emotional challenges. Feelings of loss, anxiety, or even sadness can quietly take hold during this major life transition.

Yet when we talk about therapy, we rarely picture older adults in the conversation. That’s a missed opportunity because psychotherapy can be incredibly effective for seniors. Whether it’s one-on-one support through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), improving relationships through couples therapy, or reconnecting with yourself and others through interpersonal therapy, the benefits are real and lasting.

Therapy offers more than just coping tools; it provides clarity, comfort, and a path forward. If you’re navigating this phase of life and feel ready for change, you don’t have to do it alone. I invite you to reach out, call to book an appointment, or simply fill out the contact form and click send. Help is here, and it’s never too late to start healing.

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