Therapy aS A Rite of Passage

When I started out as a therapist,  I didn’t particularly aim to work with individuals from their mid-twenties to early thirties, but they found their way to me. They’ve come from different backgrounds, carrying their own stories, questions, and struggles. What struck me early on was how often therapy seemed to be filling a gap: the transition into adulthood.

In our current society, that transition is rarely acknowledged for what it truly is: a complex, sometimes painful process of growing into oneself. At 18, the law recognises you as an adult and you are expected to act like one, making big decisions and having it all together, but without much guidance. The old traditions and rites of passage that once helped people move into adulthood have largely disappeared. And many young people are left to figure out on their own questions of identity, responsibility and belonging, in a world dominated by isolation, performance and appearance.

This is how therapy has emerged as a kind of modern rite of passage.

While therapy offers mostly a space to reflect and grow through conversations, it is in some ways following the traditional structure of a rite of passage: separation, threshold, integration. And my comprehensive training has enabled me to hold that space in a way that integrates not only psychological insights, but also embodied, nature-based wisdom - which doesn’t necessarily require us to be outdoors, if you’re wondering about that.

How does that look like exactly?

Separation: Stepping into the unknown
Starting therapy is a big decision. It means leaving behind what’s familiar and be willing to step into the unknown. That first step is an important act of agency, showing you’re ready to face your fears, question your beliefs and narratives, examine your relationships and explore who you are in an honest way.

It takes courage.

Threshold: The In-Between Space
Once you’re in therapy, whether you walk through a door, click into a Zoom call or walk across a bridge outdoors, you’re crossing into a different kind of space, a unique one, removed from your daily life. And there, it becomes possible to ask the big questions: What do I want? What has been a burden? What and who matters to me?
You’re not alone in that in-between space. I walk with you as you move through it, offering questions and a caring presence. At times, just like in traditional rites of passage, the natural world and the practices associated with it can support this stage: sitting in stillness outside, paying attention to the changing seasons or reconnecting with the body through movement and breath. These practices not only foster insights, but they also often bring a sense of rootedness and belonging during a destabilizing period.

It takes trust and curiosity.

Integration: Bringing It Back With You
In traditional rites of passage, the last stage is about returning to the world changed. It’s where the community recognizes and celebrates your growth and helps you carry it forward. Therapy doesn’t always come with a ceremony, but integration still matters.
Toward the end of our time together, we often look at what’s shifted: What have you learned? What do you want to carry with you? What might get in your way, and how can you stay grounded in what you’ve found?
While most therapies lack the communal aspect of ancient rituals, it can sometimes include community through symbolic acts, celebration, or simply living differently. Integration provides a moment to acknowledge the changes, to honour what’s been endured and to show up more fully into life.

It takes confidence and commitment.

As a culture, we’ve lost many of the rituals that once helped people through important transition - and we often dismiss the wisdom of our elders. And therapy has become one of the few places where young people can make sense of the complexity and confusion of early adulthood with support.
It asks for courage to begin, trust to stay with the process and commitment to emerge changed.
Over the years, I’ve come to truly value working with young adults. I’ve been touched and inspired by their honesty, their willingness to wrestle with discomfort, and their deep longing to live an authentic life. My pluralistic approach has helped me offer them pathways through that transition that are truly holistic, recognising that mind, body, spirit and earth are inseparable. And time and again, I’ve been humbled by the privilege of witnessing their becoming.