Transitions are something that can happen at any stage of your life, and often you look back on the last time you had to deal with a big change in order to get you through the next one. However, there is one year, in particular, that is typically the first transition of such significance that it can help guide your response to so many other changes that you experience later in life. That year is your senior year of high school, which I like to refer to as the precedent year.

As you start your senior year and begin to embark upon the journey of the college application process, you realize that in just a few, short months everything about your life is going to be different. This includes, for most, where you live, who you live with, and what you do on a daily basis. And this is terrifying since change is a breeding ground for anxiety, but it is also very telling. It can say a lot about how you do under these very specific circumstances because senior year is not the only time this occurs, it’s usually just the first, and, therefore, sets a precedent.

Another time of great transition could be when you graduate college, start your first job, get married, or have kids, just to name a few. Now, with kids, you’re given a nine-month deadline and you have no idea what the changes are going to be, but you know they will be monumental. At least with college, you get to visit the school and get a trial run before you make a decision.

I’m always honored to work with seniors for this very reason because I feel as though I can see the person they’re becoming. It’s as if these circumstances chisel away to help create their future selves, and it gives me a glimpse of how they will handle the pressure of transitions to come. Helping them find ways of managing the anxiety and fear that can arise is essential because I know they will rely on these tools when needed in the future.

Whether it is your precedent year or one of the many transitions that follow, let STA help guide you during this time of change by calling our intake specialists today at (201) 488-6678 to schedule an appointment.