Define the transition. Identify the person transitioning and establish how the transition has impacted her relationships, routines and roles. Determine if the transition is anticipated, unanticipated or a nonevent, as this influences stress level.
Identify the context of the transition. Ask open-ended questions to determine the person's relationship to the transition in terms of his perception of it and its impact on his daily routine.
Evaluate the situation. Look for what triggered the transition, its timing, how much control the person had over its occurrence, and the degree of role change resulting from it. Consider additional factors including transition duration, experience with similar transitions and concurrent stressors.
Assess the person transitioning. Consider personal and demographic resources, including financial status, employment and health. Evaluate the person's psychological resources, including coping skills and life stage. Use information about the person to identify personality strengths that can be used to enhance coping and help her feel empowered to use the transition to get closer to her future dreams.
Examine the person's support system. Adequate social support is essential to minimizing transitional stress. Help the transitioning person differentiate between people who are stable and supportive and those who are situational or likely to change their support over time.
Help the transitioning person develop strategies for coping with change. Show him that he can feel stronger in difficult situations by addressing the "meaning of the problem." For example, postponing college can be a tragedy or it can be a chance to save money and develop focus. Strategies also include developing a plan for minimizing stress throughout the transition and helping the person focus on a time when the change will be completed.
Teach the transitioning person to expect three stages. The "moving in" stage occurs at the beginning of the transition and is likely to be accompanied by excitement if the change is positive or fear if it is perceived as negative, and high levels of stress. The second phase is "moving through," which constitutes the bulk of the transition. "Moving out" is the end phase when the transition is nearing completion.