Are you a young man struggling with the challenges of today and asking yourself …. what is life all about?

Assisting young men navigate the transition to adulthood

My clients often find me when they are at a crossroads.

Young men often meet me when they are at a crossroads and navigating the transition from adolescence to adulthood. 

You may be preparing to leave education, move to higher education, or head off to work in the big wide world.

These days young men face a unique set of challenges that can vary based on cultural, societal, and individual factors, often leaveing them feeling unsure of where they are and not knowing how to move forward.

I suspect you may be here because you find yourself at such a crossroads, as this is the first of the major life transitions/rites of passage you have faced, and you are on the threshold of something new and unfamiliar.

Now that you are here, is this the right place for you?

The answer is yes if you are feeling or experiencing…

Unsure how to move forward
You are feeling stuck, lost or alone
Your struggling with your identity
Feeling under pressure with educational expectations
Feelings of frustration and unsure why
Fear of making the wrong decision for education/work
Struggling with how to navigate your relationships
Unsure how to find the words to express yourself
Issues conforming with traditional masculine stereotypes

Navigating this transition can be different for each person, yet it all starts with wherever you find yourself today.

On this journey, through the perspective of life’s transitions as a rite of passage, my clients often refer to me as a guide and mentor.

Over the years my clients have been telling me they are searching for support, guidance and would like to create a life of …

Increased personal resilience, a deeper sense of meaning and purpose, and greater fulfilment in life.

I am here to support you in charting your path through this transition, and to bring out the best that is you, that inner essence and spirit, that are your unique talents, abilities, and gifts.

I have been supporting young men navigate the journey towards adulthood for over 10 years, helping them to resolve the question:

“What do I need to do next”

“What do YOU need to do next?”

So far in life, you have followed a path set by society, your parent’s and your peers.
In adolescence you have generally:

      • Lived with your parents at home
      • Relied on your parents for support and guidance
      • Focused on your education
      • Been financially dependent on your parents
      • Dipped your toe into relationships
      • Living within a limited social circle
      • Explored your sense of identity

Now you face something very new, unknown, to a degree uncertain, and in today’s world there are very few maps to show you the terrain ahead.

Moving into adulthood you are looking to:

      • Achieve greater independence
      • Moving towards higher education or work
      • Searching for a more stable sense of identity
      • Expanding your social circle
      • Moving towards achieving financial independence
      • Develop the ability to advocate for yourself
      • Develop better emotional awareness/understanding

I believe the challenges you face are a natural part of your life’s journey, this is your first major life transition, and even though you may not yet understand it, it is your soul’s calling for change and growth.

The question … How do we meet the soul’s need for change and growth?

The answer … To understand this experience through the framework that this transition is a rite of passage, and gain a deeper understanding of what this transition holds for you.

This transition you are going through is both a form of initiation and a time of growth.

Although at the time it might not feel good, in terms of your life’s journey, this is exactly where you need to be and are meant to be so that you can be guided toward and enter the next stage of your life.

It is often a challenging time, you will experience many different things simultaneously. There will be endings and losses, as well as new opportunities and growth. Metaphorically it can be compared to the time the caterpillar spends in the cocoon before it emerges as something new and quite beautiful.

For me this transition happened when I was 16, my father was sick, and my parents had little money and could not afford to send me to college, so I left home and joined the Royal Navy. At 16 I was very young, leaving behind everything I knew, and moving into something I had no idea what I was entering into, who I was, where I was, and being in the military it was quite a loss of personal identity.  Compared to some modern-day adolescence to adulthood transitions, this was quite severe. The good news is they are not always as severe as this.

Yet all the time, in the background, I was holding more questions than answers around who I was, where I was and what was I doing?

“To this day, a person must dismantle the spell of childhood or fail to find their place in life.” – Michael Meade

Life Transitions as a Rite of Passage

A life transition, from the perspective of a rite of passage, represents a pivotal moment when an individual moves from one stage of life to another, signifying personal growth and development, and involves a process where individuals experience challenges, learning, and self-discovery.

This journey involves acknowledging that something is ending, preparing for the journey by getting a deeper understanding of where you are now, learning how to better navigate the in-between space you find yourself in, then beginning to make sense of it all by understanding the patterns and beliefs that lead you to this point, and then plotting a new course towards your desired destination.

It involves letting go of the old and familiar, navigating uncertainty, and embracing new roles, responsibilities, or identities that come with the next phase of life.

That you are here indicates your desire for change, and ahead you have two choices:

The first is to try your best to deny this change is coming and stay as you are, continue as though nothing needs to change.

The second is that you can make a conscious decision and grasp this as an opportunity and take the first step toward a new you and the next stage of your life.

Your journey awaits, the choice is yours!

Hello, and welcome…

My name is Paul, and for over 10 years I have been supporting young men to navigate the transition from adolescence to adulthood, supporting them to develop greater resilience, take control of their life, create a deeper sense of self-awareness and learn to see new perspectives and possibilities, enabling them to create a life of deeper meaning and fulfilment.

As a Life Transitions Mentor and Guide, I often connect with clients when they are in the middle of a crisis, challenge or significant change and guide them to a place of being more centred and connected to who they are, feel they can breathe and cope with what is happening and to see that there are possibilities and a life of meaning ahead of them.

Supporting young men to find greater personal resilience,
a deeper sense of meaning and a more fulfilling life

Are we a good match?

Yes, if…

You feel ready for change
You know that you can’t do it alone
You resonate with what you have read so far
You understand the resolution lay inside of you
You recognise change is an essential part of growth
You are curious and open to a more holistic guided approach

Yes, particularly if…

You feel connected to working with me
You are ready and willing to do your inner work
You are ready to invest the necessary time and effort
Your desire for change is bigger than staying where you are
You seek deeper meaning and satisfaction in your life
You are ready to take the first steps (even though you maybe unsure)

Regretfully NO, if…

You want a quick fix
You are sitting on the fence
You are not ready to change
You want someone else to fix the issue
You feel that time and priorities are an issue
You are not willing to take a deep hard look at yourself

Foundation Session

In this first session, we will lay the foundations of future work, and start by looking at your life through new lenses, enabling you to begin to see some new perspectives and possibilities. We will discuss and select one issue, goal or objective and begin to uncover the challenges, blocks, or problems that are holding you back, enabling you a sense of greater clarity of where you are now and the way forward.

At the end of the session, if you feel we are a fit for further work and we will plan out a program.

Session Time 1.5 Hours – Cost £99.00

 

Note: Foundation Sessions are for new clients only.  Existing clients click here to book a session

Here’s what Chris had to say…

At each stage of my life so far, I can without doubt say there has been an element of naivety in my perspective of adulthood. Every couple of years since turning age 18, I would reach a point where I look back and am thinking something along the lines of ‘I can’t believe I thought I was an adult then!”

Since starting my work with Paul. I see that the journey to adulthood is inherently intwined with accepting vulnerability. I’ve been out of my comfort zone, that’s for sure, but in a good way, and I’ve been learning to understand my emotions, and Paul has supported me through some tough emotional stuff. He worked on my energy field (something I am learning more about) and he supported me with some personal rituals. All of this has enabled me to understand more about myself, where I am in life, and the understand more about the things that really matter to me. At some point in my life, I felt very lost and delved into things that took me off my path and goals. I have readjusted now through all the work with Paul. It’s been invaluable. He often times feels like a father figure, who really does want the best for me and is assisting me in all way to get there.

Thanks to the work Paul and I do together, I have a broader more accurate understanding of what adulthood actually is. Now, for the first time ever I will confidently say that ‘I’m not there yet… But I’m getting there!’

Chris Cooper