Change is in the air

BY ELYSE AMEND

elyse.amend@transcontinental.ca

When the calendar rolls into a new year, many people can’t help to think about change. That’s one reason the West Island Women’s Centre (WIWC) is organizing a support group for women to help them deal with changes in their lives, beginning next Tuesday.

“It does seem appropriate, doesn’t it?” said Karen Henchey, the director of the WIWC. “It’s a time of the year when we’re probably a little more introspective about our life’s goals, what we want to do, what we want to accomplish in the new year. So the timing does seem good to have a group like this.”

The support group will be held once a week over an eight-week period and will be facilitated by Caroline Samné. The West Islander, who has a bachelors degree in psychology and a masters in human systems intervention, has numerous years of experience working with companies helping their employees deal with changes and transitions in their lives.

“It could be anything in our lives. It could be a change of careers, a change at work, change in our home life, divorces, illness…” she said. “Generally, when we say the word ‘change,’ a lot of people cringe. Human beings sort of resist change, which makes it difficult, then, to adapt.”

According to Samné, there is a difference between the words ‘change’ and ‘transition’: ‘change’ refers to the actual thing, such as moving, and the ‘transition’ is how people adapt to that change. It is also during the transition period where people can get stuck, Samné said.

“Why a lot of changes aren’t successful is because a lot of the people get stuck in the transition. We hear a lot about people who get stuck in the past, who idolize that past, and who often live in that past,” she said. “It’s not even so much the magnitude of the change, but it’s how people live it. That makes it either a successful change or a non-successful one.”

The group is open to all women, no matter what type of change they are going through. Samné said people interested in participating should be able to commit to the eight week period; otherwise, the group dynamic needed to make such support groups successful may not be achieved. Through discussing their problems and finding ways to get past the barriers that are keeping them from transitioning, Samné hopes the group will help participants make the most of the changes in their lives.

“The unknown is very hard to grapple with, because we feel it’s not in our control,” Samné said. “Let go of the things you can’t control and take control of the things you can.”

The support group will take place every Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m., starting next week. For more information, call the WIWC at 514-695-8529.