Sabbatical Counseling

Have you ever wanted to take a break from the parts of life that bog you down?

Have you wondered what it would be like to take a month or year off work and travel to a dream destination or around the world?

Do you crave spending more time with your loved ones during a sensitive period of their lives?

Are you wishing you had the space to engage a project or area of study that excites you?

If so, you might be ready for a Sabbatical… But what IS a sabbatical exactly?

What is a sabbatical?

A sabbatical is an intentional period during which you take a break from your routine work and life, and this can look a lot of different ways. Some people arrange with their employer to return after a designated amount of time. Some people choose to not commit to returning to their previous employment because they know they want a vocational shift. Others choose to go on sabbatical even though they know their employer will not hold their current position for them even if they were interested in returning.

While on sabbatical, some intentionally engage in research and academia. Others desire to get back to activities they loved when they were younger. Some focus on living more spiritually or giving loving attention to unattended psychological wounds, while others desire to lean into creative projects. Some may want to explore a new direction for their life, while others want to travel and gain fresh perspectives and insights on life. You might even just need a break for the sake of the break itself. Whatever your reason for sabbatical, intention is important and acts to distinguish a sabbatical from just a long vacation.

Why take a sabbatical?

Provides a break from the daily grind and routine of your job, allowing you to recharge mentally and physically. This can help prevent burnout.
Gives you dedicated time for personal enrichment, whether that’s travel, pursuing a passion project, advanced study, research, writing, etc.
Allows you to gain new experiences and perspectives that you can bring back to your work when you return, making you more creative and effective.
Functions as a reward or incentive after putting in several years of dedicated service at your organization. Many employers offer paid sabbaticals after a certain tenure.
Provides an opportunity to spend extended time with family, especially if you have young children and want focused family time.
Lets you step back and re-evaluate your priorities, goals, and direction in your career and life outside of the daily pressures of work.

When you choose to take advantage of my Sabbatical Support service, I will guide you through important questions to ask yourself about what you want from your sabbatical. Here are some ideas others have chosen to pursue!

Travel

Take an extended trip to explore new cultures and destinations
Go on a cross-country road trip
Live abroad for a few months to immerse yourself in another language/culture

Education

Take courses or earn a certification in an area of interest
Work towards an additional degree
Learn a new language through immersion

Personal Growth

Attend a spiritual/mindfulness retreat
Go on vision quest or pilgrimage
Dedicate time to a hobby like art, music, writing

Career Development

Do informational interviews in a field you’d like to transition to
Gain hands-on experience through volunteering or an internship
Write a book or research paper related to your field

Passion Projects

Work on an invention or start a new business
Create art – write a novel, record an album, etc.
Get involved with a nonprofit or activism efforts

Spending Time with Family

If you have kids, use it as parental leave bonding time
Take a multi-generational trip with your extended family
Help care for aging relatives

The key is to choose activities that are personally enriching, allow you to recharge, and give you experiences outside your normal routine. The break can provide new perspectives to bring back to your career or may even change how you think about (or what you want from) your vocational endeavors.

The ‘Counseling’ Part of Sabbatical Counseling

Taking a sabbatical isn’t just about dreaming and strategizing. It’s also working through the fears and barriers that arise at any stage of the process. Its additionally about the stories we tell ourselves about what is and isn’t possible, the old wounds we carry with us into this period of apartness, the limiting beliefs about ourselves and the world, and the unhelpful thoughts that keep us from truly living.

That is why our time together doesn’t just end once the plan is in place and you’re off and running. Or at least, it doesn’t have to. That’s up to you. Because I also offer counseling during your sabbatical for all the things that may come up that overwhelm you. Maybe there is some deep work you want to engage or a question you’ve been running from and finally have the space to explore and answer.

Either way, I’m here for you. We’ll talk about your particular needs (ahead of time and as they come) and how I can best support you in addressing them.

You May Be Thinking, ‘Of Course a Sabbatical Sounds Great! But I’ve Got Some Concerns Like…

What if it’s too expensive?
What if my work won’t let me take a leave of absence?
What if I want to travel, but I have a family?
What if I don’t know how I want to spend my time – just that I need that time?

All these questions and concerns are valid. You might even have more than those listed here.

And that’s ok!

Chris and I had to ask ourselves the SAME THINGS. From the time I started seriously engaging him on the possibility of long-term travel to the time we took off, it was probably a few years. We had a house, lots of stuff, teenage kids, and a whole lot of questions and fears to work through.

But, in the end, our desire to take this time apart from the world and routines we knew spurred us to tackle those fears and questions one at a time. And you can too.

Let’s Explore the Reality In Your Sabbatical Dreams!

If you’re interested in learning more about how I can support your sabbatical dreams or want to schedule a session, click the link below. We’ll take it one question, one step, at a time.

“The Summer Day,” by Mary Oliver

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean —
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down —
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?