Terry Gingras, Ph.D. and Military Transitions

Getting ready to retire from the only job you’ve had in the last 20-30 Years?

Concerned that you didn’t start planning soon enough?

Unsure of how you’ll fit in with civilian life?

Do you have feelings of regret about retiring?
 

Does the civilian world seem like a strange and scary place where you don’t know the rules?

Worried about finding the right job?

Making enough money to send the kids to college?

Don’t have a real idea of what you want retirement to be like?

Not sure if it’s a better idea to stay where you retire or to move elsewhere?

For your spouse? Your kids? You?
 

Military retirement is more than just changing your job—it’s changing your whole way of life.

You may have 20-plus years of technical training and experience, but you have zero experience in being a civilian. Some military retirees have likened it to being like a turtle without a shell. It is that feeling of being unprotected, vulnerable, and possibly easy prey. Some military retirement briefers used to say that a recent retiree would make at least one big financial mistake in the first five years in civilian life. This is simply because civilian life is so different from military life. There are many programs out there that might teach about your benefits, the basics of resume-writing and interviewing, but it is difficult to find consistent support for getting through the transition.

I know what retiring from the military is like. I’m an Air Force retiree. I’m also an executive coach and a clinical psychologist. I remember my own retirement. I remember the discomfort I felt and that $14,000 mistake I made early in my transition to the civilian workforce.

I remember feeling isolated and vulnerable. I remember silly stuff like missing squadron parties and softball games. I’d like to make transitioning (it ain’t retirement, if you still have to work) more comfortable for new retirees, so I’ve decided to offer transition coaching in both individual and group formats.

All sessions are private and confidential because they’re all done over the phone. No sitting in the waiting room. No driving long distances. You can participate from your home or office. Consider it “Executive Coaching for Military Members in Transition.”