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INSIGHTS

Perspectives for Navigating Life's Changes

Dr. Wagner's writing explores the psychological and emotional dimensions of change, relationships, identity, loss, health, aging, and the transitions that shape our lives. These insights offer perspective for understanding what we experience and how we navigate what comes next.

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Explore Dr. Wagner's Complete Collection of Articles and Reflections.

Two parents discussing custody issues with a distraught child on the couch
Cutting The Baby In Half
High-conflict divorce can place children in the middle of their parents’ pain, anger, and disagreements. Deborah Wagner explores how custody battles can affect children—and why protecting them sometimes requires parents to separate their feelings about each other from their love for their children.
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Two women sitting on a curb looking at each other
Victim or Survivor…Your Choice?
How we understand hardship can shape how we move through it. Deborah Wagner explores the psychological distinction between identifying as a victim and seeing oneself as a survivor—and how reclaiming a sense of agency can become an important part of healing.
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A Therapist’s Epiphany: A Psychological Construct
A therapist’s epiphany can emerge when a familiar psychological idea suddenly becomes personally meaningful. This reflection explores how psychological constructs move from abstract concepts to lived understanding, and how that shift can deepen perspective on ourselves and the experiences we are trying to make sense of.
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Woman sitting alone on the floor while a group stands together nearby
How Betrayal Evokes Life Transitions Part ll
Betrayal can disrupt our understanding of a relationship, another person, and even ourselves. In Part II, Deborah Wagner explores the psychological process of navigating betrayal, making sense of what has changed, and beginning to integrate the experience into the larger framework of our lives.
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Man sitting in a chair with his head resting in his hand
How Betrayal Evokes Life Transitions Part l
Betrayal can disrupt trust, identity, relationships, and our understanding of the life we thought we were living. Deborah Wagner explores how discovering a betrayal can challenge deeply held assumptions and become the beginning of a profound and unexpected life transition.
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Is It Just My Life or Is It Perimenopause?
When life already feels complicated, the emotional changes of perimenopause can be difficult to recognize or separate from everyday stress. Understanding how hormonal changes and life circumstances can interact may help women make sense of what they are experiencing and respond with greater perspective.
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Family walking together along a tree-lined road
The Stories We Tell Part 2
The stories we carry about ourselves and our lives are not fixed. When experience challenges a familiar narrative, we have an opportunity to reconsider what we believe, develop new perspectives, and create a more complete understanding of who we are and who we are becoming.
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Silhouetted man with outstretched arms against a star-filled sky
The Stories We Tell Part 1
The stories we tell ourselves help shape how we understand our experiences, relationships, and identities. Examining the narratives we have created can reveal assumptions and patterns that influence how we interpret our lives and open new possibilities for understanding ourselves and others.
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Directional signs pointing different ways beside the ocean
Navigating Your Treatment Options in Perimenopause
Perimenopause treatment can feel complicated when symptoms and individual needs vary widely. Understanding the available options can help women ask informed questions, consider what matters most to them, and participate confidently in decisions about their care.
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Psychologist | Author | Expert on Life's Transitions

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