What the Transitions Institute Provides

The Transitions Institute recognizes the difficulty that all people experience when going through major life changes. We have developed programs that provide guidance, safety and professional expertise to support our clients in understanding who and where they are in the larger “game of life”. We provide guidance and support to realistically address the opportunities and responsibilities that accompany living a successful life.

The Transitions Process: While it is commonly thought that most people resist change, Dr. Zelman believes that it is the uncertainty that often accompanies change that people resist. For this reason, the Transitions Process starts by providing an understanding of the change process itself. With this new approach to change, our clients work effectively with our transitions professionals.

The Process consists of four phases:
Phase I - Self Awareness
Phase II - Self Acceptance
Phase III - Exploring What is Possible
Phase IV - Design YOUR Life!

• During Phase I, you explore what you have been committed to and what you are committed to for the future.
• During Phase II, you will identify the key life events that have held you back from living your full potential. Clients come to realize that they really do have the power to choose a more effective and productive way of living their lives.
• During Phase III, you begin to see, based on your personal profile, the possibilities that are available to you – things that are calling you, dreams that have long been buried. This results in a freedom to explore possible futures that challenge and inspire you.
• During Phase IV, you explore pathways to the future and develop your personal game plan to keep you on your selected path.

The Process: How It Works
Human beings operate under the totally false notion that our past determines our future – NOT SO. While it is an influencing factor, the past can be put aside, or your relationship to it can be altered, which in turn allows you to powerfully proceed in designing a life that previously was unobtainable. By the end of the Process, your focus is shifted from the past to the future and that makes all the difference in “creating a life” versus surviving it.

Who It Is For?
Anyone willing to risk the belief that their life is already laid out for them – that they can’t change. If you’ve got the guts and commitment to look at yourself and invest your talents, skills, & willpower in yourself, we can show you how to do this and produce extraordinary results.

How Long It Will Take?
The basic Transitions Process consists of four day-long sessions over 2-3 months and a lifetime of practice. (Transitions: Tools and Strategies for Success meets for four 4-hour sessions in a small group setting.) Follow-up programs are available to support you in further developing areas you want to improve such as finances, health, career, relationships, etc.

The Format
In each of the four sessions, Dr. Zelman covers a different topic comprised of a unique set of distinctions. Several methodologies are used: discussion, inquiry, presentation of information, assignments between sessions, etc.

Day 1 - Assessment:
• Skills, traits, history, vision, accomplishments, setbacks, etc. • Career, relationships, finances, legacy, health
Day 2 - Acceptance:
• Life-determining events, decisions-made, etc. • Career, relationships, finances, legacy, health
Day 3 - Possibility:
• If you were totally free, who would you be? • Career, relationships, finances, legacy, health
Day 4 - Structure:
• Declaration of the Future! • Designing and creating pathways and structures to help YOU fulfill the future you are commited to!

Is This Program Only About the Future?

The only time you can impact the future is NOW – today’s practice produces tomorrow’s performance. But if we are practicing being thorough or rigorous today – guess what? Practice also affects us NOW. This is a good thing!

What You Can Expect To Get: Why Someone Should Do the Program?:
For most individuals, the question is not “if”, but “when” will you require a personal or professional transition. There are a number of questions that rapidly follow that thought… Am I prepared? What additional training do I need? Do I even know what I want to do or can do? Most people attempt to answer these questions without the benefit of professional support – we think you should have the best support available by people who are trained in helping answer these questions.

The Kind of People Who Need This?:
Anyone who isn’t satisfied with merely “making it” through this life.

What Others Have Gotten Out of the Program?:
The Transitions Process is tailored to each specific client; therefore the results they produce out of participating in the process are as different as the individuals themselves. For some it is in the area of satisfying and deeply fulfilling relationships, for others they design entirely new careers that utilize the gifts they have to contribute to the world. Clients also find that they produce results they never even thought about – the kind of results that weren’t even on their radar screen – so what people get out of the process really depends on the person participating. How the Program Can Work for You?:
It’s very easy to forget that life is a gift. That the talents, skills, abilities, and intellect you have been given are gifts. We have all been given so many gifts that many of them have been forgotten. People who have been blessed with extraordinary athletic ability or intellect or musical ability often tend to focus on only one aspect of their nature. That’s the good news & the bad news. That focus may have led to a career, but it concealed other aspects or gifts of being human. They are still there; you just have to broaden your focus.

Why the Transitions Program?: The Leaders of the Program:
The programs are led by members of Transitions Institute’s faculty. They are highly trained professionals with degrees and credentials in their respective fields.

How It Differs from Career Counseling:
Career counseling looks at what to do – we help you discover who you are.

How It Differs from Traditional Coaching:
Coaches normally point out what’s next, help set goals and provide encouragement to get you to another level of performance. We do this, but from a completely different perspective – it’s not about getting you to do something. You don’t need us for that. It’s about inventing, designing, and creating who you are!

Other Questions to Help You Evaluate Your Need for the Program:
- Do you like where your life is headed?
- Have you taken the time to be proactive in creating the future, or are you waiting to see what cards you are dealt?
- Do you feel limited by a lack of time?
- Do you feel trapped by your career, your relationships, your lifestyle?
- Do you feel like your life belongs to someone else?
- Are you not satisfied with your life – in spite of all the money you are making?
- Do you have concerns about your financial future, in spite of all the money you are making?
- Do you define success only in monetary terms?
- Do you wonder what will happen when you retire?
- Are you concerned about fulfilling your full potential as a human being?
- Are you concerned about the impact of your professional career on your personal life?
- Have you thought about the kind of legacy you would like to leave for your family & community?
Available Programs Transitions Assessment Profile
The Transitions Assessment Profile is a stand-alone product given prior to the Transitions Process. It is a diagnostic tool, which provides insight and feedback regarding an individual’s readiness for a major life transition. It clarifies a person’s strengths and weaknesses in areas such as career development, finance, relationships, health and creating a legacy.

Time Required: Approximately two hours to administer the Transitions Assessment Profile. Another two hours for results and feedback of the Profile.

Transitions Process:
The Transitions Process consists of a one-on-one, four part program that enables people in bridging the gap between where they are today and the life they would like to live in the future.

Time Required: Four, single, day-long sessions over 1-3 months*
Four, single, day-long sessions over 1-3 months*

Transitions: Tools and Strategies for Success (TSS)
TSS provides people with the tools for a rapid and successful transition. This program is designed for groups.

Time Required: Four, 4-hour evening sessions

Upcoming Programs: Please contact us for currently scheduled programs.

To Register or Find Out More about These or Other Programs:
By Phone: (214) 528-9401
By Fax: (817) 288-0855
By Email: dzelman@transitionsinstitute.com