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A reflection tool · Dr Alla Demutska

Where Am I in My Midlife Transition?

A four-part reflection tool for women in the second half of life. Sixteen questions, around five minutes. The result will not diagnose you. It will give you a clearer read of where you actually are - across identity, meaning, the phase of transition you are in, and your relational world.

Please note. This is not a validated clinical assessment. It is a reflection tool designed by Dr Alla Demutska, Clinical Psychologist, drawing on the established literature on midlife and individuation (Hollis, Bridges, Levinson, Feiler, Pipher, Blackie, Jung, Erikson). It is not intended to diagnose or replace clinical care. It can offer a useful starting point for deeper reflection. For symptom-focused assessment of perimenopausal cognitive, physical, and mood symptoms, please use one of the validated tools linked on the Free Resources page.

The literature on midlife divides cleanly into two camps. The menopause symptom scales (Women's Health Questionnaire, MRS, Greene) measure physical and cognitive symptoms. The developmental literature (Hollis, Bridges, Levinson, Erikson) maps the existential transition - identity reorganisation, the question of meaning, the phase of "in between". This tool sits in the second camp.

Each of the four dimensions is scored separately. The result is a profile that combines them into one of several recognisable patterns - because where the literature is most useful is in helping you recognise which kind of transition you are actually in, not just whether you are in one.

Answer honestly, not aspirationally. The point is contact with what is actually happening.

Please answer all 16 questions before submitting.

Your profile

How each dimension scored

If your profile is asking for closer attention, you may find these useful.

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Drawing on: Hollis, J. (1993) The Middle Passage; Hollis, J. (2005) Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life; Bridges, W. (1979) Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes; Levinson, D. (1996) The Seasons of a Woman's Life; Feiler, B. (2020) Life Is in the Transitions; Pipher, M. (2019) Women Rowing North; Blackie, S. (2022) Hagitude; Hagerty, B. (2016) Life Reimagined; Erikson, E. (1982) The Life Cycle Completed; Jung, C.G., on individuation in the second half of life.
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