Adjustment Disorder Treatment: Therapy & Care Plan Options

September 24, 2025

Authored by: Adam Moore, MPharm

Edited by: Emma Loker, B.S

In life, change is inevitable. So it’s often in our best interests to prepare ourselves for it, as we never know what’s around the corner.

Small changes like a cancelled weekend away or having to stay late at work to finish a project are usually things we can handle well without much difficulty.

But what about big changes? Grieving someone after a death or separation, moving to a new city, or maybe a bold career move. These are transitions that can cause difficulties adjusting.

While many people eventually learn how to cope, others may struggle to adapt mentally to adjustments in life. They may feel sad, hopeless, or no longer enjoy activities they used to get pleasure from. Plus, without support, these issues can persist and may indicate an adjustment disorder.

If you or someone you care about is showing the signs of an adjustment disorder after one or more life transitions, professional support can help. Adjustment disorder treatment is both possible and achievable, helping people regain control of their lives and futures.

This page can also help you better understand adjustment disorder treatment options, as it explores:

How to understand adjustment disorders
Therapy options for adjustment disorders
Developing a treatment care plan
Recovery and long-term management
Where to find professional support for an adjustment disorder

Understanding Adjustment Disorders

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) defines adjustment disorders as “mental health conditions that occur in response to significant life transitions or stressors.” Symptoms are usually emotional (such as sadness, anxiety, and irritability) or behavioral (like changes in sleep or appetite, and social withdrawal).¹

If adjustment disorders are left untreated, these symptoms can snowball, and the person may develop ongoing or chronic mental health conditions like depression or anxiety. This is why treatment for adjustment disorders is best sought when symptoms first start to interfere with daily life.

But what brings an adjustment order on? We previously discussed change, which is considered to be the major contributing factor. In fact, studies confirm that the most common triggers for adjustment disorder are career transitions, breakups, bereavement, chronic illness, and academic pressures.² It’s also worth knowing that symptoms typically appear within three months of the change happening, and if left untreated, can persist for six months or longer.

Everyone, at some point in their lives, has had a tough time adjusting to change. However, when mental and behavioral symptoms make it hard to function in day-to-day life, professional treatment may become necessary. For instance, if someone finds themselves socially withdrawing, becoming easily upset, demotivated, and feeling depressed – and these issues persist – it may be time to seek support.

Fortunately, unlike a lot of other mental health conditions, adjustment disorders typically have an identifiable cause. Therefore, effective treatment can target these root factors to help people cope.

Professionals typically use a combination of methods when treating adjustment disorders, including therapy, structured care plans, support systems, and coping strategies. The aim is to help people regulate their emotions and adapt in more balanced ways to change. We discuss each of these methods in turn as we continue through this guide.

Therapy Options for Adjustment Disorders

The most suitable treatment options for adjustment disorders may depend on the person at hand, as everyone is unique with different life circumstances and responses to change. A mental health professional can talk you through the options that may best suit your needs.

However, the following are some evidence-based treatments you may come across.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Studies show that CBT is one of the most effective treatments for adjustment disorders.³
For example, research shows that CBT reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety in adjustment disorder patients while improving daily functioning and resilience.⁴

CBT helps identify thinking patterns that are unhelpful or negative, as this way of thinking can often lead to more stress and emotional upheaval than a situation calls for.

For instance, you’ve likely heard the term “catastrophising”; when someone hones in on the worst-case scenario rather than looking at a situation with consideration to all possibilities.

CBT puts this kind of thinking under a lens, and asks, “What are we telling ourselves?” For someone with an adjustment disorder, this self-narrative might sound like, I messed up at my new job. They’re probably going to fire me, and I’ll have to start looking for another one.

Instead of taking a step back and looking at this thought from an objective perspective, people with adjustment disorders may jump to conclusions. CBT can help them come to a more realistic outlook by asking them to reframe the statement to something more considered and neutral. For example, Everyone makes mistakes in a new job. This is not indicative that I’m going to be let go.

By challenging negative thoughts with more realistic, helpful, and accurate ones, people can break the negativity cycle that perpetuates adjustment disorder symptoms.

The following are some more techniques that CBT uses to flip these negative patterns. They’re best practiced with a professional, but can also be used between sessions to enhance the outcomes of therapy.

CBT Techniques:

Thought records: Encouraging those with negative thinking patterns to keep track of the thoughts that pop up daily. This allows people to reflect on their thoughts and, importantly, look at the evidence for and against the statements they tell themselves. Often, by weighing up how true the thought is, people start to see that these thoughts aren’t representative of real-world outcomes.
Cognitive restructuring: This involves replacing unhelpful thinking patterns with balanced, more realistic perspectives. We gave an example of this technique earlier.
Behavioral activation: Typically, people are less prone to ruminating in negative thought cycles when they live fuller, more rewarding lives where their hobbies and interests are nurtured. Therefore, behavioral activation encourages engagement in rewarding or meaningful activities.
Graded exposure: Gradually confronting anxiety-provoking situations to reduce avoidance behaviors. An example includes practicing a pre-interview roleplay so that sitting in front of a potential employer, being asked questions in the real world, becomes less fear-inducing.

CBT is typically delivered in weekly sessions over 8–12 weeks, but can be extended depending on individual progress.

Behavioral Therapy for Adjustment Disorder

Behavioral therapy looks at unhelpful habits or behaviors that maintain or worsen emotional distress.

Take, for example, someone struggling with social anxiety after a major life transition such as a move to a new city. It may be common for this person to avoid large social gatherings or speaking up at work during meetings or presentations. While this avoidance may help them feel more comfortable in the short term, it can lead to loneliness and isolation in the long run. Plus, it could even stunt career progression and success due to a lack of interaction with peers.

By looking at unhelpful behaviors that contribute to distress, in this case, avoidance of social interactions, a behavioral therapist can target these actions to promote long-term recovery.

Some research-backed behavioral therapy strategies include the following. Again, these are best practiced under the guidance of a trained therapist, but can be repeated between sessions.⁵

Behavioral Therapy Strategies:

Role-playing: Practicing social or occupational scenarios to reduce stress in real-world situations. Returning to the example of someone struggling with social anxiety after moving for a new job, they could prepare for a work presentation by mimicking the situation ahead of time. For instance, they could prepare and practice with a small group of people, making the real deal feel a lot less stressful.
Exposure exercises: This involves gradually introducing challenging situations to decrease avoidance. For example, someone socially anxious could commit themselves to staying longer at social events, extending this period over time. As they become more familiar with these scenarios, they can become normalized and less distressing.

As may be clear, the strategies associated with behavioral therapy are similar to those involved in CBT. This is because the two forms of therapy target the behaviors that can perpetuate adjustment disorders. The main difference is that CBT also focuses on how certain thoughts can lead to these behaviors.

Life Transitions Therapy

Life transitions therapy specifically focuses on assisting people in navigating major changes like relocation, career shifts, or retirement. A qualified therapist aims to help identify stress triggers and lay out realistic expectations, as well as come up with actionable coping strategies.⁷

Some techniques commonly used in life transitions therapy sessions include the following.

Life Transition Techniques:

Goal-setting for adjustment to new routines
Problem-solving exercises for anticipated challenges
Guided reflection on past strategies

Stress Management Therapy

Change introduces a lot of uncertainty to people’s lives, which many find stressful to cope with. Yet, in time, this uncertainty tends to ease as people adapt. However, those with an adjustment disorder may develop chronic stress as a result of change, potentially leading to long-term emotional and physical challenges.

Stress management therapy equips people with the right tools to reduce the effects of stress⁸. Popular techniques include the following, and are relatively easy to practice at home.

Stress Management Techniques:

Mindfulness meditation: This can be guided by a counsellor or practiced independently. It’s about allowing yourself to be present in the moment and process thoughts in a non-judgmental way.
Guided imagery: Visualizing calming scenarios to promote relaxation. For many, visualizations involve picturing their “happy place” or somewhere relaxing in nature. Maybe this is chilling on a beach, taking a hike, or even seeing your thoughts float by on the clouds. Through using your imagination, visualization can go a long way in alleviating real-world stress.
Time management strategies: Such as organizing tasks to reduce overwhelm. This can be particularly helpful for people who are finding new environments challenging.

Other Forms of Psychotherapy

Alternative forms of psychotherapy to those previously mentioned can help people explore underlying emotional conflicts, process grief or loss, and develop resilience in various ways.⁶

For example:

Psychodynamic therapy explores unconscious processes that influence behavior. This often means looking at potentially traumatic events in someone’s past that may lead to problematic emotions or behaviors, and encouraging healing so this trauma doesn’t become a barrier to wellbeing.
Interpersonal Therapy aims to improve relationships and social functioning, as conflict within these can contribute to distress.
Supportive counseling can offer guidance, validation, and coping skill development after life changes.

The good news is that adjustment disorders, unlike some other psychiatric conditions, are linked to identifiable causes. In fact, studies show that adjustment disorders typically occur within three months after a triggering event.⁵

It’s also worth noting that beyond six months of the stressful event ending, clinicians often look to alternative diagnoses, like depressive or anxiety disorders. This is because there may be evidence of a more long-term condition or risk.

Developing an Adjustment Disorder Care Plan

The most suitable form of therapy for an adjustment disorder depends on your specific circumstances and needs. However, regardless of the type of therapy you choose, an effective adjustment disorder care plan looks at the big picture of your life. Therefore, it typically aims to incorporate therapy holistically, combining it with other approaches.

For example, an adjustment disorder care plan process may involve:

Assessment and goal setting: Mental health professionals aim to evaluate symptoms, triggers, coping resources, and patient goals. Once they have an accurate assessment, they collaborate with the client on what goals they could like to set for recovery.
Therapy selection: During this stage, appropriate types of therapy are chosen based on the client’s needs. Treatment may use a combined approach of CBT, mindfulness, group therapy, and stress management, for example. The client’s voice is included in this selection process.
Coping strategy integration: Practical strategies from therapy, such as journaling, mindfulness, relaxation techniques, and physical activity, are gradually phased in to the client’s daily routines.
Support system engagement: Family, peers, and support groups can reinforce therapy and provide emotional backing.¹⁰Therefore, family therapy and group therapy may become part of the treatment plan.
Monitoring and adjustment: Progress is continuously tracked, and therapy is modified if necessary to ensure continued improvement and prevent relapse.⁹

Adjustment Disorder Recovery and Long-Term Management

When a big change shakes you to your core, you may find that an adjustment disorder takes a firm grip that you can’t shake. Deciding that you need extra support demonstrates strength and commitment to recovery. Yet, change in life is inevitable, so what happens when you encounter it again after treatment? For instance, you may worry that if you unexpectedly lose your job, you’re going to fall into a cycle of depression and anxiety.

Long-term recovery from an adjustment disorder is entirely achieveable – even if you encounter further life transitions down the line. Coping skills learned in therapy are integral to this process, as they help you adapt and grow to change. Therefore, if life throws you a curveball, you’re prepared and capable of dealing with it.

Long-term adjustment disorder management strategies include:¹¹

Continuing therapy sessions as needed
Practicing coping strategies consistently
Participating in mental wellness programs
Engaging in social and group support
Monitoring early signs of relapse and seeking timely support

Recovery from an adjustment disorder is gradual and requires patience and persistence. But if you maintain healthy routines, engage in self-care, and continue to practice stress management skills, you can regain consistent control of your life.

Mission Connection: Professional Support for Overcoming Life’s Challenges

Life is full of surprises, and we’re not always ready for them. But the good news is that we can become more resilient with the right help and support. Mission Connection’s dedicated, experienced team is on hand to support you, or someone you love, through the stress of an adjustment disorder.

We provide a variety of evidence-based options that can be tailored to your specific needs, whether you require immediate support or more long-term continued help. Our telehealth services also mean that you can fit therapy into your schedule flexibly, allowing you to receive care from the comfort of your home.

By also offering comprehensive medication monitoring alongside various therapies, Mission Connection can be a guiding light toward successful and sustained healing. If you’re ready to explore our treatment options, contact us today or complete our confidential contact form for more information.

References

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