UMaine Calendar

What’s Next? Planning Your Transition to Retirement
2026-06-24 18:30 - 20:00, 2026-07-01 18:30 - 20:00, 2026-07-08 18:30 - 20:00, 2026-07-15 18:30 - 20:00, 2026-07-22 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Online
Program Description
Retiring from a career is a significant emotional and psychological adjustment for many. Many courses and resources address topics such as financial planning for retirement, legal issues, and the physical transitions of aging. This course will focus instead on emotional well-being during your retirement transition and next chapter.
We will provide skills and resources for social-emotional development to soon-to-retire professionals, or those newly retired. Enhance resilience and transition-coping skills. Establish new social connections with other course participants.
Program Benefits
This online retirement exploration program has an interactive, experiential learning delivery, allowing discussion and individual reflection & exploration. This course will introduce strategies for you to:
Develop your skills and access resources
Enhance your resilience and coping skills
Clarify your values and identify your strengths
Invest in your social and psychological portfolio-building
Review life change stages and adopt self-care strategies
Topics Covered
Psychological and philosophical topics of aging
Caring for your brain and heart – wellness resources beyond your medical care
New connections – build and maintain relationships outside of work
Resilience and coping skills during caretaking and loss
Finding out what’s next –exploring work, learning, and volunteer opportunities; developing existing or new hobbies.
Adventures near and far
Overview of other resources beyond these course topics
Who Should Enroll
This course is designed for individuals who are contemplating retirement or who are newly retired. (We will not cover planning the legal or financial aspects of retirement in this course; there are other places to work on those processes.)PROGRAM DETAILS
Photo of Pat McCabe
Instructor
Pat McCabe, MS, MEd is a New Hampshire-based human resources partner with 24 years of experience asking future retirees: What are your plans for after you retire? With master’s degrees in Counseling and Higher Education Administration, she has been connecting people to resources at non-profit organizations and in higher education since shoulder pads and big hair were in fashion.
Dates and Times
Sept. 24, Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 2025
6:30–8:00 pm ET
Pre-class work will be sent a week before the start of the program, and after each session.
Modality
This participatory program will be offered synchronously via Zoom—you’ll need access to a stable internet connection. Between classes, there will be reading and exploratory assignments (as well as time during sessions to work on your proposals). Breakout sessions with other participants and one-on-one time with the instructor are built into the program.
Program Fee
$250
Class Capacity
20 maximum
Contact Hours
9 contact hours
Certificate of Completion available after program completion.
Accommodations
For more information or to request an accommodation, contact us at um.continuinged@maine.edu.

Summer University (tentative)
2026-06-25, 2026-06-26, 2026-06-29, 2026-06-30, 2026-07-01, 2026-07-02, 2026-07-03, 2026-07-06 and 17 more dates
Click here to view the full 2025–26 Academic Year Calendar.
