So lost

[Cobblersandhogwash]

Where can I go and talk to someone about career advice and direction as a middle aged woman?

I need help with direction.

A life coach?

Do you think they're really useful?

I would try this book
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Color_is_Your_Parachute%3F
or a similar one. Your library should have some.

I used the book when in my 20s and it pointed me towards an occupation, and I have been doing that since, and I enjoy it.

You need to look at what you enjoy doing and what transferrable skills you have and so on.

I'm not sure what you mean by middle-aged, but if you are something like 45 yrs old, you can still retrain for a lot of occupations. You have over 20 years of working life ahead of you.

Be positive, be realistic, and good luck.

More suggestions:
Search for " Career change at 40 (or 50)" and look at some of the results.
Search for career coaching or career change consultant and look at the results. They are probably £££.

The coach option won't really do more than what you can do by working through all the exercises in the book but you will have your hand held, metaphorically speaking.

I have used two different Professional Placement Services as part of redundancy packages. One was excellent, the other less so, but the workshops were fun, and I got some good advice.

Thank you. Will have a look.

Let us know how you get on. It really isn't that unusual for people to change careers, or move into a similar job in a different sector in middle age
Good luck.