Retirees who retire from many government and non-governmental organisations are increasing daily. The relocation from routine work to private life is likely to result in some psychological reactions of anger, anxiety, depression and stress. This paper identified the voluntary, compulsory and mandatory types of retirement as well as types of retiree. The paper also discussed pre-retirement planning and the implications for pre-retirement counselling, which is aimed at providing comprehensive guidance and information concerning the social, emotional, financial and other aspects of retirement. The paper recommended that for effective pre-retirement counselling, there is a need for pre-retirement talks on finance, adequate use of leisure time and social interaction.