College is an exciting time for young adults. However, it’s also a very stressful time. While starting college can feel like a marker of new independence, it’s also a period of rapid growth and new challenges.

That’s one of the reasons it’s a great time to get started with therapy. Instead of navigating this transition period by yourself, having some support as you explore your next phase of life can help! Here are just a few ways college students can benefit from therapy:

Learning anxiety/depression coping skills

• Learning to identify symptoms as they arise
• Strengthen sense of self
• Improve feelings of confidence and empowerment in decision making
• Feel supported in a new, unfamiliar environment

Because it is a period of transition and self exploration, college is a perfect time to get started with therapy. Here’s more on why college is a great time to get started with counseling:

It’s a new environment: 

While it is still school, college is a totally different experience than high school. Even if you come from a high school with a large graduating class, you still likely are generally familiar with the people you go to school with. Unless you’ve moved schools a lot, they’re probably the same people you’ve gone to school with since you were in kindergarten! So college is not only a totally new place, it’s a totally new place with totally new people. That can be overwhelming! Starting with therapy as you get started in this new place will help provide you with a support system you wouldn’t otherwise have.

You’ll already be doing some self exploration: 

By nature, college is a very exploratory time. You’ll be considering the kinds of classes you like, the departments you’re interested in, the clubs you want to join, the jobs you’re interested in having, etc. And while these are all very exciting questions, they’re also really big questions that can be hard to unpack on your own. Therapy can provide you a space to explore without feeling the pressure to make the right decision all the time, on your own.

You’re going to need new stress management skills: 

College is a totally different ball game than high school! In high school, your time was rigidly organized by someone else. There was very little flexibility or freedom in your schedule or class load. In college, (other than your required classes) you’ll get to decide what classes you want to take. You’ll get to make your own schedule. But that also means you’ll now be responsible for your time management in a way you never have been before. And the work will be at a higher level than you’re used to! With all of that going on, it’s likely that you’ll make some mistakes while you figure out the best way to manage both your time and your stress levels. Both of those skills are something you can strengthen in therapy!

They can help you find other resources: 

There are so many new opportunities, clubs, support groups, and resources for students on college campuses that you might not even be aware of. Your therapist can help you navigate the process of finding groups or clubs that would be a good fit for you, as well as direct you to other resources you might not know about.

If you’re looking to get support as you begin college, our therapists can help! Having the guidance and support of a therapist can be a huge source of safety, especially in times of transition.