COUNSELING FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS
College is an exciting time of life.
But it is also very stressful.
FEELING WEIGHED DOWN BY THE STRESS OF COLLEGE?
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MANY COLLEGE STUDENTS FEEL THIS WAY.
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COLLEGE IS A TIME OF INTENSE AND RAPID TRANSITION.
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College is this interesting time of transition where one is given an opportunity to explore independence away from their parents, hometown, and all that feels comfortable. But for many, this independence and freedom can be lonely, confusing and downright uncomfortable. Many feel like they are not cut out to succeed in such a high pressure environment. Symptoms of depression or anxiety might begin to creep in. Self-doubt and worry might become prevalent.
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Decisions can seem overwhelming. Am I in the right major? What internship should I choose? Should I study abroad? Do I need to take a semester off? How do I manage my money?
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The pressure to perform academically can be intense and feel overwhelming. Picking a major, choosing classes, second guessing your decisions, and simply managing time and assignments can feel insurmountable. If you previously struggled with time management or organization in high school, you may find your safety net is now far away and now your grades are suffering.
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Competitiveness and perfectionism stare you in the face everywhere you turn, and you feel like you are just not good enough. You feel lost, like you have chosen the wrong major and its too late to change directions.
College is also an opportunity to make new friends and expand your social skills. But many college students struggle with social anxiety and find fitting in is harder in college than it was in high school. Finding your circle of friends can be difficult and dating/romantic relationships even harder to navigate.
Graduate
Students
Who Are Also
Parents
A THERAPIST WHO UNDERSTANDS THE STRESSES AND PRESSURE OF COMPLETING A PHD PROGRAM WHILE RAISING YOUNG CHILDREN.
COMPLETING A GRADUATE DEGREE WHILE RAISING YOUR CHILDRN IS A JUGGLING ACT WITH UNIQUE CHALLENGES.
Our work together will take a look at these unique challenges. Some sessions, we will focus on the pressures to complete and defend your dissertation and other sessions we will focus on the challenges of parenthood. Others will focus on the combination of both.
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Perfectionism and anxiety are very common. Many of my clients self-identify as "Type A" highly organized, achievement focused individuals. Parenthood challenges these traits in a way many have not experienced previously.
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We will look at how perfectionism, anxiety and depression intersect and how they impact your progress. We will find ways to overcome these obstacles so you can achieve your goals of completing your post-graduate degree and can feel more accomplished as a parent as well.
ANXIETY THERAPY CAN HELP YOU EXCEL BOTH ACADEMICALLY AND SOCIALLY
Counseling can help you cope with depression and anxiety and find your inner strengths so that you can excel, both socially and academically. If you are finding yourself struggling with academics or social relationships, it could be that you are depressed or suffering from paralyzing anxiety.
Academically, if you are struggling with depression, you probably find you don’t want to attend lectures or are behind on your assignments. Procrastination is your go-to coping skill because after all, if you wait until the last minute, it only takes a minute. Depression will cloud your thinking and make graduation day feel like a mirage.
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The first step is to identify that something is not quite right and to seek help. And you have already done this since you are reading this site. Setting up an initial appointment is easy. During this session, we will focus on identifying your goals so we can get right to work developing a plan for you. We will work together to set realistic and attainable goals. You will gain tools to help you cope with upsetting emotions and help seeing situations from a different perspective. You will learn to feel more in control of your emotions, rather than feeling like your emotions are controlling you.
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Perfectionism is a common trait that causes distress. We will look at ways to work through your feelings of insecurity to help you gain more self-confidence. ​And we will identify models of self-care that embody self-compassion. Most importantly, you will find a safe and confidential space to speak your truth and be heard and validated.
I FEEL A BIT BETTER TODAY THEN I DID YESTERDAY. MAYBE I CAN DO THIS ON MY OWN.
I completely get that starting therapy is a difficult decision and that talking with someone you do not know can feel very vulnerable. But what we know about clinical depression and anxiety is that it generally does not just go away on its own. You may feel better one day, then terrible the next. Depression is also episodic. So if you made it out of one episode, you may still have another. Therapy can help you reframe certain thought patterns that contribute to depression so that future episodes are less severe or less likely to occur.
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I AM ON A TIGHT STUDENT BUDGET.
Your student health plan allows you to see therapists outside of Princeton's Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) who are a part of the Exclusive Provider Network (EPN). I am a participating provider with EPN so your cost for sessions are very low – you just pay your copay.
MY TIME IS SPARSE.
Time is indeed precious, and we all need more hours in the day. But chances are that your depression or anxiety is making certain parts of your life very difficult. I keep sessions focused on solutions and coping strategies so that you can leave feeling like you have accomplished something from our time together. Flexible scheduling is available throughout the day and varied lengths of appointments (30 minutes, 45 minutes or 1 hour).
I also offer online therapy -- available anytime, anywhere -- with your convenience in mind.
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I HAVE BEEN TO THERAPY BEFORE AND IT WAS NOT REALLY HELPFUL.
Many of my clients find me after having seen another therapist before. Therapists all have their own approach to therapy so you may find that you are more comfortable with me than you were with your previous therapist. I encourage all my clients to evaluate and re-evaluate throughout our work together to determine if they feel like they are getting the help they need. If you ever feel like you are not getting the help you seek or the progress has stalled out, I will help you find someone else who may be able to help you better. Or we may decide we have made good progress and want to stop sessions for the time being. I am here if you need me, when you need me.
I AM A VERY PRIVATE PERSON AND FIND IT HARD TO OPEN UP.
So am I. I get that I can be incredibly difficult to talk to a stranger about things you find hard to tell even your closest friend or partner. We will go at your pace and only talk about what is top of mind for you. This is your counseling after all and it will focus on helping you achieve your goals. You may even find that it is easier to open up once we get started. Many people tell me that I am fairly easy to talk to.
