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College Students

An exciting time of newfound freedom…

For many of us, college is the first time we’re really away from home. It’s exciting! And a little terrifying… but you try not to think about that.

You’re finally able to have the freedom you’ve been craving. You get to decide when you come and go. You get to decide when and how much you study.

And if you’re too tired, you can decide not to go to class without fear of a lecture from your parents. Sure, you still know what’s important (like class); but college is a time for exploring your interests, making new friends, and generally getting to know yourself – letting loose a little bit… and figuring out where your limits are (not always after you crossed them, either).

But freedom isn’t always fun and games.

Maybe you’re feeling a little overwhelmed by the multitude of things you need to be thinking about all the time. Your schoolwork is piling up and taking more of your energy than you were expecting.

Or maybe you didn’t anticipate feeling quite so isolated sometimes. Back at home everyone knew you. Although it’s a relief to not be around all the same people, it’s also weird not knowing anyone.

But how is it possible to feel so alone when there are always so many people around? Maybe you underestimated the comfort factor of having people you’ve known for years and years around all the time.

And perhaps you’re doing great and making new friends. After all, building relationships is part of the “college experience,” right?

Sometimes you’re torn…

You want to do the responsible thing of studying, cleaning, and taking care of yourself; but you don’t feel as though you can always be the one who stays behind when people are going out.

You constantly feel like you’re missing out, no matter what you choose. Meanwhile, things are getting out of hand with the homework and cleaning stuff.

Self-care? Who has time for that?

You’re lucky if you can make it to the gym a couple times a week or remember to eat in the middle of the day!

And you don’t want to go to your parents.

You don’t want to worry them. You’re not interested in being a burden. And you can already hear that note in their voice – the one that says that they knew you would need their help. And anyway, they’re so far away – what are they supposed to do about it?

Maybe you just need someone to help you slow down – a reason to take a breath instead of just bouncing between your many and various obligations.

Therapy can give you perspective… and a break!

In therapy, you’ll get an outside perspective… someone who is absolutely not going to judge you for some of your less-than-stellar decisions.

I get that you’re not always going to be “your best self.” We all make mistakes, and it makes sense to me that you wouldn’t want to bring these challenges to friends or family. You end up feeling like you have to explain yourself.

Sometimes, you just need someone to help you sort it out and limit collateral damage.

Sometimes, you just need someone to talk to you about what went wrong in the first place, so you can feel more confident in your decisions next time. I can do that.

I’ll help you sort through your feelings.

Relationships, in particular, are hard right now. Everyone you meet is new to you.

Emotions run high, feelings aren’t reciprocated, and sometimes you really like someone – you just aren’t sure they’re a healthy choice for you.

Look, I am human, so I might have opinions. But what matters here is what you want and what you need.

If you can’t quite figure out what that is, we’ll figure it out together.

We’ll identify your priorities and talk about how to act on them in a way that feels possible, even with everything else going on.

There’s so much going on!

School, work, friends, cleaning, self-care. With everything pulling at you all the time, it makes sense to need some space to sort out what is most important to you.

I’ll help you figure out how to move through some of those sticky or just downright uncomfortable social situations.

Like when your friend’s ex likes you. Or that guy who’s really persistent, and you really like him… just not like that.

Or when your friend hurt your feelings, and you don’t know how to talk about it – or if you even should.

We’ll talk about pros and cons. We’ll practice conversations. We’ll talk through some of the emotions you wouldn’t dare saying out loud, because therapy is a place where that’s safe to do.

Let’s bring things back into balance… together.

College is a lot. It’s a balancing act of so many different things pulling on you all the time. BUT…

You can have the full “college experience.”

You can feel good about your choices and stop second-guessing yourself.

You can even sprinkle some more self-care in there.

I can help you get there. If this sounds good to you, give me a call or text today: (703) 972-5705