Why Is Therapy Essential for College Students?
A Therapist’s Take on the Necessity of Counseling for Students
It’s that time of year again - the leaves are on the ground, pumpkin spice is in the air, and classes are underway. As you start this fall semester, you might be moving into your dorm, navigating commuting to campus, balancing your first set of homework assignments, or figuring out which clubs you want to join. You might be excited about the prospect of new friends, a new schedule, and new opportunities in general, but there might also be some apprehension, some stress, or something else lying below the surface affecting you. That’s where therapy comes into play in addressing many of the issues college students face!
So, as you make the return to school, leaves crunching underfoot and backpack heavy behind you, why should you seek out therapy for yourself this semester? The benefits of therapy for college students, as well as online therapy for young adults in Virginia, are numerous. Especially, for the mental health and wellbeing of these academics! Here are my top four ways that therapy can support the nuanced transitions and difficulties that students face!
Therapy can help you….
1. Manage Studying Stress
Stress can be beneficial; there’s a reason that we get stressed. Stress can “mobilize you to meet the demands of your day” (Kerr and Claybourn, 2023). It can be a motivating factor that helps us get the things we need to get done, done! However, stress can also negatively impact us, and balancing the demands of young adulthood and everything that comes with going back to school can often push us over the edge, crossing the line between motivation and overwhelm.
In a 2022 report, the American Psychological Association found that 46% percent of young adults ages 18 to 35 reported that most days, they were “so stressed they can’t function” (Kerr and Claybourn, 2023). For college students, stress can lead to extreme academic burnout, as the State of Higher Education 2023 report found that “emotional stress” was one of the most common reasons a student might drop out of college (Kerr and Claybourn, 2023).
So, How Do We Move From Overwhelm to Motivation, and How Can Therapy Help with This?
First, therapy, such as online therapy for young adults in Virginia, gives you the space to vent your feelings. Keeping things bottled up inside and feeling isolated can contribute to feelings of burnout and overwhelm. Your therapist is aligned with you, and the therapy room (or virtual space) is a place for you to let loose, and let the steam out to vent. Having a safe space to process emotions and experiences, reflect, and vent can be extremely beneficial to student well-being.
Second, therapists in DC can help you develop stress management plans that work for you! Are you struggling with even knowing where to start in addressing your stress and how to deal with college burnout? Are you so overwhelmed that you can’t even begin to think about a to-do list? Alongside your therapist, you can create short- and long-term goals, figure out how you work and learn best, identify positive supports you can lean on in your daily life, and take a pause out of your day to reorganize and refresh. You can learn breathing techniques, grounding skills, and relaxation tools that will help you regulate your emotions, heart rate, and stress levels throughout the day, keeping you on track and productive.
Lastly, Seeking Out Therapy to Help Deal with Stress.
It can help you avoid turning towards coping skills that continue cycles of avoidance or suppression of stress. Many people might turn towards alcohol or drug use to numb out the stress. Instead of avoiding, therapy gives you a safe space to confront, vent, and make a plan, avoiding the “cascading effect that results in serious mental health challenges or unhealthy coping mechanisms” (Kerr and Claybourn, 2023).
Additionally, diagnoses such as ADHD can cause an extra layer of stress for college students, as you might struggle with maintaining attention, motivation, or focus. Our specialized ADHD therapists in DC can equip you with the right tools to get into your groove instead of becoming bogged down with stress.
2. Cultivate Social Skills and Strengthen Relationships
Maybe you’re new to your school and are trying to find a social network. Maybe you’re hoping to deepen the friendships that you forged last semester. Maybe you find yourself second-guessing everything you said at that one meetup you attended last night. Alongside an online therapist in Virginia, you can build your social skills and learn skills to help you make new connections, deepen relationships, and feel confident in social situations!
Therapists in DC can equip you with the tools and skills you need to feel confident around others in order to build authentic and strong relationships. Maybe you want to feel more assertive, learn how to actively listen better, or break out of cycles of surface-level relationships, unsure why you always end up in similar social situations. Through reflection of your tendencies and go-to communication styles, and then through collaboration and practice to build new styles, you and your therapist can prepare you to embrace any new social situation you come across.
Challenging Negative Thoughts Can Be Powerful
It’s a way to remind yourself that we don’t have to take every criticism our brain throws our way as fact. The next time you come away from a social situation and find your brain telling you that you really messed something up, try questioning that thought. Perhaps you might ask: What evidence do I have for this thought? What might a close friend actually tell me about this situation? Will what I say or how I acted matter to me in 3 years? 5 years? If I actually looked at this situation in a positive light, what might I think? Instead of letting fear of embarrassment rule your social life, try challenging the negative thoughts and start the journey to heal yourself!
3. Embrace and Embody Your Identity
As we enter young adulthood, we begin to have the freedom and autonomy outside of the environment we might have grown up in to live as our authentic selves. Maybe it’s safer for you to live as your authentic self, maybe your authentic self has been knocking on the door and you want to answer, or perhaps you’re looking for a shared community on campus with people who share a similar identity or background as you, or maybe there’s a group on campus that you’ve always felt drawn to, but have not taken a step towards figuring out what your affinity is. As a college student, you might want to discuss salient aspects of yourself, whether that’s sexual orientation and sexuality, racial identity, religion, or any other part of who you are, and figure out what living as your authentic self looks like for you.
Why Work with a Therapist to Explore Your Identity?
Studies have shown that alongside identity formation comes a sense of “agency, responsibility, integrity, commitment, and psychological maturity” (Hardy et al., 2013). There are many positive benefits of embodying your identity! In therapy, you’ll be able to openly express yourself in a safe environment. At The Sterling Group, our therapists in DC are knowledgeable and trained in identity development, and can give you the tools to explore what authenticity means to you.
4. Find Purpose and Meaning
As you choose semester classes, declare a major, or think ahead to your future career, you might be feeling lost at sea. Working alongside a therapist, you can cultivate a sense of purpose and meaning around your academic and future professional life to stay motivated and engaged this semester. Professor William Damon at Stanford University conducted a study around purpose in life and found that young adults who have a sense of purpose report feeling “resourceful, resilient, and highly motivated” (Crawford, 2018), all qualities that support a positive mental health state.
Damon defines purpose as “an intention to accomplish something that is personally meaningful while also of consequence to the world beyond the self” (Crawford, 2018). Alongside your therapist, you can develop your own definition of purpose and discover what motivates you in your academics, personal life, and professional life!
Start Your Journey with Online Therapy for Young Adults in Virginia Today
Ready to find a group of therapists in DC to help you build skills, provide a safe place to vent, and cultivate a sense of your authentic self this school year? Ready to live your best life this semester? Reach out to our team of skilled therapists today to book a FREE 15-min-consult! Whether you're dealing with academic stress, navigating social challenges, or exploring your identity, therapy can provide the guidance and support you need. The journey to healing and growth may not always be easy, but with the right support, you can build resilience and find balance. At The Sterling Group, we offer online therapy for young adults in Virginia, designed to help you through every phase of your college experience. Here’s how you can get started:
Reach out to us for a free consultation.
Schedule your first online therapy session today.
Take the time to prioritize your well-being and embrace the path to healing.
Other Therapy Services Offered in Washington, DC & Throughout VA
Our caring therapists in DC offer a variety of services to support you and your mental health needs. If you need individual support, we offer Individual Therapy, Executive Function Support, EMDR Therapy, and IFS Therapy. As well as self-esteem counseling, LGBTQIA+ therapy, life transition counseling, and more!
Our therapists are available for both in-person sessions in Washington, DC, and online therapy in Virginia, making it convenient for you to prioritize healing yourself. We'd love to discuss how we can support your growth in all areas of your life today!
About the Author
Hannah Cohen is an associate therapist at The Sterling Group, specializing in working with young adults navigating the stresses of young adulthood. I help my clients address anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship issues, substance use, and identity development - all aspects of life that come with being a college student and a young adult. I love working with those from neurodiverse backgrounds, and understanding that therapy – just like people! – comes in many forms and is not one-size-fits-all. As a part of the queer community, I especially enjoy working with LGBTQ+-identifying folks to address their unique identity, social, and relational needs!
