You were always told that going to college would be the time of your life. You imagined yourself having fun, making new friends, and dating. You were excited about the newfound freedom of being an adult and being able to make your own decisions. Instead, you’re overwhelmed trying to balance the stress of school. You don’t have the same support you had before, and it’s really hard to navigate all this. College seems way more difficult than high school, and you don’t remember ever feeling this anxious. . You’re still trying to figure out who you are and how you fit in. You compare yourself to everyone else and don’t feel like you’re good enough. It seems like everyone is prettier, smarter, and more outgoing than you are. You hate feeling this way.
Reasons why college students reach out for therapy
There are many reasons why college students reach out for therapy. Here are some of the common issues my clients struggle with that leads them to counseling:
Difficulty managing stress
Trouble adjusting to college life
Increased anxiety
Sexual assault
Perfectionism
Disordered eating
Feeling lonely
Dating anxiety
Lack of confidence
how will therapy help college students?
You’ve never been to therapy before but are desperate for help. You will do anything it takes to feel more in control over your stress and anxiety. The college students I’ve worked with have felt the same way you do, and have been able to feel more balanced and less overwhelmed.
Therapy for dating anxiety
Trying to date for the first time in your life can feel scary. You feel pressure to be liked, and are nervous about the dating experience. If you’re not asked out on dates, you wonder what’s wrong with you. Therapy can help you manage your feelings and deal with dating anxiety.
Eating disorder therapy
For many people, eating disorders develop while they’re in college. They learn to cope with stress and anxiety through restricting or binging. You might compare your appearance to others and feel the need to lose weight. It’s also the first time in your life that you’re responsible for feeding yourself, and you don’t know how to figure this all out. Even if you haven’t developed a full-blown eating disorder, you might have eating disorder symptoms or engage in dieting and emotional eating. Eating Disorder Therapy can help you improve your relationship with food and find healthier ways to cope.
Negative Body Image
You may not have thought much about what you looked like until college or maybe body image issues have always been something you’ve struggled with. For many people, negative body image becomes worse in college. You become aware of everyone else’s appearance and body types and compare yourself to them. Body image therapy can help you understand why you emphasize appearance so much importance and how to challenge it.
High functioning anxiety
You may not think you have anxiety because it doesn’t interfere with your daily functioning. You feel overwhelmed and stressed by all that you have in your life, and might not realize you have high-functioning anxiety. Therapy can help you gain more insight into anxiety and help you to cope with it more effectively.
Social anxiety
You don’t have a hard time making friends and have always valued your relationships. College seems much more overwhelming because there are so many groups of people everywhere. You find yourself being more socially anxious and wanting to avoid big crowds of people. Therapy can help you manage social anxiety and find ways to create meaningful relationships.
Trauma Therapy
You probably don’t think you’ve been through trauma because your experiences aren’t as bad as what you think others have been through. You might find yourself thinking about past bad experiences and heartbreak that you’ve been through. You may also have had unwanted sexual experiences that make you feel ashamed. Trauma therapy can help you work through your past and feel better about what happened.
Therapy for Perfectionists
You find that college to be harder for you to maintain straight A’s. It makes you anxious to not be a straight A student because that’s who you’ve always been. Maybe it’s not grades you’re worried about but you’ve always been a hard worker and been successful at things you put your mind to achieving. These could be signs you’re a perfectionist. Therapy can help you put things into a different perspective and be less worried about being perfect.
Why should I work with Maple Canyon Therapy?
The clients I work with are hard workers and are willing to do whatever it takes to feel better. They know that something has to change in their lives and will do whatever it takes to make it happen. In turn, I match the hard work that you put into therapy. I’m going to care about you not because I have to but because it’s hard not to. Being a therapist is a big deal to me. I know how scary it is to reach out for help and want to do anything to make you feel comfortable and at ease. I’ve got the tools to help you find relief from your struggles. You won’t have to do all of this alone.
Start working with a Utah therapist
You don’t have to keep feeling anxious and stressed. You don’t have to keep believing that you’re not good enough. Therapy can help. This Utah Counseling Practice has a therapist for anxiety specializing in working with college students. To begin counseling follow the steps below:
Begin working with a caring therapist
Find relief from your struggles.
Online therapy in Utah
You have a busy schedule. You hate having to find a parking spot again, and it’s hard to leave campus to go to a therapy appointment. I offer online therapy in Utah, and it’s a perfect solution for college students with busy schedules. You don’t have to leave your apartment, or have to travel to get to therapy. Online counseling is more accessible and just as effective as in-person therapy.
I work with college students at Utah State University, Southern Utah University, Brigham Young University, Utah Tech University, and Utah Valley University through online counseling.