I was always very skeptical about therapy growing up. I knew people who went and liked it, but I didn’t see it working for me. After my first semester of college, I finally decided to give it a try, and I’m so happy I made the decision. If you’ve been thinking about starting therapy, that’s definitely your first sign to start, but hopefully, this article helps you make up your mind.
- Self-Discovery
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College is such a valuable time for figuring out your identity. We grow a lot, sometimes without even realizing it. Therapy helps to process all those changes in a fast-paced environment where there may not always be time for self-reflection. It’s time built into your schedule for getting to know your new self.
- You just finished an incredibly formative time in your life
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A lot happens in high school, whether it be stuff with friends, relationships, or just the incredibly stressful college process that comes at the end. Your earlier childhood and middle school years aren’t too far off either. Now that you’re away from your home environment and onto a new phase of life, it may be a good time to reflect and process what you just went through. Therapy is an especially great place to do this because your therapist is typically an outsider with no previous opinions of you or anyone you may know.
- College can be lonely, and asking for help is tough
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For a lot of us, college is the first time we’re totally on our own. As exciting as that is, it can also get lonely, especially freshman year. College is also incredibly stressful. While it’s reassuring to know that this is a common experience, I sometimes personally feel bad asking my friends and family to talk when they’re already so busy. However, it’s a therapist’s literal job to listen and give support, so you don’t have to worry about taking up their time or making them do anything they don’t want to do. They’re listening because they want to be!
- Therapy is the adult thing to do
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I don’t mean to freak anyone out with the word “adult,” but let’s face it: we’re not kids anymore, and we’ll only get older. And another ugly truth is that adolescents may not always have the healthiest methods for dealing with their feelings. I’m sure we all want to leave the high school drama in high school. Therapy is a safe first step to navigating our feelings and solving problems maturely. If our generation is proactive about therapy and healthy coping mechanisms, we’ll become empathetic, functional adults. And that’s good for everybody.
Finding a therapist you connect with can be a long process, but the results are totally worth it. You can find a therapist near your school, and therapists from home can usually just video call while you’re away. You can also look into your college’s counseling services, or possibly use your college insurance to pay for an outside therapist. Hopefully, you get the help you need!