Therapy for College Students In WIsconsin & FLorida
Whether you are just entering college, a few years in, or pursuing a higher degree, college life is full of transitions. We know that college is challenging, and not just because of rigorous course work or difficult professors, but because it often forces us to confront beliefs about our self, our relationships, where we come from, where we want to go, who we want to be, and how to navigate the world. Sometimes these beliefs are difficult to sit with, hold, feel, and let go of. They weigh on us, maybe break us down, maybe force us to come up with solutions to survive the moment that later bring up shame and guilt. When we sign up to further our education to build a career, we don’t realize that we have also signed up to be really f*cking confused about life and who we are.
Online Therapy for College Students in Wisconsin & FLorida
Most college students have busy schedules - believe me I get it! I remember the physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion that accompanied running from one place to the next meeting all of my responsibilities as a working student trying to keep up with social and family demands to be present and engaged (all while being asked to do more and be more involved in community organizations by academic staff who had no idea what I was dealing with in my own life). I somehow still managed to drive an hour back and forth to therapy because I knew I NEEDED it. That was before online therapy was a thing. Now that online therapy is so easily available, I have the privilege of helping more college students than ever in a way that is convenient and less stressful for them! Even though my physical office is located in Fitchburg, Wisconsin, I can provide online therapy to clients who live ANYWHERE in the states of Wisconsin AND Florida.
In Person Therapy for College Students in Madison, Wisconsin
Not into online therapy or would prefer a hybrid of both online and in person therapy? My office is in Fitchburg, Wisconsin and accessible to Dane County residents. I work with students from UW-Madison, Edgewood College, Madison Technical College, and also have clients who travel from UW-Whitewater.
Therapy can help
Entering college is often the first time we leave the familiarity of the rules, expectations, and dynamics of our home life. We are left with the freedom to hold on tight to those ways of being, leave ‘em behind, or find some middle ground between familiarity and authenticity. This transitional period brings up a lot of BIG emotions that we don’t always know how to name, let alone manage. These big emotions often lead us to engage in life in ways that we normally wouldn’t. Maybe we skip class, do the bare minimum just to get by, drink more alcohol, experiment with drugs, party more, have more sex, have less sex, isolate, withdraw, become someone we barely recognize.
This experience of developing some self-concept to grasp onto, even if it is so distant from our personal values and expectations, can be messy, chaotic, scary, and in a paradoxical way almost safe compared to not having a self-concept at all. This incongruency in our personal values and our present behaviors often creates strain in relationships with family, friends, and partners. Ultimately the ways we have chosen to survive the overwhelm of life, often re-activate the beliefs we were so desperately working to escape. Many of the college students I work with experience the fear of failure and being “bad”. They often bring up feelings of shame, guilt, and embarrassment. In therapy, we work together to acknowledge these emotional experiences, while building self-compassion and strengthening your true authentic self. Being a young twenty something in college is tough, and you’re doing the damn thing.
In therapy, you will have a safe space to explore the beliefs and messages that have been activated for you during your college experience, and work on strengthening the following:
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Regulation
Assertive Communication
Healthy Boundary Setting
Identifying Personal Needs & Expectations
Managing Stress & Anxiety with Healthy Coping Skills
Sense of Self
Self-Esteem
You deserve a safe space to share your story, ALL parts of it, with someone who gets it, and without shame or judgement. I’d love to be that person for you.
