College Student Counseling

This is a challenging time to be a student in America. Campuses have become politicized, pitting students who are living in community against each other. College costs continue to rise amid questions about the necessity and benefit of a college degree. Graduate students are faced with mounting debt and, after years of study, are met with a highly competitive job market that may not always seem to reward their efforts.

Education today also looks fundamentally different than it did even a decade ago. Overnight, online education became standard fare. This may have made courses more accessible to some students. But many more are more isolated on campus than in the past. The technological distractions like smart phones, social media, virtual reality and gaming are numerous and mounting, making it more difficult to focus on the task at hand: a learning experience that prepares the student for world of work as a mature adult.

Mental Health Issues Are More Prevalent

We all vary in our capacities to adapt and change. The COVID 19 pandemic forced everyone to adapt to a seemingly never-ending stream of challenges that disrupted everyday life as we had known it. Many of today’s college students have gaps in their educational or social development as a result of the COVID 19 precautions and closures. As the years pass and we move forward, acting “business as usual,” finding the root of the gaps and addressing them is becoming more of an individual pursuit.

This is unfortunate, particularly because it has been documented that much of what plagues today’s students from a mental health perspective can be traced directly to the pandemic. Just two years into the pandemic, over 95 % of college students met criteria for moderate to severe mood disorders. Kesong, H. et al. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on college students in the USA: Two years later. Psychiatry Res. (2022, June 15).

These findings persisted a year later, even as pandemic precautions were hardly observable in everyday life. In March 20203, the National Education Association reported that the majority of college students were presenting on campus meeting diagnostic criteria for at least one mental health disorder. Flannery, M.E. (2023). The mental health crisis on college campuses: Rates of anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation have never been higher. Meanwhile faculty and staff are overwhelmed. https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/mental-health-crisis-college-campuses.

College Students Still Face Typical Challenges

All of the challenges created by the COVID 19 pandemic are a layer on top of the usual array of difficulties that many students typically encounter as part of their college experience. These include things like learning to live with people who are different from themselves in a communal environment, making sure to eat regular nutritious meals, staying on top of laundry, getting an adequate amount of sleep, managing a challenging academic workload, balancing part-time work with classes, and making new friends.

Even in better times, a number of college students came to campus with a history of mental health challenges or has some brush with these types of issues over the course of the degree program. These include depression, anxiety, substance abuse, eating disorders and cutting. Sexual assault programming and awareness is also a staple of college life on pretty much every campus.

Finding a Counselor Can Be Difficult

You may be starting to think that it might be really helpful to have someone to talk to who’s not a friend or a family member. Someone who can provide support and guidance as you navigate the challenges you are facing in your daily life on campus.

Unfortunately, college counseling centers are not equipped to meet the increased needs for mental health services in higher education. Even if a student is able to meet with an on-campus counselor a few sessions, the probability is that it will still be necessary to locate a provider in the community who can continue the treatment or who is able to accept the applicable insurance plan.

The other difficulty is that your therapist must be licensed in the state where you are located at the time the services are provided. This means that you may make a great therapeutic connection over the summer and then then need to find a new therapist during the school year if you attend an out-of-state college or university.

Questions?

How Will I Attend Sessions?

I am currently providing all of my services online through a client portal specifically designed for mental health professionals. It will be possible for you to meet with me using your laptop, iPhone or iPad. Appointments for sessions may be made by email using the Contact Me button below.

How Will I Pay for Sessions?

I am a participating provider with Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Cigna, Harvard Pilgrim, Optum and United insurance companies. I will submit claims on your behalf as your provider. Payment for any portion of my services not covered by insurance occurs through the client portal, using Stripe.

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