The College Student and Counseling
The joy of sleeping in! The satisfaction of picking one’s teachers! The freedom to NOT feel managed at midnight by adults urging us to value sleep! These are only some of the benefits of college. Yet college students are in for a rude awakening should they believe these years are stress free. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. As the stakes continue to get higher, the expenses absurd and the investment more personal, college students need to manage more than just a busy schedule. They need to manage their mental and emotional well-being!
As kids become adults and recognize that the snooze button is a dangerous game, they begin learning that balancing their lives requires a good deal of attention. Of course, a schedule has its time, place and requirements, but the non-classroom hours are completely up to the student. To study or not to study? To sleep or not to sleep? To party or not to party? When college students wrestle with the many forces and temptations that tug against their better judgment, they are often left feeling uncertain of their current course. In some respects, young people today have too many options and are grossly overwhelmed! In others ways things are no different than yesteryear.
Bryon Remo, M.Ed., LMFT notes that college students should consider seeking counseling if for nothing more than to prevent a potential emotional crisis. A well-trained family therapist that enjoys working with young adults can help students more effectively manage their lives in these unchartered waters.
Teenagers and those on the cusp of their 20’s often turn to their friends for support and comfort from the chaos that typically accompanies a hectic college life. However, it is useful to have an unbiased professional therapist assist students in navigating the often overlooked psychological triggers that interfere with students’ ability to decompress and include self-care habits into their weekly regimen.
College students need to know that therapists can not only empathize with the grind of college, but we have lots of experience learning from the students that came after us. We are happy to help!
Bryon Remo, M.Ed., LMFT of CT Family Counseling practices in West Hartford and Southbury, CT. His style is unique in that he will go outside in any weather to walk and talk (or play hoops) with clients and he uses a bit of humor in his counseling to soften difficult talking points! He is married and has three awesomely cool and kind children ages 15, 12 and 10.