Psychotherapy for Students
The transition from high school to university can be a significant and exciting change.
But it can also be challenging and stressful. Some common experiences that students may have when changing roles from high school to university include:
Increased independence
Greater academic demands
New social environment
Homesickness
Cultural adjustments
Overall, the transition from high school to university can be a significant change that can bring both challenges and opportunities. It is important for students to be proactive in seeking support and resources to help them navigate this transition and succeed in their studies.
Students may face a variety of mental health challenges
and the specific challenges that a student may experience can depend on a variety of factors, including their individual circumstances and experiences. While each school has their own counselling services, we often get students contacting us as the school service may be too brief, or have long waiting lists.
Some common mental health struggles that students may experience include:
Test-taking anxiety
Substance abuse
Adjustment issues
Trauma
Whether you’re being proactive or reactive, we’re here to help increase your odds of success
and hopefully, ensure you thrive through this transitional space of your life.
Proactive mental health means identifying your patterns and worries and building skills and insights around them. Reactive just means something has gone off the rails, and you’d like support getting back on track. Wherever you’re at, we’ll meet you there.
HOW do we manage Psychotherapy for students?
Psychotherapy for students can look different depending on the specific needs and goals of the student and the approach of the therapist. However, in general, psychotherapy for students may involve:
Identifying and exploring the student's challenges: The therapist may work with the student to identify the specific challenges they are facing, such as stress, anxiety, or difficulty adjusting to university life.
Developing coping strategies: The therapist may help the student develop coping strategies to manage their challenges, such as relaxation techniques or problem-solving skills.
Setting goals: The therapist may help the student set goals for themselves and track their progress over time.
Providing support and guidance: The therapist may provide the student with support and guidance as they navigate the challenges they are facing and work towards their goals.
Encouraging self-reflection: The therapist may encourage the student to reflect on their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours and to develop insight into their experiences.
Another domain which often arises with our student clients is that of navigating conflicting value systems.
For example, in post-secondary institutions, you’re not just exposed to a whole new wave of ideas, but you’re also exposed to a whole new wave of people. A lot of new information about how to exist in this world floods in and it can be difficult to manage. From substances to religion to relationships to hobbies, everything can feel up in the air again, undefined and uncertain.
Our team has all gone through that and are here to help you navigate that. We will never impose our values upon you, but rather we’ll help you cultivate your inner voice to thrive. We’ll sit with you and go through an exploration of
your values, the costs of these positions, and examine the rich yet complex history behind these values. Human beings never “accomplish” a value, as values are goals.
They are like a compass–they help us make choices based on the directions in which we want our lives to go. It’s a dense web, and it can be scary, but we’re here to help you get your bearings.
The post-secondary period of your life can be a time of significant growth and change, and students may face a variety of value struggles as they navigate this transition.
Take The First Step Today
One of the reasons many students choose our practice is that while we’re not all young and with it (whatever “it” is) we are still very flexible in our hours, and very comfortable providing virtual services. Since our hours are 8-8 Monday to Thursday, 8-6 on Fridays, and almost always have slots on weekends, we are able to work around your busy schedule. We’re all also lifelong students ourselves, as we keep learning and growing. We’re intimately familiar with the feelings associated with not knowing, having a list of demands upon us, and developing healthy methods to manage it all.
Your therapist will work with you to support you applying a blend of modalities based on the context. We occasionally suggest adjunct workbooks to help. Everyone’s experience is unique and that’s why Psychotherapy has to be tailored to the individual.
We also offer sliding scales in terms of rates, as we know not all secondary institutions offer great benefits. Reach out, and we’ll do our best to ensure you have access to care. If it ends up not being with us, that’s fine; we’ll still try our best to help you receive the best care you can get.
Related Articles & Insights
Issues We Work With
At YYZ Talks, we offer comprehensive support for a wide range of mental health concerns and life challenges. Our experienced therapists are equipped to address various issues that may be impacting your well-being and quality of life.
-
If your life is being impacted by your difficulty paying attention / impulsivity / hyperactivity / disorganization, reach out and we can help you figure out where to go from here. In some cases, formal assessment and medication are warranted. We go beyond coaching to explore how ADHD affects all domains of your functioning. We work with clients to understand and process the complex impacts that ADHD has upon their self-image.
-
We provide anger management, PAR program, and various combinations for both Court ordered cases and personal development purposes.
We approach anger as a symptom, and work with you to uncover what's really going on. We provide strategies, and psychotherapy to help you better gain control of yourself. We don’t just explore anger in the here and now, but also the origin story of your emotional world
-
There are different types of anxiety disorders, including phobias, panic disorder, agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.
Cognitive-behavioural therapy is shown to be an effective approach to anxiety. One goal of therapy would be to learn how your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours work together and to change the thought patterns that feed anxiety.
We also dedicate part of the process to understand how your anxiety came to be by exploring your childhood
-
Being in a relationship can be challenging. Whether with a romantic partner, a good friend, or family members, each can be marked with struggle that can be confusing and frustrating. We can offer an unbiased external perspective, without any agenda other than your happiness and well-being, to help manage these relationships in the best way possible.
-
Feelings of deep sadness, lack of motivation or interest, and apathy are all characteristics of
depression or a depressive mood and it can be very distressing. We can help manage this gray,
heavy, or empty feeling by implementing small changes in your day to day life, as well as
approach broader issues in a safe, supportive, and comforting environment.
-
Gaslighting is a confusing process to be the victim of. Between the loss of self, confusion, and disoriented narrative, we can often feel erratic and out of sorts long after we've moved on from those relationships. Work with an experienced Psychotherapist to find yourself again and make sense of your narrative.
-
Our grief and loss services are primarily provided by Laura, who holds an Advanced Grief Certification, and a certificate in emotional regulation strategies.
Loss can occur in many forms, from a sudden and terrible shock to a slow or painful decline. Some losses are literal, such as losing a loved one, relationship, job, or home, while others relate to one’s identity such as loss of identity, independence, and hope. Loss therapy focuses on helping individuals take the time to explore the impact of loss on one’s emotions, thoughts, and perceptions, to process emotional responses, and to empower clients with resiliency to move forward while preserving the memory of what has been lost.
-
Interpersonal conflict is inevitable in our lives. How we deal with it, both within ourselves and in communication with others, can make all the difference. This form of therapy explores our reactiveness, helps to understand ourselves more deeply, and seeks to find compassion for ourselves and the other. Through learning how to navigate conflict, we aim to develop stronger, healthier relationships.
-
Evolving views on religion and spirituality can unfortunately lead to conflict within social and familial groups. There can be the loss of support systems, loss of meaning making, and the loss of routines, roles, and responsibilities. Our approach for individuals going through this rooted in helping you pursue meaning in your life. This involves making sense of your relationship with multiple domains, and managing changes to your identity.
-
We all know that life is full of change, but to really accept that and adapt to changing circumstances and expectations takes a lot of work. A new role whether it’s at work or at home requires us to adjust many variables such as expectations, hopes, and responsibilities. This can be quite stressful and lead to conflict, disappointment, and communication issues.
Our Psychotherapists can help you navigate this by helping you identify blindspots, manage expectations of yourself and others, and develop a greater insight into why you’re experiencing something the way you are.
-
Unless you live in a hammock, you're going to face stressful situations. A little bit of stress is normal and the stress response can be helpful. Having a lot of stress all the time is not helpful. It means your mind and body are running in overdrive, and that is taking a huge toll on your resources. It's not sustainable and more and more studies are showing the negative impacts stress can have on you.
We work with you to create a custom stress-management plan. Together we'll identify your stressors and existing patterns, develop a self-care routine, find healthy outlets, and develop resilience.
-
¼ of our caseload is students. We love working with you before the world has made you jaded. Being a student is a fascinating and difficult transition. Issues like feeling homesick, academic pressure, time management, test anxiety, social struggles, family and career expectations, and more can arise. Talking to a Psychotherapist can provide support and a safe space to problem solve to ensure you get the most out of your post-secondary experience.
-
Traumatic events can have wide-reaching effects on your life. Whether you have been diagnosed with PTSD or not, whether your trauma stems from physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, we can help. Traumatic events overwhelm the brain, and lead to symptoms such as nightmares, flashbacks, being easily startled, avoidant, numbness, emotional volatility, cognitive issues, and feeling distant from life.
Our team is experienced in working with trauma in all its forms to help you get back into your life and your relationships. For Individuals suffering from complex trauma, our Certified Clinical Trauma Professionals are always available to help you on your recovery journey
-
Life is full of unknowable factors, and dealing with uncertainty is a part of life we can't avoid. Some people are more sensitive to uncertainty, hating it and trying to control it as much as they can. This can lead to a lot of avoidance, distraction, procrastination, impulsivity, and anxiety. We approach uncertainty through multiple angles to improve your insight, and tolerance and build better-coping strategies.
-
If your struggle isn’t captured by this list, reach out to us anyway to discuss if we can help. If we can’t, we’ll try our best to find you help at another practice. We’re bad capitalists and will happily refer you to another practice if we think they can help you better than we can.
Book a Free Consultation
