At times, this stress can feel overwhelming and personal functioning, academic performance and social relationships may be negatively impacted.
At these times, it is a sign of emotional intelligence to recognize when you would benefit from speaking with a therapist and an important first step towards resolving your concerns. Difficulties with time management, sleep problems, perfectionism and procrastination are among the issues many students want to resolve.
Over 250 Ursinus students visit the Counseling Center each year. They come from diverse backgrounds and seek our services for a broad range of issues.
Navigating Newness and Change
Many students’ concerns are related to normative developmental challenges of young adulthood. Re-defining values and personal identity, navigating changing relationships with family and establishing new interpersonal relationships, making academic and vocational choices can be confusing and stressful. Students often find support and clarity around these concerns through therapy that facilitates purposeful self-reflection. Other concerns may be related to specific situation stressors or life events such as a break up of a relationship, family problems, the death of a family member, or dealing with close others’ mental health issues (such as a loved one’s depression, eating disorder or alcoholism).
Caring for Longstanding Issues
Students also turn to the Counseling Center with more longstanding psychological problems including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, suicidal thoughts and behavior, or trauma. The therapists on staff have expertise and experience in helping students with problems of all levels of severity.
Often students seeking therapy discover that their concerns are complex and overlapping
Identifying and Treating Symptoms
Many students seek help for a variety of overlapping symptoms, interpersonal concerns, academic/ work issues, and environmental factors. It is also the case that some students cannot initially identify their concerns but know only that they would benefit from talking. Even if your concerns seem difficult to pin point, keep in mind that often talking itself helps a student clarify, define and begin to address salient issues.
Examples of Common College Student Concerns
- Anxiety, Depression
- Stress
- Adjustment Challenges
- Relationship Difficulties
- Family Problems
- Hopelessness, suicidal thoughts and behavior
- Self-injurious behavior
- Isolation, loneliness
- Eating concerns, body image issues
- Identity issues
- Cross-cultural issues
- Sleep Problems
- Self-defeating patterns of behavior, procrastination, internet addiction
- Substance Abuse
- Perfectionism
- Supporting another person’s struggles with any of the above issues