Counseling for College and Graduate Students

Do these concerns sound familiar to you?

“I didn’t realize that moving out was going to be so hard. Nobody taught me how to be an adult and now all of a sudden I’m expected to know how to budget, have a perfect diet, manage my time and file taxes?”

“I’m really struggling to make new friends or connect to people. Everyone is either too young, too old, too busy, or too different and I’m not sure how to make lasting connections.”

“I was always good at academics in high school, but all of a sudden I’m failing classes and I’m scared to tell my parents.”

If so, read on! For students coming straight out of high school, college is the first real taste of freedom and independence. A chance to grow and learn and define their identities as fully-fledged adults!

For returning students who may have had some years in between high school and seeking higher education, college may be a time of rebirth or reinvigoration – a path to a brighter future!

As exhilarating as college life can be, it also poses a variety of unique challenges across the lifespan. It’s common to feel unprepared for the challenges of college – barely hanging on to a life raft in a hurricane at sea.

At Health for Life in Grand Rapids, working with our counselors can feel like finding the eye of the storm – a respite from the chaos of college life where you can find the support, guidance, and resources you need to take on challenges like:

• Relationship difficulties: Many college and graduate students begin to pursue serious romantic relationships. When a relationship ends or doesn’t go as expected, this can send most people into a possible crisis.

• Depression and Anxiety that begins during college or graduate school.
  • Test-taking issues
  • Social anxiety
  • Depression from an unexpected event or troubles connecting college to career
  • Worries about money and student debt

• “Adulting” or Life Skills
  • Time Management: establishing a consistent, manageable schedule and rhythm
  • Financial: budgeting, student debt issues
  • The adjustment of living away from home for possibly the first time.
  • Health: a healthy diet, sleep schedule, exercise, hygiene and grooming

• Navigating the Transition into College Student Life
  • Choice Paralysis – Total freedom, so many choices!
  • Homesickness
  • Grief and Loss
  • Exposure to new ideas, ways of living or people that may cause conflict or discomfort.
  • Trauma or family issues that are holding you back

• Social Difficulties
  • Identity development
  • Peer pressure – hazing, drugs and alcohol, partying
  • Difficulty making friends or fitting in
  • Discrimination, microaggressions, racism, or feeling like an outcast because of your religious or political beliefs

• The Quarter-Life Crisis that can occur during college or graduate school.

If you are a college or graduate student who is facing challenges in any area of your life, it is important to seek help before things get worse or spiral. Working on your mental health before things get bad can be very helpful

Grand Rapids, MI is home to many college and university campuses for both undergraduate and graduate students. Health for Life Counseling’s location in Grand Rapids and on the border of Ada, MI, and Grand Rapids is only a 5-10 minute drive from most of the collegiate centers in the Grand Rapids area. The good news is that all of our therapists are able to provide both in-person and online counseling.

If you are interested in trying out therapy, you can give Health for Life Counseling Grand Rapids a call for a complimentary 15-minute consultation at 616-200-4433.

The good news is that the research is clear: Counseling (aka psychotherapy) has been proven to work in the overwhelming majority of cases. When there are difficulties, the literature recommends counseling combined with psychopharmacology or a treatment team.

Here is a short list of the institutions of higher education in the Grand Rapids, MI area:

Grand Valley State University

GVSU- Eberhard Center

Grand Rapids Community College

Kendall College of Art and Design (Ferris State- Grand Rapids Campus)

Aquinas College

Calvin University

Central Michigan University, Grand Rapids Campus

Compass College of Cinematic Arts

Western Michigan University, Grand Rapids Campus

Cornerstone University

Davenport University

Davenport University W. A. Lettinga Campus

Ferris State University, Grand Rapids

Grace Christian University

Kuyper College

Michigan State University College of Human Medicine Secchia Center

Ross College