Personal Counseling

What are the most common problems for which students apply for counseling?

Students apply for personal counseling for a wide variety of reasons, but may include the following: culture shock or experiencing difficulty coping with the many challenges inherent in being in a new and unfamiliar environment; difficulties with school or job; struggling with personal or professional identity; social, interpersonal, or romantic difficulties; dealing with grief or loss; problems occurring in the family which have a stressful impact, such as illness, divorce, or financial crisis; feeling overly anxious or depressed; coping with attention deficit disorder and/or learning disabilities. These problems may be new to the student or may be issues they have struggled with in the past that are being exacerbated when students are far from home and/or feeling alone and isolated.

What forms of treatment are provided?

In all cases the therapist listens carefully to the student and aims at providing a safe, supportive, empathic environment in which the student can explore his or her difficulties together with the therapist in ways that can help the student to feel better, find healthier coping mechanisms, and thrive. The actual type of therapy offered may include elements of experiential, emotion-focused, psychodynamic, and/or cognitive-behavioral approaches to treatment and will depend on the specific student and therapist involved.

When should a student apply?

Everyone deals with emotional stress in their lives at one time or another, and often we are able to cope alone or with the support of a friend, colleague, family member, or significant other. However, when difficulties persist despite our best efforts to overcome them, or when they are unusually stressful and start to interfere with our daily functioning or general wellbeing, it can be helpful to consult with a trained professional. Sometimes we are being encouraged to seek help by someone else, and this may be a sign that others are identifying difficulties that we have not yet recognized or felt. However, in order for psychological treatment to be beneficial it is important that the person applying accepts that there is a problem and is interested in seeking help.

When is it crucial to get help?

In some cases psychological treatment is necessary and even urgent. These can be cases of mental illness symptoms, when a person seems disconnected from reality and may see things or hear things that aren't actually there, or may be so depressed or angry that there is a danger of self-harm or harming others. In these cases it is crucial to get this person psychological help immediately. If you encounter such a situation and you are unable to reach our services, please refer to the link "Urgent help after-hours" >>