Finding Your Footing: Therapy During College and Graduate School
As the temperature starts to drop this week, I count myself as among the many New Yorkers glad to say goodbye to the humid, stormy days of summer. While I’ll miss the late sunsets, there’s something comforting about pulling on my favorite sweater and thick socks, and switching from iced to hot coffee in the morning.
Even though I’ve been out of school for a while, I still think of September as the start of the school year. I may not be figuring out my fall schedule or navigating my way through buildings on NYU’s campus, but I can still feel the semester starting up around me. The streets outside my apartment fill with students trying out their new college wardrobes, walking in groups a little too big for the sidewalk, and getting used to calling New York home.
Alongside the excitement of a new school year, however, there can be a great deal of uncertainty. I see students settling into the city each fall, but the adjustments that matter most aren’t always visible from the outside. Students may be living away from family for the first time, learning their way around a new city, sharing a room with someone they’ve just met, and trying to make friends, all while keeping up with classes. Even daily routines, like where to eat dinner or how to spend a free afternoon, can take some figuring out.
These adjustments aren’t unique to first semester freshmen. As students move through college or graduate school, academic, social, and work demands change and grow. Each new year asks you to find your footing all over again.
It’s no surprise that therapy inquiries and intake sessions tend to tick up in the fall. The 2024–25 Healthy Minds Study, which surveyed more than 84,000 students at 135 colleges and universities, offers a picture of the challenges some students carry into the semester: 37% screened positive for moderate to severe depressive symptoms, 33% for moderate to severe anxiety symptoms, and 28% for a possible eating disorder. These screening results aren’t diagnoses, but they offer a reminder that many students are managing more on their own than their classmates will ever see (The Healthy Minds Network, 2025).
Therapy can be an important source of support during these years. Drawing on my work as a therapist and my own experience attending therapy as a college and graduate student, here are a few things I’d want you to know about getting started.
1. Where to start in finding a therapist
Your university counseling center is a good place to start. Many universities offer short-term therapy on campus or can refer you to therapists off campus if you’re looking for longer-term support. You can also ask friends if they have recommendations for therapists they’ve liked. If their therapist isn’t taking new clients, they may be able to suggest a colleague or someone else at their practice. Directories such as Psychology Today, ThrivingCampus, Zocdoc, and Manhattan Alternative let you explore your options and read therapists’ bios. From here, you can contact therapists directly to inquire about starting sessions or booking a consultation.
You’re allowed to speak with more than one therapist before deciding who you want to work with. A free phone or video consultation is a chance to ask about a therapist’s approach, availability, fees, and experience. It’s also a chance to notice how comfortable you feel talking with them. A good fit matters, and you don’t need a more specific reason than “this just doesn’t feel right” to keep looking.
2. Therapy gives you a place to slow down
When classes, work, and social plans fill your week, therapy can give you an hour to pause and check in with yourself. If you meet in person, even the trip to and from your therapist’s office can become part of that pause.
If you meet virtually, look for a private place where you can settle in. You might put on comfortable clothes, grab a blanket, or light a candle. If you share a room, it’s okay to ask your roommate for an hour alone. Some campuses let students reserve private study rooms, which may give you another place to take your session from.
3. You don’t have to wait for a crisis
You don’t need to prove that things are “bad enough” to begin therapy. Maybe you’ve noticed a change in your mood, feel lonely despite being surrounded by people, or struggle to make and manage relationships. Maybe you’re wondering who you are outside of your family’s expectations, or your academic performance. Curiosity about yourself is a great place to start when first engaging with therapy. You don’t need a diagnosis in mind before your first session; you can begin by talking about what’s been on your mind, and your therapist will help guide you from there.
4. Having a consistent relationship with your therapist can be healing in itself
College involves a lot of change: schedules shift, friendships evolve, and plans for the future may feel uncertain. Meeting regularly with a therapist gives you a supportive relationship you can return to through those changes.
There’s something meaningful about having an hour each week where someone gives you their full attention and wants to understand what life feels like for you. Therapy offers a space for you to talk about the parts of yourself you’re still figuring out, without feeling judged or graded.
5. If you’ve tried therapy before, it may feel different now
I’ve worked with clients who found therapy difficult or uncomfortable when they were younger, particularly in high school. Some didn’t feel ready to talk about what was happening; others felt unsure of how to do the self- reflection or -expression work their therapist seemed to expect. If that sounds familiar, it makes sense that you’d be hesitant to try again.
Therapy may feel different now that you’re an adult. You get to decide which therapist you see, whether you’d like to try working with someone else, and when it’s time to stop. Your conversations with your therapist are generally confidential, and you may have more privacy than you did in therapy as a minor. You may also find that, with more time and life experience, it’s easier to express things you couldn’t quite name before.
In my work with college and graduate students, I’ve seen how much can change over the course of a school year. Whether you’re in your first semester or a returning student, you may find yourself growing in ways you didn’t expect, while facing challenges you didn’t expect, either. School can bring real excitement and possibility alongside fear, loneliness, and pain. You can be growing into yourself and still feel like you have no idea what you’re doing. Therapy gives you a place to talk through what’s changing, what feels hard, and who you’re becoming.
If you’re a college or graduate student in New York and you’re curious about working together, I offer virtual therapy and free consultations to inquiring clients. You’re welcome to schedule a consultation to see if we might be a good fit.
References
The Healthy Minds Network. (2025). The healthy minds study: 2024–2025 data report. https://healthymindsnetwork.org/wpcontent/uploads/2025/10/2024-2025-HMS-National-Data-Report_093025.pdf
