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Therapy for College & Graduate Students in Chicago

Meet Our Therapists for Students

Wondering how to keep up with the demands of student life?

  • Struggling to find time for self care and play while studying?

  • Or maybe you’re having trouble focusing on your academics.

  • Perhaps you just went through a breakup, or are trying to navigate a difficult relationship with your parents.

  • Or maybe you’ve come up against a hurdle in your degree progression, and are needing new strategies to reach your goal.

  • You may also be relying on substances to get through your day to day, and want to make some changes so that’s not necessary.

Student life can be quite enjoyable and rewarding, but it can also be filled with challenges that are specific to students. Whether you’re adjusting to undergraduate life, making friends, living on your own, and keeping up with your academics at the same time. Or you’re a law student, med student, or psychology graduate student facing pressures specific to your professional studies, we are here to help.

Specialties

  • Academic Stress & Burnout

    Being a student can mean a lot of academic pressure which can lead to chronic stress and burnout.

  • Anxiety & Depression

    You want succeed, and sometimes that desire can lead to chronic anxiety and/or symptoms of depression.

  • ADHD or Difficulty Focusing

    It can be hard for anyone to sustain focus on academics for as long as school might demand.

  • Substance Use

    It can be easy to fall into the groove of using substances to cope.

  • Life Transitions

    You may be moving, changing internships, or changing majors, all while everything else in life still moves around you.

  • Relationships

    Navigating romantic relationship, friends, and family relationships can have unique challenges when you’re in school.

  • Financial Stress

    When you’re a student, your time goes towards learning, not making a living, which means students often have to make do with limited resources.

  • Time Management

    Students often have to budget their time wisely in order to have time for needs outside of school.

Undergraduate Mental Health

Transitioning to college can be one of the biggest times of change we go through in our lives. For many, it’s the first time living on their own and managing their day-to-day needs, while also undergoing a rigorous academic program and trying to find time for socializing and “me time”. College students can struggle with loneliness, difficulty finding time for self care, including getting necessary sleep, and balancing work with studying. Some students have part time jobs to help support themselves financially, which can compete with their academic work. Some may be living with family and commuting to campus, juggling family demands with school. Undergraduates are often exploring their career path and changing or deciding on a major, which can be an intimidating process.

Many of our therapists and psychologists have worked with college students both in private practice and in a college counseling settings. So we really “get” both the acute stressors and the longer term stressors that undergraduates face.

Law Students

Law students tend to face a unique set of challenges to their mental health and well being. The academic pressure alone, with the case method and heavy reading loads, can be an overwhelming burden. Then there’s often a grading curve as well as class rankings that add to an already competitive environment. It can be difficult for law students to make friends with the peers given the level of competitiveness within their program. The academic structure can easily lead to imposter syndrome and unhealthy levels of pressure to succeed. Upon graduation, the competition can pick up even more, with limited number of positions at the most prestigious firms. Students may at times feel insecure about whether their investment will pay off, both financially, and in the quality of life that they desire.

Given these factors, it’s often difficult for law students to prioritize their mental health. Stigma around admitting to mental health related challenges as a law student continues to be rampant. Law students may not feel like they can take the time to prioritize their mental health, or that doing so might signal that they are incapable of meeting the pressures of law school. We understand these challenges, and how hard it can be to take the first step to schedule therapy for yourself as a law student.

Medical Students and Residents

Our future physicians, much needed in society, don’t have the easiest time managing all of their needs in medical school and residency. Medical students are required to absorb and retain a vast amount of information, alongside of high expectations to perform well on assessments and think critically. There is also a transition from classroom to clinic, where medical students and residents have long hours, lots of responsibility, and regularly encounter severe illness and death. Long shifts with lack of sleep are still the norm, which further exacerbates the already existing stress of the role. This can of course take a huge toll on future physicians mental health. Burnout and struggles with anxiety and/or depression are common, alongside of stigma around getting help.

Similar to other industries, medical students and residents coming from diverse cultural backgrounds, or perhaps from schools abroad, may face additional challenges with discrimination, bias, or feel like their unique voice is not represented. Medical students also face the possibility of needing to move to a different area for residency, which adds an additional layer of being uprooted whether or not this is a welcome change.

One of the best things that medical students and residents can do is to take care of their own health, including mental health. This will help to build their resilience and be able to provide the best care for their patients. We know, though, that this way of thinking is not common, so it may be quite difficult to ask for help.

A few of our therapists who specialize in medical students and residents are: Emily Lustig, LCSW, Maiti McGreevy, MA

Psychology and Counseling Graduate Students

Students in clinical and counseling psychology programs at the masters and doctoral levels can face complex challenges that make them more aware of their own growth edges - whether or this feels welcome. Emotional and psychological demands for these students run high, whether it be due to vicarious trauma, self-reflection required as part of the program, and managing person issues, especially when similar to the clients with whom they are working. Graduate students in the psychology world are also integrating theory and practice in a way that is likely different from college. They may also be working with clients with complex issues while also under supervision of a supervisor who may have a different style or approach. There are boundaries to navigate and set, and ethical dilemmas to work through such as confidentiality and mandated reporting.

Throughout their training, graduate students in counseling and mental health are developing their identity, as well as navigating their own personal growth and self-doubt. Imposter syndrome is also common, especially in their work with clients. They may be receiving criticism from supervisors and/or navigating power dynamics and differences in the supervisory relationship. Their program may also place importance for them to work with their implicit biases and prejudices, which can be uncomfortable and challenging. With such diverse demands, burnout prevention and self care is highly important. Therapy can play a key role in supporting all of these areas of overlap in professional and personal growth.

A few of our therapists who specialize in psychology and counseling graduate students are: Lindsay Clark, LPC, CADC & Emily Lustig, LCSW

Benefits of Engaging in Therapy as a Student

The benefits of engaging in counseling as a student are many! And they can have a positive impact not just for you, but also everyone you impact on your chosen career path. Here are a few of the common benefits:

  • Find ways to lower your day-to-day stress and increase your resilience to challenges

  • Relief from symptoms of anxiety and depression

  • Learn coping skills to better navigate the challenges specific to you as a student

  • Develop your identity through self awareness, which can it easier for you to navigate the myriad of decisions you face with confidence

  • Learn and implement concrete ways to manage your time better in order to get more done and have more time for self care and fun

  • Find strategies or additional resources to improve your attention and focus or cope better with ADHD

  • Help you navigate any and all relationships that you encounter as a student, whether they be professors, supervisors, family, or friends

Getting Started with Student Counseling at Balanced Awakening

We are here for you whenever you would like to get started! Feel free to contact us or explore the profiles of the therapists that we have listed at the top of the page. We have easy online scheduling available with a therapist of your choice, or you can complete a matchmaking form and we’ll match you with a few therapists here who we think would be a good fit for you. 

Balanced Awakening Lakeview
4043 N Ravenswood Ave, Ste 301 & 302
Chicago, IL 60613
 
Balanced Awakening Andersonville
5215 N Ravenswood Ave, Ste 201 & 208
Chicago, IL 60640
 
Balanced Awakening Loop
25 E Washington St, Ste 1505
Chicago, IL 60602
 

Counseling for Students FAQs

  • Student therapy is any form of counseling or therapy that helps a student navigate the time in their life when they are a student. The focus of therapy can be as diverse as the person seeking it! We have a particular understanding of some of the challenges specific to student life, but any of the therapy specialties that we offer can also be applied in therapy for students.

  • Pretty much anything that you as a student are going through can be aided and improved in therapy. You may be facing challenges specific to your role as a student, such as academic pressure and competition, or you may be navigating a relationship with your partner that's impacting by you being a student. We also commonly help students with anxiety, depression, substance use, transitions, stress management, and communication skills.

  • In the first two sessions, your therapist will ask you questions about your life currently, your history, and where you hope to be in the future. From there, you and your therapist will discuss goals that might specifically relate to your role as a student. Sessions can focus on whatever you’d like the most help with at the time.

  • Yes! But with some exceptions. There are 3 situations where, legally and ethically (whether we want to or not) we would have to break your confidentiality. These include if we learn of any potential child or elder abuse from you, we determine that you are at risk of harming yourself or someone else, or we receive a court order for your medical records. Also, some of our providers are under supervision and regularly consult with their supervisor about their client sessions. Supervisors have the same obligation to client confidentiality.

  • Our student counseling rate for the first two sessions is $245. After that, 55 minute sessions are $210 Most of our providers accept BCBS PPO and Aetna insurance. We also have some reduced fee sessions available at $95 per 55 min session, which can be helpful for students who have limited health insurance coverage or want to keep sessions private from their parents.

  • Yes! We offer virtual student therapy sessions as well as in-person. Sometimes it’s easier for clients to engage in therapy virtually, especially when they are busy students!

  • The benefits of engaging in Student Counseling of some form are many! And they can have a positive impact not just for you, but also everyone you impact on your chosen career course.

    • Find ways to lower your day-to-day stress

    • Relief from symptoms of anxiety and depression

    • Learn coping skills to better navigate the challenges specific to you as a student

    • Develop your identity through self awareness, which can it easier for you to navigate the myriad of decisions you face with confidence

    • Learn concrete ways to manage your time better in order to get more done and have more time for self care and fun

    • Find strategies or additional resources to improve your attention and focus or cope better with ADHD

    • Help you navigate any and all relationships that you encounter as a student, whether they be professors, supervisors, family, or friends