When you’re struggling with your mental health, professional support can have a major positive impact. When engaging in talk therapy, also called psychotherapy, a good clinical treatment model is important. Your therapist should provide guidance and solutions tailored specifically to your needs. Psychotherapy is a fairly popular treatment option, and for good reason. With the right treatment provider, you can get continual personalized support on your mental health journey. Psychotherapy can enable you to identify and directly address the factors behind your mental health symptoms, empowering you to experience real, significant improvement.

There are many reasons why you might seek psychotherapy during college. According to a report from the Center for Collegiate Mental Health, over 45% of students seeking mental health services in 2021-2022 reported past trauma. The effects of trauma can linger for years. Childhood trauma can follow you into college, continuing to negatively impact your life. With mental health interventions, you can start to take action. You may be looking to manage enduring trauma or address newly developed mental health symptoms. Regardless of your specific situation, therapy can be a valuable resource.

5 benefits of talk therapy or psychotherapy

• Opening up — Therapy provides a safe space. When you talk to your therapist, you can share your thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment. This can allow you to open up completely. Being open about your mental health can be a rewarding and cathartic experience — especially true if you typically internalize your symptoms. Talking about your feelings can also help you get a better understanding of them. Learning to speak about your emotions can be a key step toward self-acceptance.
• Managing stress — College life can be stressful. After high school, college may feel overwhelming and unfamiliar. You may be living away from your home for the first time and meeting a lot of new people. New social obligations and coursework can lead to a range of responsibilities. Throughout your time at college, and especially at the start, managing stress is essential. Psychotherapy can help you reduce your stress with relaxation and mindfulness techniques. Helpful strategies might include breathing exercises and other skills for coping with stress. Learning to manage stress can reduce your mental strain and enable you to perform better in your classes.
• Processing past experiences — It’s never too late to seek mental health treatment. Treatment can be crucial for managing mental health conditions and symptoms that arise during college. However, it can also be useful for addressing older issues. Children often experience traumatic events without ever properly processing them. By processing past experiences in college, you can embark on a healing journey. Working through past trauma can have a major impact on your current mental health and can also stimulate your personal growth.
• Improving academic performance — Are you noticing declining grades? Mental health struggles tend to take a toll on academic performance. If you find yourself falling behind on coursework due to mental health challenges, you may feel like the only solution is to work harder and longer. You may start spending much more time on each assignment to compensate for focus and motivation struggles. Though this approach is well intentioned, it can be harmful in the long run. Pushing yourself too much, especially at the expense of focusing on your mental health, is a recipe for burnout. If you want to improve your performance in a healthy, sustainable manner, seeking professional treatment can be a great option. Addressing your mental health symptoms can lead to improved concentration, motivation and energy.
• Cultivating self-compassion — During college, it’s easy to be hard on yourself. Self-criticism and low self-esteem are common among college students, and can be associated with mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. If you struggle with self-esteem, psychotherapy can help improve your perception of yourself. Cultivating self-compassion means being kinder and more patient with yourself. This can enable you to bounce back better from setbacks and maintain confidence in all your pursuits.

Get comprehensive mental health treatment including psychotherapy at Lightfully U

At Lightfully U, psychotherapy plays a crucial role in treatment. Our Virtual Intensive Outpatient Program includes weekly one-on-one therapy sessions. You can also benefit from group therapy sessions, alumni support and more. The framework of everything we do is centered around our Precision Care Model (PCM). This unique approach to treatment consists of clearly defined, whole-person-centered modalities. With specialized therapies, we work to target the drivers behind mental health disorders and symptoms. This can help you experience lasting relief and improvement.

Change is possible. When you’re ready to take the next step, reach out to our Admissions Concierge Team. We’ll take the next steps together, toward the fullest, brightest version of you.