Therapy for First-Generation College Students
You’ve stepped onto campus ready to start a new chapter in your life but you have mixed feelings of excitement, uncertainty, and curiosity. You’re meeting new people and are learning that the world isn’t really what your family has made it out to be. You also don’t feel like you fit in.
What is a first generation college student?
This means you are the first person in your family to attend college.
What challenges do first generation college students face?
Academic pressure to perform well
Difficulty understanding and navigating the systems (loans, signing up for classes, etc.)
Financial stress
Guilt for leaving family and having an opportunity other family members did not have
Shame for feeling like an outsider
Feeling socially isolated
You might be thinking “I don’t know what I'm doing. I’m overwhelmed but I don’t know who to turn to for help.”
We want you to know, you are not alone.
Therapy for first-generation students looks like:
Exploring different parts of identity
Making decisions that make sense for you
Learning how to have difficult conversations with your family
Letting go of needing to show up perfectly
Therapy for first-generation college students might be for you if you:
Need a safe space to talk about the difficulties of being a college student
Want to figure out how to honor your family while also living a life that is authentic to you
Have difficulty setting boundaries between you and your family
Want to let go of perfectionism
No longer want to tie your self worth to productivity