As a parent of an anxious student, you know how much anxiety can impact their ability to function and thrive. If your student is getting ready to go to college, it is normal to be concerned about their anxiety and how it will affect them. Fortunately, client-centered therapy at Northwest College Support can help. Client-centered therapy focuses on helping your student to identify finding solutions to issues. As a therapy, it empowers them with the skills to succeed in college and manage any issues that they may experience during their transition into adulthood.
What Is Client-Centered Therapy?
As a therapeutic modality, client-centered therapy was developed in the 1940s by Carl Rogers. During this process, your student will go through a process of self-discovery. This is a direct result of the therapist working to encourage more and more understanding and awareness.
The therapist encourages growth and awareness by clarifying what your student says and repeating it back to them. This helps them to see their thoughts, feelings, and experiences with more clarity. As they see themselves more clearly, your student has the opportunity to examine and change their values and internal constructs that impact their anxiety.
How Client-Centered Therapy Can Help Your Anxious Student
Client-centered therapy allows your student to experience truly individualized interventions that are led by them. As a parent of an anxious student, you know that it can be hard for your student to have the confidence and awareness to take the reins and make changes that can help them. This type of therapy gives them a framework to improve their awareness and the confidence to make adjustments in their lives that help them to succeed in college and manage their anxiety.
Taking the Reins
If your anxious student struggles to feel confident in making decisions and taking big steps, that is ok. It is common for students with anxiety to struggle when transitioning into adulthood and taking the reins in their own life. However, client-centered therapy can help.
When working with the therapist, your student will become the leader. This does not mean that the therapist is not doing anything, instead, it means that they look to your student for answers to their questions. In many other places in their lives, this is likely different. For example, in high school, it is likely that your student was directed and told how to solve their problems. Therefore, when first entering client-centered therapy, they may not know how to do this.
However, by working with the therapist, they will learn. It is a process of growing confidence that they can improve their awareness, see the problem, and come up with a solution. The process as a whole will help them to manage the specific issues they are discussing in therapy. Additionally, it gives them a framework to manage other issues that come up in college and into adulthood.
Awareness
As a young adult, your anxious student may have some gaps in their self-awareness. This is normal and their awareness levels will increase as they grow into adults. As they improve, your student is more likely to care for their needs and make choices that are truly beneficial for themselves.
By mirroring your student's work, the therapist in client-centered therapy helps to improve their awareness levels. This includes awareness of emotions, thoughts, and beliefs. They likely have a base level of awareness. However, the deep awareness they can learn in therapy can help them identify issues that are causing anxiety and find solutions that they believe in. By doing so, their academics and social life will improve in college.
Lifestyle Changes
In client-centered therapy, one of the primary goals for your student is to learn how to make changes in their lives. While the specific adjustments will vary, if your student is struggling with anxiety, adjustments in their sleep, diet, exercise, and stress levels can all help to manage anxiety and thrive in college.
Through client-centered therapy, your student will discuss and explore how to solve issues. This will likely include lifestyle changes. However, these changes will be unique to your student. Therefore, they are more likely to be long-lasting and effective for them.
Client-Centered Therapy to Smooth the Transition Into Adulthood
Transitioning into adulthood is difficult. Your anxious student is likely to struggle with unique aspects of this transition. However, client-centered therapy can help. By providing empathy, support, and structure, the therapist and your student can identify issues, build self-awareness, and choose a path to solve these problems. In doing so, your student is learning how to take responsibility.
These skills will not only help your student to transition into adulthood. They will also help them have a set of tools available for solving problems as adults. Therefore, by attending client-centered therapy, they will improve their college experience, thrive as students, and have the skills to do well into adulthood.
Client-centered therapy is a modality that supports the process of students working through issues and can often be helpful for those who struggle with anxiety. The specifics look different for each individual. However, for anxious students, it builds a foundation of skills that help them to smoothly transition into adulthood. At Northwest College Support, we understand that the transition into college is difficult, especially with anxiety. However, with skill building and therapy, students can learn how to solve problems and build confidence that launches them into adulthood feeling good about their next steps. To learn more about our programs and how they can help your student, call us today at (877) 485-2776.
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