Counseling for teens and College students with Empower Counseling: Choosing the best college or graduate school for you.
The 2019 college admissions bribery scandal (Operation Varsity Blues) shone a spotlight on, not only, the ultracompetitive nature of college admissions, but also, the lengths people will go through to be associated with the most prestigious schools. Lori Loughlin and her husband paid $500,000 to Rick Singer to falsely designate their daughters as recruits to the University of Southern California crew team. One of their daughters did not even care to go to college! There is nothing wrong with wanting to go to a prestigious college….but it needs to be the best fit for you or the pretige won’t matter much once you are there.
At Empower Counseling we see many teen clients struggling to choose a college, as well as, many college clients struggling to choose the best graduate school. As we help these clients through these difficult transitions, and find clarity when it comes to their choices, there often seems to be more focus on the school that the individual attending the school.
This is a huge problem! By focusing only on what the school has to offer, and not the unique individual who will be attending, much is left out of the consideration, that could assure the best fit for the student.
We humans are not one sided. Therefore, the prestige of the school, or the academics offered should not be the only factor considered when choosing a college or grad school. You are not just choosing a place to learn. You are choosing a part of the country to live in. You are choosing a community to be a member of. You are choosing a place in which to, hopefully, find the connection you need with others. You are choosing a climate in which to live.
We have 8 domains or areas of our lives. Instead of basing this big decision solely on academics, or finances, your career and finances domains, you will find a much better fit by considering each of your 8 domains, along with, your needs and values in each.
At Empower Counseling we use Acceptance Commitment Therapy every day to help our high school and college students get to know themselves better.
Instead of focusing only on what the school has to offer, we focus on who the individual client is, what her/his/their needs are, and which school offers the opportunity to meet all of the individual client’s needs.
Does our client thrive in warm weather or cold?
Does our client feel comfortable moving far from home, or does she need to be closer?
Does our client enjoy a vibrant city atmosphere or a small town vibe?
Does our client need to connect with a Spiritual/Faith based community? Is there one available in the location of the school that fits what she is looking for in a faith based community?
Is our client undecided about what she wants to study? If so we explore interests and curiosities.
So many people focus on the school….how prestigious is it? How hard is it to get into?
None of this matters if it is not the right fit for the individual student. It is so much more helpful to spend time questioning who the individual is, what is important to her, and what she needs to be happy.
Your student will thrive at her/his/their next school if it is the best fit. If she is thriving, mentally and physically, she will make the most of her educational opportunity and set herself up for success.
Counseling for teens and college students with Empower Counseling in Birmingham, Alabama.
If you want to help you student raise her self-awareness, and become clear on what is important to her, what she wants her life to look like, and the actions that will get her there, reach out for counseling for teens or counseling for college students with Empower Counseling. Kathryn, Adam, and Kristine are all trained in Acceptance Commitment Therapy.
Empower Counseling helps college students attending Samford, Birmingham-Southern, University of Alabama, and Auburn University. We offer teen counseling for Homewood High School, Mountain Brook High School, Altamont, Indian Springs, Vestavia Hills High School, Hoover High, and all other high schools in the Birmingham area.
Empower Counseling offers in-person and online anxiety counseling and counseling for depression, along with counseling for difficult life transitions.
Reach out to Empower Counseling at 205-730-6570.