Your college student is struggling. You’re getting texts at midnight about anxiety. Or they’re not texting at all, which is somehow worse.
You want to help. But you’re not sure what kind of help they actually need. And honestly? The options are confusing.
Campus counseling with months-long waitlists. Online therapy apps. That psychiatrist who can see them in 6 weeks for a 15-minute medication check. Your insurance plan that technically covers therapy but finding an in-network provider who specializes in young adults feels impossible.
None of it feels like enough.
What campus mental health actually offers (and doesn’t)
Campus counseling services are trying. They’re really trying. But they’re overwhelmed.
Most college counseling centers are set up for short-term crisis management. A few sessions to get through a rough patch. But if your student needs ongoing support? If they need medication management? If they need someone who can coordinate with academic accommodations and actually follow them over time?
That’s not what campus services are designed to do.
And here’s what happens: your student has a crisis. They go to the emergency room because they don’t have a psychiatrist they can call. The ER gives them a medication, maybe a referral, sends them back. Nothing actually changes.
Or they try to manage with online therapy. Which can help. But when they need urgent medication adjustments or someone to write documentation for a medical leave or help navigating academic accommodations? That’s not what those platforms do.
The 15-minute med check problem
Let’s talk about what happens when psychiatry becomes a 15-minute transaction.
You get your medication. Maybe it gets adjusted if you specifically mention something’s wrong. You’re in and out. No time to discuss how school is actually going. No time to talk about whether therapy is helping. No coordination with anyone else on your care team.
This works okay if all you need is prescription refills and everything’s stable. But college students? They’re rarely stable. The whole point of these years is that things are constantly changing.
Your student might be managing okay in September. By October, they’re drowning. By November, they’re thinking about taking a leave. Who’s tracking that? Who’s helping them figure out if they need more support before it becomes a crisis?
Not the 15-minute med check psychiatrist.
What comprehensive actually means
When we say “comprehensive care,” here’s what we mean:
Your student comes in for their initial evaluation. We spend real time understanding what’s happening. Not just symptoms. But what’s going on academically, socially, developmentally. What their goals are. What support systems they have. What they’ve tried before.
Then we create a plan that might include therapy, medication, or both. But also – we’re available between appointments when things come up. We coordinate with their therapist if they have one. We write documentation when they need academic accommodations.
When your student needs extended time on the SAT or LSAT, we know how to provide the evaluation schools actually need. When they’re considering a medical leave, we help them navigate that process and plan for coming back. When they call because they’re having a panic attack before finals, we don’t tell them to go to the ER – we see them same-day or next-day.
This is what you’re paying for with private practice. Not just appointments. A relationship with someone who knows your student and can respond when they need support.
The accommodations no one tells you about
Here’s something that comes up constantly with college students: they need accommodations, but they don’t know how to get them.
Extended time on tests. Reduced course loads. Permission to take a leave and come back. Flexibility with deadlines during a mental health crisis.
These things can be the difference between your student finishing college and dropping out. But getting them requires documentation. The right kind of documentation. From someone who understands what colleges need and how to provide it.
Campus counseling rarely does this level of comprehensive evaluation. Insurance psychiatrists often don’t have time. Online services can’t provide it at all.
We do this regularly. We know what colleges need. We know how to document it properly. And we do it as part of ongoing care, not as a separate expensive evaluation.
Why parents usually pay (and why that’s okay)
Let’s be honest about the money piece. Most college students aren’t paying for their own psychiatric care. Parents are.
And parents are making a calculation: is paying $200-350 per session worth it if it means my kid stays in school? If it means they don’t end up in the ER? If it means someone’s actually coordinating all the pieces of their care?
For a lot of families, yes. Especially when you consider what you’re actually getting:
- Real relationships between appointments, not just scheduled sessions
- Someone who can help with medical leave paperwork
- Documentation for academic accommodations
- Urgent appointments when needed, not ER visits
- Coordination with therapists, academic advisors, family
Some families also get tuition insurance – we help with that recommendation too. Because if your student needs to take a leave, at least you’re not losing a semester’s worth of tuition on top of everything else.
When to seek comprehensive support vs. basic care
You might be thinking: does my student really need all this? Or are we overthinking it?
Here’s when college students typically benefit from comprehensive private practice care:
You need comprehensive care if:
- Mental health challenges are affecting academic performance
- Previous treatment hasn’t been enough
- Your student needs accommodations or might need a medical leave
- They’re dealing with multiple issues (ADHD + anxiety, depression + trauma)
- They need medication management plus therapy coordination
- They’re struggling with life transitions and need more than symptom management
Basic care might be enough if:
- They just need occasional therapy check-ins
- Medication is stable and working well
- No academic accommodations needed
- No coordination with schools required
- Crisis support isn’t a concern
Most college students we see fall into the first category. They need more than what insurance or campus services can provide.
The developmental reality nobody mentions
Here’s something important: ages 18-25 are when a lot of mental health conditions first emerge or significantly worsen.
Your student might have managed anxiety okay in high school. College is different. The demands are different. The support structure is different. Suddenly what they could handle before isn’t working anymore.
Or they’re dealing with something for the first time. Depression that showed up freshman year. Trauma responses that are interfering with relationships. ADHD that wasn’t a problem until they had to manage their own schedule.
This isn’t failure. This is normal development hitting up against increased demands. But it requires support that understands both the mental health piece and the developmental piece.
We work with young adults because we get it
We specialize in college-age and young adult mental health. Not as an afterthought. As a core part of what we do.
We understand the specific challenges of this age. We work with a lot of young adults dealing with anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, life transitions. We help with medical leaves, academic accommodations, figuring out whether to stay in school or take time off.
We serve diverse communities – LGBTQIA+ students navigating identity and family acceptance, BIPOC students dealing with discrimination and belonging, first-generation college students, immigrants managing cultural expectations.
And we’re available. Not just during scheduled appointments. When things come up.
If your college student needs more than a 15-minute med check – or if campus services aren’t cutting it – let’s talk. Call (917) 740-5287 or book a consultation online.
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