Therapy for College Students
Support for students carrying more than their course load. Flexible online sessions that fit a campus schedule, available across New York.
You are supposed to be having the best years of your life.
So why does it feel this overwhelming?
Everyone framed college as the fun part, the freedom, the figuring-it-out, the friends you keep forever. Nobody mentioned how much it would ask of you all at once. You are managing your own schedule, meals, money, and mental health, often for the first time, while also being told that this is when the rest of your life gets decided. That is a lot to hold at any age, and you are holding it during one of the biggest transitions a person ever goes through.
Maybe the academic pressure has a grip on you that nobody back home quite understands. Every grade feels like a verdict. Maybe you are surrounded by people and still feel profoundly alone, scrolling through everyone else's highlight reels while quietly wondering what is wrong with you. Maybe you are homesick in a way you are embarrassed to admit, or the opposite, dreading going home and not sure what that says about you. Maybe the version of yourself you were in high school no longer fits, and you are not sure who you are becoming.
And underneath all of it, there can be a low hum of pressure: to choose the right major, to land the internship, to not waste this expensive, supposedly magical time by struggling through it.
Struggling does not mean you are doing it wrong. It means you are human, doing something genuinely hard.
What you might be experiencing
Academic pressure and anxiety that feels constant
Loneliness, even surrounded by people
Homesickness, or a complicated relationship with home
Trouble sleeping, eating, or keeping any kind of routine
Comparison and the sense that everyone else has it figured out
Anxiety about the future, your major, or "the right path"
Identity questions about who you are becoming
Feeling overwhelmed and unsure where to even start
Why college students seek out therapy
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Academic pressure and performance anxiety
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Anxiety, panic, and overwhelm
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Depression and low mood
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Loneliness and difficulty connecting
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Homesickness and family dynamics
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Identity, independence, and self-discovery
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Stress around the future and major life decisions
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Adjusting to living independently for the first time
You might benefit from therapy if…
The pressure has stopped feeling manageable. When academic and social stress build to the point that they affect your sleep, your focus, or your mood, that is a sign to get support, not to push harder. Therapy gives you tools and a steadier footing.
You feel alone in a crowd. Connection in college can be surprisingly hard, and the loneliness underneath a busy social calendar is real. We help you understand it and move toward the kind of connection that actually fills you up.
You are renegotiating who you are. College is a major identity transition, and that can be exciting and destabilizing at the same time. Therapy gives you a private place to figure out who you are without performing for anyone.
How we help
At On Par Therapy, we understand that college is one of the most demanding transitions, and that "the best years of your life" can also be some of the hardest. Our work meets you as the whole, complicated person you are, not just a student with a problem to fix.
We help with the immediate pressures first: the anxiety, the overwhelm, the sleep and focus that fall apart under stress. Cognitive Behavioral approaches give you practical tools to interrupt spirals and steady your day. From there, we go deeper into the things underneath, the comparison, the identity questions, the family patterns you brought with you, and are now seeing more clearly from a distance.
Because we are fully telehealth, therapy fits a campus schedule in a way that traditional appointments often do not. You can meet from your dorm, your apartment, or wherever you have privacy, between classes or in the gaps that actually exist in your week. There is no commute to find time for and no waiting room to sit in.
We also understand the specific weight on high-achieving students, the ones who have always been "the responsible one" or "the one who has it together," and who are quietly terrified of being the one who falls apart. If that is you, this is a place where you can finally set that down.
All sessions are telehealth, built to fit the realities of student life.
What to expect after you reach out
You book your free 15-minute consultation.
Choose a time that fits your life, or send us a note and we will happily find one together. This part is easy, and we make it that way on purpose.
We connect.
This is a warm, unhurried conversation about what has been weighing on you and how we might help. There is nothing to prepare and nothing you need to have figured out first. You can simply show up as you are.
You decide what feels right.
If we are a good fit, we will get you settled and scheduled. If not, we’ll connect you with someone in our network!
What High-Achieving Women Say About Our Work Together
About Brianna Paruolo, LMHC
Featured as an expert in
I provide virtual therapy for women in New York, New Jersey, South Carolina, Massachusetts and Florida.
CLINICAL EXPERTISE & CREDENTIALS
As founder and Clinical Director of On Par Therapy NYC, I bring elite training and specialized certification to your therapeutic journey:
Advanced Education
Master's Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, St. John's University
Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, St. John's University
President of Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society
Specialized Certifications
Certified Narcissistic Abuse Treatment Clinician (NATC)
SBIRT Certified
Psychological First Aid (PFA) Certified
Clinical Experience
Former Primary Therapist at one of the nation's leading eating disorder residential treatment centers
Clinical training in integrative psychotherapy, incorporating innovative approaches including play therapy, biofeedback, and neurofeedback
Featured mental health expert in major media publications and news outlets
On Par Therapy exists because I needed it myself. Before becoming a therapist, I managed social media strategy for health and wellness brands, then transitioned to a People & Culture role at a unicorn startup while pursuing my master's degree.
I understand perfectionism, burnout, and self-doubt not just clinically, but personally. This unique perspective has led major news outlets and publications to tap me as a mental health specialist, providing insights on everything from workplace stress and impostor syndrome to dating dynamics and narcissism.
My practice focuses on the challenges high-achieving women face most: the anxiety that never fully quiets, the perfectionism that both drives and exhausts you, disruptive life transitions, and relationship patterns that feel frustratingly familiar. I integrate CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and relational therapy with a real-world understanding of what it takes to excel without self-destructing.
Therapy with me feels grounded and intelligent, and I like speaking with someone who genuinely gets it because I've sat on both sides of the conversation.
You have spent years performing for a standard that keeps moving. You deserve a life where you feel good enough, because you already are.
Book your FREE 15-minute consultation today.
You've achieved success by trusting your instincts. If something is telling you it's time for support that matches your ambition, listen to that voice.
During our complimentary consultation, we'll discuss:
Your current challenges
How my approach aligns with your goals
Practical next steps
My virtual sessions offer the privacy and flexibility you deserve, with early morning, evening, and weekend appointments available.
I am licensed to work in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Florida, and South Carolina.
Don’t see a time that works? Email: Admin@onpartherapynyc.com !