Life is full of instances of great happiness and great sorrow. It is filled with many moments, some that we maintain control over and some that are completely out of our hands. This constant roller coaster of emotions can cause stress, anxiety, confusion, and fear. We all cope with situations in very different ways and counseling is a great way for us to come to terms with our personal experience in life. Counseling can help us to broaden our perception and see situations outside of the metaphorical box. It can also help us deal with traumatic situations in our lives such as an accident, a death of a loved one, or a bad breakup or constant pressures such as self image, mental illness, or financial issues.

This guide provides online counseling resources. It does not replace personal counseling but is intended to provide insight to common issues that students deal with. If you suffer any of these issues please visit a counselor. There is no reason to cope alone. You might get some great advice along the way.

General Counseling Resources & Find a Local Counselor

• American Counseling Association: A non-profit organization proving training and education to professional counselors. They provide a resource that can help locate a local counselor in each area.

• American Mental Health Counselors Association: This resource has a local counselor search that allows people to search for counselors in their area. This community of over 6,000 counselors offers training and education for counselors.

• American Psychological Association: This professional organization with over 154,000 members is the largest psychologists worldwide. They offer a great help resource center and a listing of psychologists worldwide.

• Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Programs: The US Department of Education has outlines the counseling resources offered in national schools. Program eligibility information and resources are also available.

Death & Grief

• When Grief Comes to the Classroom: A great list of helpful resources that provide help in dealing with death. This is especially helpful for students who have lost another student or faculty member at their school.

• Dealing With Grief: The student affairs counseling center offers great information on dealing with grief. They provide an explanation of the grieving process and ways to cope with feelings of grief.

• Dealing With Death at School: The Healing Place offers a guide for the grieving student. Information such as understanding grief and ways a parent can help a grieving child.

• It’s My Life: A PBS resource about death and dealing with death. This site offers articles, books and video suggestions about dealing with grief.

• The Dougy Center for Grieving Children & Families: Am amazing resource that is tailored for children and families who are grieving. They provide a safe place where children and families can share their grief.

Mental Illness

• NAMI: The National Alliance on Mental Illness is an organization that offers support for mental illness sufferers and their families. There is a search for a local NAMI group across the US.

• Mental Illness and the Family: The organization Mental Health America provides resources and coping skills that help families dealing with mental illness. There are many people functioning with mental illnesses and this organization gives support for the families.

• Treatment of Children with Mental Illness: Identifying the symptoms of mental illnesses and help that can be beneficial. A guide to support for families with children who have mental illnesses.

• How Does A Classroom Deal With Mental Illness: An article about how mental illness affects a classroom. Explores the ways a teacher can facilitate getting help for a student.

Financial Stress

• ULifeline: Resource that helps a student to identify the stresses including financial stress. They offer coping skills and where to look for help.

• Hard Financial Lessons Learned in College: An article that explores the anxiety and stress level for college students. Gives suggestions on easy the strain on students.

• Financial Stress Resources for Students: This PDF gives informative resources for students dealing with financial stress. There are specific coping skills that can help a student deal with this type of stress.

• College Freshman Under Severe Stress: Article about college freshman and how the financial stress is affecting their emotional health. This article details the importance of choosing financial aid that will lessen the burden.

• National Association of Student Financial Aid Administration: This is a great resource for utilizing the financial aid tools. There are also resources for homeless and foster youth that are helpful.

Career

• Career Vision: Career planning resources for students. This helpful organization has articles, resources and tools to help students plan for a rewarding career.

• Vocational Information Center: This organization offers skills assessment for college and career planning. There is an extensive list of resources that provide assistance for career searches.

• Job Spectrum: An article that discusses stress levels while planning careers. There some great tips and suggestions for reducing the stress level during a career search.

• Career and Life Planning: Offers and outline of topics to consider when planning a career. Choosing a career can be stressful and this site helps students ponder questions that can have an impact on their career choice.

Depression

• Active Minds: An organization with local chapters that offer support services to students who have depression. Active Mind’s goal is to remove the stigma placed on mental illnesses and support students through depression.

• The JED Foundation: A group that helps prevents suicide and reduces emotional distress that can be caused by depression. They help improve the emotional health of students across the nation.

• Healthy Minds: The American Psychiatric Association has great information on identifying depression. There is a list of symptoms and how they differ from mere sadness.

• A Lifeline for College Students With Depression: A story of encouragement for one student dealing with depression. This story has information that can be helpful for students battling depression.

• Family Aware: This nonprofit organization is a national organization that helps families to build awareness and support about depression. The goal is to get help for those who suffer from depression and help them to recovery.

• Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance: This is a great place to learn about the different mood disorders such as depression. This organization provides resources and help for students to find support for their depression.

Relationship

• Campus Mind Works: Supports students maintain healthy relationships. This gives students guidelines of healthy relationships in order for the student to attain this throughout their lives.

• School Climate: The Center for Social and Emotional Education outlines ways to have healthy interpersonal relationships. There are great resources and assessments that can help students develop healthy relationships.

• Building Healthy Relationships: A PDF with age specific information on helping students build healthy relationships. Interacting positively with others is a cornerstone to emotional health.

Stress Management

• Childhood Stress: Kid’s Health Organization gives insightful information on student stress including the sources. There is important information on identifying stress and reducing the stress in a student’s life.

• Stress Management for Children and Adults: Stress can occur in anyone’s life and dealing with stress can be difficult. This organization teaches ways to manage the stress in everyday life so that it will not affect the emotional health of students.

• Tips on Managing Stress: The Help Guide is a non-profit organization that focuses on stress management along with other conditions. They have very helpful tips and resources available to help reduce and cope with stress.

• Get a Handle on Life: Great stress management tips for a student or adult’s everyday life. Also has links to books and other great resources for stress management.

• Coping With Academic Pressure: A fantastic article that gives insight to the emotional and physical stress experienced by students. There is a focus on burning out and experiencing emotional fatigue. This article also gives tips for avoiding an emotional and academic burn out.

Self Image 

• Body Image and Self Esteem: A wonderful resources about the affects of body image and self esteem. This site also has information about improving self esteem.

• Obesity in Children and Teens: An article that discusses how self esteem issues are a factor in childhood obesity. There are many ways to change this, and the article explores the different ways a person can such as developing a treatment plan.

• National Association of Self Esteem: This is an organization dedicated to research on the self esteem. They offer informative articles and research data that may help with combating a low self esteem by learning what the contributions are.

• Self Esteem Learning Foundation: This organization offers free resources to increasing self esteem through powerful training tools. Their purpose is to help students overcome struggles with their self esteem.

• One Step at a Time: An online resource that offers coaching, online seminars that are aimed at improving the quality of life through eliminating factors that negatively affect self esteem. They also offer a free inspirational newsletter to help stay on the right track.

Sexual Assault

• Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network: This organization is the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the nation. There are numerous resources for avoiding sexual assault as well as helping those who have experienced this.

• Project GHB: An organization that promotes awareness about the affects of GHB. There is a tip sheet on how to protect against date rape crimes that include GHB.

• Darkness to Light: This organization aims to protect children against sexual abuse. They offer services and resources that can help those who have been a victim of rape, sexual assault or incest crimes.

• Stop It Now: Aims to protect children and prevent the sexual abuse of children. Informative for students as well as parents.

• National Alliance to End Sexual Assault: National organization offering information on statistics of rapes and sexual violence. The resources available ranges from online help, call in hotlines and in person resources to assist victims.

• Dancing in the Darkness: This website was developed by a survivor of rape to help others break the silence. It discusses many common issues surrounding sexual assault. It includes the authors story, dealing with emotions, a discussion board, speaking out, and the aftermath.