Why Coaching for International Students? (Copy)
Recently I had a conversation with a colleague in international education. Knowing that I’ve been a licensed psychologist for close to 10 years, she asked me “why are you offering coaching to international students? How is coaching different from psychotherapy?“
Over the years, I’ve worked with many international students in my therapy practice. Most of them come from places such as China, Taiwan, South Korea, etc.
These students come to therapy when they’re already “in dire need“ of help with their struggles such as:
They feel very depressed, are at risk of hurting themselves, unable to do school work, feel very hopeless and worry that they might be kicked out of school at any time; for some reason they can’t seem to do as well as they used to back home.
They don’t know how to participate in class and feel very self-conscious or anxious that they just can’t raise their hand to speak or ask questions.
They feel very isolated in the U.S., don’t know how to make new friends, usually stay by themselves or rarely reach out to friends.
They feel ashamed of their struggles, have tried to solve problems on their own, but things don’t seem to improve.
They usually keep their struggles to themselves because they don’t want their parents to worry.
The don’t know how to talk to their professors or schools about their situation and often worry that people might judge them.
Through therapy, I’ve helped many international students overcome their difficulties and restore their confidence.
But what I really want international students to know is that:
“You don’t have to go through such a painful, dark process in order to realize that to do well in the U.S., there are certain key skills you need to develop proactively - Don’t wait till you are at the brink of falling apart!”
This is the very reason why I developed coaching programs for international students.
I want to help students avoid the unnecessary, gruesome process and tackle the inevitable challenges with confidence as they build a bright future in the U.S.!
With the guidance of an experienced professional, international students will develop a good understanding of themselves and start building important skills that are valued in school, social, and professional settings in the U.S.
Curious how you can become successful in the U.S.? Schedule a call to find out how I’ll help you get there!
About The Author
Fourteen years ago I came to the U.S. from Taiwan and studied in a field that rarely accepted “fresh off the boat” international students from non-English speaking countries. I’m Dr. Vivi Hua, Psy.D. and I help international students navigate the cross-cultural aspects of their experience in the U.S., so they can succeed academically and socially and build a life and career that they desire!