Navigating higher education is exciting!
Here’s how we help individuals, couples, and families through this change!
Individual Therapy
Being the first in your family to attend college or graduate school can feel overwhelming, isolating, and full of pressure. Individual therapy provides a brave space to process stress, navigate family expectations, and explore your identity, helping you build confidence and support for this new chapter.
Couples Therapy
For couples, pursuing higher education as a first-generation student can create tension around time, priorities, and family expectations. Couples therapy helps partners understand each other’s experiences, communicate openly, and develop strategies to stay connected while supporting each person’s academic and personal goals.
Family Therapy
Family dynamics often shape how first-generation students experience college or graduate school, from expectations to unspoken pressures. Family therapy provides a space to explore these dynamics, improve communication, and create support systems that honor both educational goals and family relationships.
What happens when you attend therapy with us?
Therapy in Colorado for first-generation college students and their communities is about understanding the weight of being first, exploring your identity, and creating a path that aligns with your values.
When you work with us, you’ll:
work to recognize the impact of expectations and systemic pressures: Explore how family, culture, and societal norms shape your stress, identity, and relationships.
examine relational and identity-based experiences: Reflect on patterns and messages that influence how you connect with peers, family, and mentors.
work to build clarity in decision-making: Learn ways to navigate school, relationships, and life choices in ways that reflect your priorities.
gain skills for developing confidence and resilience: Practice skills that support navigating challenges while honoring your aspirations and values.
Create generational ripples: Your growth and choices influence the culture, expectations, and possibilities for those who come after you.
Therapy with us is a space for reflection, insight, and purposeful action, helping you engage your life, relationships, and education with intention.
What You May be Experiencing Right Now
You might be navigating college or graduate school while carrying pressures that others don’t see or name. This can show up as:
Feeling pulled between your goals and your family’s expectations
Carrying guilt for pursuing opportunities others didn’t have
Questioning whether you truly belong in academic or professional spaces
Managing stress, anxiety, or burnout tied to being “the first”
Noticing old family or cultural patterns show up in relationships
Feeling responsible to succeed, represent, or “make it worth it”
Struggling to name your needs without feeling selfish or disloyal
Holding multiple identities while trying to figure out who you are becoming
None of this exists in a vacuum. These experiences are shaped by family history, culture, power, access, and systems that were not built with you in mind. Therapy here creates space to understand what you’re carrying, make meaning of it, and move forward with intention.
Therapists for First Generation College Students in Colorado
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Rory Dougall, LSW
Individual and Family Therapy
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Zack Halpern, LSW
Individual & Couples Therapy
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Eden Mengistu, Social Work Graduate
Individual Therapy
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Irina González, Social Work Student
Individual Therapy
