Things You Might Want to Talk About in Therapy as High School Graduation Approaches

I know the movies and songs and tv shows curate a certain experience of what finishing high will look and feel like, even content creators and influencers depict a not whole picture of this time of life too. There’s a range of experiences, and questions, and worries, that hardly ever seem to get shown or talked about.

Here’s a (non exhaustive) list of things that are completely normal to want to process through as you near graduating high school:

• Does what I major in for college even matter with the state of the world?

• Are those really supposed to be the best years of my life?

• How do I make new friends?

• What if I don’t want to go to college?

• How am I supposed to go into the ‘real world’ when I still feel ~13 (like when the pandemic lockdowns started)?

• Do I want to leave my romantic relationship?

• Will my younger siblings be okay when I leave home?

• Is (climate change, AI, governments, etc.) going to ruin my future?

• What if I don’t want to participate in these systems?

• Who am I once I am no longer a student athlete?

• Will I be accepted if change my pronouns or the way I present once I leave this place?

• Am I weird because I haven’t been in a romantic relationship?

• What do I want to do with my life?

• How do I keep in touch with my childhood friends since we’re not going to college in the same place?

• Will I regret not going to prom or my graduation ceremony?

• What if I actually can’t take care of myself on my own?

• How do I tell my parents I don’t want the things they want for me?

• Who am I outside of my grades or GPA?

It’s not always comfortable to talk to friends, siblings, parents, or any other grown ups about these questions - especially if you know them to be judgmental, not understanding, argumentative, or dismissive from other times you tried to talk to them.

You deserve space to process where you feel listened to, understood, and supported - therapy may be the most comfortable or helpful setting to explore these completely normal and important questions!

Dr. S