Therapy for College-Preparatory Boarding School Students Struggling with Pressure, Anxiety, and Perfectionism in Connecticut, New York, and PsyPact States
Anxious and exhausted from the constant pressure to perform?
Your days are packed, and you feel the pressure to perform in everything you do. You want to be at the top of your class and making anything less than an A leads to feelings of failure and an anxious spiral. The stakes are high, and it feels like everything needs to appear perfect if you want to make it into a top college. It's not just academics either. You also want to be the best on your sports teams or land the lead roles in plays and musicals.
Then, there's the social pressure. The self-conscious feelings of being a teenager are amplified at boarding school. You're living with your classmates, friends, and faculty and the feelings of being compared are real. You're all competing for the top spots. It's hard to feel like you can ever turn off or truly be yourself.
I’ve written more about why boarding school students can feel lonely even when they’re surrounded by people, and how the pressure to perform can make genuine connection harder.
Succeed without losing yourself
You don't have to do this alone.
You get to be yourself with me. There's no pressure to achieve or appear perfect when we meet. I'm not grading or evaluating you. We'll help you succeed without feeling like your entire self-worth depends on your performance.
Safe Space
You don't have to worry about interruptions in support when you transition between school and home. I'm licensed in Connecticut and New York and authorized through PsyPact to see students in 40+ states.
Flexible Support
For Parents
For Parents: I provide the clinical expertise and consistency your child needs to thrive in a high-pressure environment. I worked in the counseling department at Choate Rosemary Hall previously.
What We'll Work On
Here's what we'll do together
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Build a sense of identity and self-worth that isn't tied exclusively to your transcript.
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Manage high-performance anxiety and perfectionism so that it doesn't spiral into burnout or shutdown.
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Create a space for you to be yourself and feel supported by an adult who isn't evaluating you.
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Learn how to connect with friends while being in a hyper-competitive environment.
READY TO GET STARTED?
Achieve without burning out.
FAQs
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No. Dr. Erin Hopkins provides individual psychotherapy for students who already attend college-preparatory boarding schools. She does not operate a residential program, provide school placement services, or help families select therapeutic boarding schools.
Her work is designed for students managing anxiety, perfectionism, academic pressure, identity concerns, burnout, and the social intensity of living at school.
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Boarding school students often appear unusually independent and capable. That competence can make it easy to overlook the fact that they are still adolescents navigating normal emotional needs in an unusually demanding environment.
An outside therapist gives students a confidential relationship with an adult who is not evaluating their grades, coaching their performance, or participating in school life. This can make it easier to speak honestly about pressure, loneliness, relationships, and the fear of disappointing others.
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School counselors can be an important source of immediate, on-campus support. Their role may also include crisis response, academic concerns, communication with faculty, and responsibilities to the larger school community.
An outside therapist provides a consistent therapeutic relationship focused entirely on the student. I can continue working with a student across school terms, vacations, and transitions when licensing requirements allow.
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I work with students experiencing concerns such as:
Anxiety and constant pressure to perform
Perfectionism and fear of failure
Burnout, exhaustion, or emotional shutdown
Self-worth tied to grades or accomplishments
Homesickness, loneliness, or social disconnection
Difficulty asking adults for help
Identity concerns and uncertainty about who they are outside achievement
A student does not need to be in crisis to benefit from therapy. Students who look successful externally may still be struggling internally.
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Before entering private practice, I worked in the counseling department at Choate Rosemary Hall. That experience gave me a firsthand understanding of boarding school culture, including its academic expectations, social dynamics, residential environment, and emphasis on independence.
I understand how easily a capable student’s emotional needs can be missed when they continue meeting expectations.
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In many cases, yes. I offer online therapy to students located in Connecticut, New York, and participating PSYPACT states.
The student must be physically located in a state where I am authorized to practice at the time of each session. Scheduling, privacy, and the availability of an appropriate space at school should also be considered.
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It depends on where your child will be located. I can continue online sessions when the student is in Connecticut, New York, or another state where I am authorized to practice through PSYPACT.
If your child returns to a state where I cannot practice, I can discuss the available options with your family before the break.
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Parent involvement depends on the student’s age, needs, circumstances, and applicable confidentiality requirements. I discuss expectations with both the student and parents at the beginning of therapy so everyone understands how communication will work.
The goal is to give the student enough privacy to speak honestly while helping parents remain appropriately involved in their child’s care.
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The first step is a free 15-minute consultation. I will learn more about what your child is experiencing, answer your questions, and help determine whether her approach is the right fit.