Counselling for Post-Secondary Students
Counselling services in Victoria, BC and online
Provided by registered professionals with lived experience, who are dedicated to creating a supportive environment for post-secondary students, while helping them to navigate stressors, transitions and constant change.
University is supposed to be exciting. It can also be overwhelming.
Starting (or returning to) post-secondary is a huge transition. Whether you're in university, college, graduate school, or another training program, you're probably juggling a lot more than classes.
Maybe you're trying to figure out who you are outside of home. Or maybe you're questioning your career path, navigating new relationships, managing academic pressure, or wondering why everyone else seems to have it together.
(For the record, they probably don't)
Post-secondary is a season of constant change. Sometimes that's energizing. Sometimes it's exhausting. Counselling is where we unpack it all.
You don't need to be in crisis to be here.
A lot of students wait until things feel unbearable before reaching out, but counselling isn't just for emergencies.
It can be helpful if you're feeling:
Overwhelmed by school, work, or responsibilities
Stuck in a cycle of procrastination or burnout
Anxious about grades, the future, or making the "right" decisions
Unsure of who you are or what you actually want
Lonely, even when you're surrounded by people
Homesick or struggling with a big move
Navigating changing friendships or dating relationships
Carrying family expectations while trying to build your own life
Experiencing imposter syndrome or feeling like you don't belong
Wondering how to balance everything without losing yourself
If it’s feeling overwhelming or isolating, that's reason enough.
Meet Your Therapist
Samara Liberman, RSW, MSW, supports post-secondary students and young adults working through anxiety, attachment concerns, relationship challenges, neurodivergence, and major life transitions. Using an Internal Family Systems (parts work) and trauma-informed approach, she helps students move toward their goals with more grounding, confidence, and self-understanding.
Areas of specialty:
Young adults navigating school, work, and life transitions
Anxiety
Attachment concerns
Relationship challenges
Neurodivergence
Decision fatigue and feeling "stuck" or overwhelmed
Life transitions shake up more than your schedule.
Post-secondary often comes with major identity shifts.
You might be living away from home for the first time, becoming more independent, questioning beliefs you grew up with, exploring your identity, learning new boundaries, shifting friend groups, or realizing that the path that’s been carved out for you no longer fits.
All of this can often feel simultaneously exciting and deeply unsettling.
Therapy offers space to make sense of what you're experiencing, and reconnect with yourself.
Relationships become more complicated too.
Friendships change.
Family dynamics shift.
Dating can feel confusing.
Sometimes you're learning how to communicate your needs for the first time. Sometimes you're grieving relationships that no longer fit. Sometimes you're trying to maintain long-distance connections while building a new community.
Together, we can explore patterns, strengthen communication, and help you build relationships that feel more supportive and authentic.
The pressure to "figure it all out" is real.
What major should I choose? Should I switch programs? What happens after graduation? Do I even want the career I've been working toward?
Many students feel like every decision carries enormous weight. It can leave you feeling frozen, second-guessing yourself, or constantly comparing your path to everyone else's.
A counsellor won't tell you what choices to make, but we can help you understand yourself more clearly so your decisions feel grounded in your own values, rather than fear or external pressures.
The approach
Therapy should feel collaborative, grounded in your values, and adaptable.
The goal isn't to tell you how to live your life - it's to create a space where you can be honest about what's working, what's not, and what you want moving forward.
Whether you're navigating stress, anxiety, relationships, identity, burnout, perfectionism, or a major life transition, we'll work together at a pace that feels right for you.
You don't need to have all the answers before booking your first session.
Whether you're in your first semester, finishing your degree, taking a gap year, or wondering what's next after graduation, therapy can be a space to feel supported while you navigate this chapter.
If you're looking for a therapist who understands the unique challenges of post-secondary life, we’d love to connect.