Online therapy for students, young adults, and life transitions in Richmond, VA
College years and early adulthood are often less about having everything figured out and more about learning how to navigate independence, identity, relationships, and pressure — all at once.
At Thrive Counseling for Healing and Connection, we support Richmond-area clients primarily through secure, HIPAA-compliant online therapy. Many of the individuals we work with are college students and young adults navigating academic stress, emotional overwhelm, relationships, and major life transitions. Others reach out during similar seasons of change — even if they’re no longer in school.
Our work is grounded, relational, and thoughtful, with a strong focus on emotional safety, self-understanding, and meaningful connection.
Identity-centered therapy for college students and young adults in Richmond
Richmond is home to several colleges and universities, including VCU, the University of Richmond, and nearby commuter campuses. Many students here balance academics with work, family responsibilities, or living off campus — which can add complexity to already demanding seasons of life.
Therapy can become a place to slow down and explore questions that don’t always have clear language yet — or a clear timeline — questions about identity, direction, belonging, self-worth, and how to build a life that feels aligned rather than overwhelming.
Rather than pushing quick answers, we focus on helping clients understand themselves more deeply and build internal steadiness as they move forward.
Navigating anxiety, relationships, and independence
Many Richmond college students and young adults reach out for therapy while navigating:
Anxiety, stress, or emotional overwhelm
Academic or career uncertainty
Changing friendships or romantic relationships
Self-doubt or difficulty trusting themselves
Pressure to “keep up” or meet expectations
At Thrive, we help clients develop emotional awareness, strengthen self-worth, and build healthier relational patterns — especially during times of transition.
Support for identity, gender, and self-expression
For many students and young adults, therapy becomes a space to explore identity, gender, relationships, and self-expression at their own pace.
Some clients feel pressure around expectations tied to family, culture, or gender roles. Others are questioning, exploring, or redefining how they understand themselves over time. Many are learning how to stay connected to who they are while navigating boundaries, relationships, and changing roles.
Therapy at Thrive focuses less on fitting people into categories and more on understanding each person’s lived experience — with curiosity, respect, and room to evolve.
Neurodiversity-affirming and geek-affirming care
Some clients experience the world a little differently — how they think, process, focus, or connect. Others find meaning and belonging through interests, creativity, technology, gaming, or niche communities. Often, these experiences overlap.
Thrive clinicians offer therapy that is:
respectful of different communication and processing styles
flexible, relational, and non-patronizing
focused on understanding rather than “fixing”
For clients who have spent years adapting to fit systems that weren’t designed for them, therapy can be a place to unmask and feel genuinely understood.
Beyond college: support for young adults and adults in transition
While many Richmond clients are college students, others reach out during similar life stages — early career transitions, relationship changes, identity shifts, or seasons of burnout and reassessment.
If you’re navigating questions around direction, meaning, self-worth, or connection, therapy can offer space to reflect, recalibrate, and move forward with greater clarity and self-trust.
How therapy works for Richmond clients
Most Richmond-area clients work with us through online therapy, allowing for consistent care without the need to commute.
Secure, HIPAA-compliant video sessions
Thoughtful matching with a Thrive clinician
Flexible scheduling that fits academic and work demands
The same depth of care as in-person therapy
College student & young adult therapy team
Many college students and young adults want to know who they might be working with before reaching out. At Thrive, our clinicians bring a range of perspectives and clinical strengths, and several regularly work with college students and young adults navigating identity, anxiety, relationships, and life transitions.
You don’t need to know exactly who would be the best fit — we’ll help guide that process thoughtfully.
Clinicians who often work with college students and young adults include:
Services available through online therapy
Richmond-area clients have access to our full range of services, including:
Get started
If you’re in Richmond and looking for thoughtful, identity-centered therapy — whether you’re a college student, recent graduate, or navigating a season of transition — we’d be honored to walk alongside you.
