International students Therapy for international students
Studying in another country means carrying a lot at once: a new academic system, a new culture, family in another time zone, and pressure that can be hard to explain to people back home. Devi Natarajan has worked with a considerable number of international students and understands the cultural nuances that shape how they experience all of it.
In crisis right now? Call or text 988, or go to the nearest emergency department.
What international students often bring
A lot at once, and much of it hard to explain to people back home.
Culture shock
Not the textbook version: tiredness, irritability, or feeling invisible in seminars where the unwritten rules are different.
Homesickness
It comes and goes, often worst after a good call home.
Family expectations
Academic pressure that carries a family's hopes, and sometimes their sacrifices.
Loneliness
Friendships form differently in a new place.
A different self in each setting
Being someone slightly different in each language and room.
Many students also arrive with anxiety, low mood or burnout that started before they moved and grew under the pressure of a new place. None of that needs a label before getting in touch.
Why cultural understanding matters in therapy
Therapy only helps if you do not have to spend every session explaining your world first.
- Family obligations
- What your parents gave up
- What is and is not said at home
- How mental health is talked about in your community
These are not side details. They shape what feels possible and what feels like failure. Devi has worked with a considerable number of international students and brings that understanding into the room.
The aim is not to pull you away from your family or culture. It is to help you find a way of handling the pressure that fits who you are and where you come from.
Being far from home
Time zones make support harder to reach exactly when it is needed.
Weekly virtual sessions
By secure video, fitting around classes, labs and late-night calls home.
Anywhere in Illinois
Therapists are licensed state by state, so video sessions need you to be in Illinois at the time. If you will be travelling, we plan around it together.
Insurance for international students
If you are on your university's student health plan, as many international students are, therapy can be covered.
Northwestern NU-SHIP
Administered by Aetna. Mindtude is in network.
UChicago U-SHIP
Administered by UnitedHealthcare Student Resources. Mindtude is in network.
Other plans
In network with Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealthcare and Aetna plans generally.
Check first
Send your member ID before booking and we will tell you what a session would cost.
What therapy is, and is not, here for
A confidential space for how you are coping.
Therapy is for
The stress, adjustment and pressure. It does not involve your visa, your department or your family unless you choose to bring them in.
It is not for
Immigration or visa questions. Your university's international office is the right place for those.
Who you will work with
Devi Natarajan, LCPC
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with over 15 years in behavioural health and an MA in Counseling Psychology from Northwestern University.
- LCPC
- ADHD-CCSP
- MBSR
- Northwestern
Common questions
Is therapy confidential for international students?
Yes. Therapy is confidential, with the standard legal exceptions such as a serious risk of harm, which are explained at the start. Nothing is shared with your university, department or family.
Does NU-SHIP or U-SHIP cover therapy at Mindtude?
Yes. Mindtude is in network with Aetna, which administers NU-SHIP, and with UnitedHealthcare Student Resources, which administers U-SHIP. We can check your coverage before you book.
Can I have therapy online?
Yes. All sessions are online, by secure video, anywhere in Illinois.
Can you help with visa or immigration questions?
No. Those belong with your university's international office. Therapy focuses on the stress, adjustment and pressure around them.
I have never been to therapy and it is not common where I am from. Is that a problem?
Not at all. Many people start without knowing what to expect. The first session is a conversation about what has been happening and what you would like to be different, and you do not need a diagnosis or the right words.
Start with a free consultation
A short call, no charge, to see whether this is a fit. Send your insurance details with it and we will confirm your coverage before you commit to anything.