Therapy for College Students Home for Winter Break

If your college student came home to Los Angeles for winter break and is not themselves, Blackburn Clinical Services can see them for therapy in our office or by secure video for clients located in California, and for psychiatric care while they are here. Winter break is often the first time a family sees up close how the fall term really went: sleeping until afternoon, withdrawing, drinking more, dodging questions about grades, or dreading going back. A few weeks at home is a good window to get an assessment and a plan in place. Call (888) 870 7405 or email info@blackburnclinical.com.

At a glance

Who we see: undergraduate and graduate students home for break from University of California, California State University, community college or out of state schools, and the parents who are worried about them.
What we help with: depression, anxiety, academic stress after a hard term, alcohol and cannabis use, ADHD and first episodes of serious symptoms.
Where: Therapy takes place in our office at 12326 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066, in Mar Vista near Culver City, Venice and Santa Monica, or by secure video for clients located in California.
Psychiatry: Psychiatric evaluation and medication management are provided by our board certified psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners. When you call, we explain how psychiatry appointments are arranged.
Fees: We are an out-of-network practice and provide superbills. See Fees and Insurance.
Timing: breaks are short, so call as early as you can to schedule. An assessment in the first week home leaves time to set up ongoing care before the student goes back.

Why break is when problems show up

Young adults have the highest rates of mental illness of any adult age group: the National Institute of Mental Health reports that 36.2 percent of adults aged 18 to 25 had a mental illness in 2022. In the 2024 to 2025 Healthy Minds Study, 37 percent of college students reported moderate to severe depressive symptoms and 32 percent moderate to severe anxiety symptoms. During the term, students can hide a lot. At home, routines change, sleep shifts, old friends and family dynamics return, and grades for the fall are posted. That mix makes break the moment when many families first notice something is wrong.

Alcohol is part of the picture for many students. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that about 33 percent of full-time college students aged 18 to 22 binge drank in the past month. Heavy drinking over the holidays can make sleep, mood and anxiety harder to manage.

Signs worth taking seriously

Sleeping most of the day, or barely sleeping.
Pulling away from family and old friends, or staying in their room for days.
Avoiding any talk of grades, classes or going back, or saying they cannot return.
Drinking or using cannabis or other drugs more than before, or alone.
Big changes in eating, weight or self-care.
Hopelessness, saying they feel like a burden, or giving away belongings. The National Institute of Mental Health lists these among the warning signs of suicide. If you see them, call or text 988 now, or call 911 in an emergency.
Unusual beliefs, hearing or seeing things others do not, or days without sleep and racing energy. Call for an evaluation promptly; early treatment matters. See bipolar disorder treatment.

How to start the conversation

Pick a calm moment, not the dinner table with relatives. Say what you have noticed (“You have been sleeping until three and you seem down”) rather than what you suspect. Ask how the term really went and listen without solving. Offer a concrete next step: an assessment with a therapist while they are home. Adult students decide whether to go and what is shared, so frame it as support, not a consequence. For more on that conversation, see our guide for parents of a struggling college student.

What care over break can look like

An assessment and a plan. A therapist meets with the student in our office or by secure video for clients located in California, and we offer family sessions with the student’s agreement.
Psychiatric evaluation if needed. When symptoms point to medication being helpful, our psychiatric team can evaluate and follow up. See psychiatric medication management.
Testing. A student who suspects ADHD can use part of the break for ADHD testing, which takes place in person at our office.
Continuity when they go back. Before the student returns to campus, we help them plan how to connect with care near school, including their campus counseling center, so the progress made at home is not lost.
If going back is not the right call. Some students need a leave. See getting a clinical evaluation for a leave of absence.

More for students and families: therapy and psychiatry for college students who live or study in Los Angeles, College Student and Young Adult Mental Health: The Numbers for the national and California figures, and, for parents of a high schooler home from boarding school, boarding school teen home for break.

Questions

Can a student who goes to school out of state be seen over break?

Yes. Students staying in Los Angeles can be seen for therapy in our office or by secure video for clients located in California, and for psychiatric care while they are here.

Is a few weeks long enough to help?

It is long enough for an assessment, a plan and the first sessions, and to decide what support the student needs when they go back. Some students continue care after break if they are staying local or returning for the summer.

Can a parent schedule the appointment?

Yes. Parents often call first. Because college students 18 and older are adult patients, the student takes part in the assessment and decides what information is shared.

My student is drinking a lot over break. Is that something you treat?

Yes. We treat alcohol and other substance use together with the depression, anxiety or stress that often comes with it. See alcohol use disorder treatment.

What if my student says they cannot go back?

Take it seriously and get an assessment before the term starts. A clinician can help the student and family think through options, including staying enrolled with more support or a leave of absence under the school’s own process.

Get started

Call (888) 870 7405 (Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM), email info@blackburnclinical.com or contact us. Blackburn Clinical Services is at 12326 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066.

If you or someone you love is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, or call 911 in an emergency.

Therapy for College Students Home for Winter Break in Los Angeles