Houston Academic Underachievement Counseling

What is Academic Underachievement?

Academic underachievement refers to a persistent inability to meet expected academic standards despite having the capability to do so. It involves consistently performing below one's potential in academic settings, which can lead to frustration, low self-esteem, and difficulties in achieving academic goals.

At The Resilience Center of Houston, we have licensed therapists who are trained to treat a wide variety of mental health and behavioral health issues for children, teens, and adults, including academic underachievement. Call our facility today and see if you, your child, or anyone you know needs academic underachievement counseling in Houston.

Who can Academic Underachievement Issues Affect?

People of all ages and backgrounds can experience academic underachievement. However, it is often observed in students who may be gifted or have the intellectual capacity to excel academically but struggle due to various factors such as learning disabilities, lack of motivation, poor study habits, family issues, mental health challenges, or environmental stressors.

Our expertise includes working with children, teens, adults, and seniors who struggle with life stressors and transitions, behavioral problems, and mental health disorders. Our therapists are licensed in Texas with a masters or doctoral level education and offer a wide-variety of evidence-based therapeutic techniques and approaches to provide you optimal professional care.

What are the Symptoms of Academic Underachievement Issues?

Symptoms of academic underachievement may vary but can include:

Persistent low grades or inconsistent academic performance.
Lack of interest or motivation in school-related activities.
Difficulty concentrating or staying focused during classes.
Procrastination or avoidance of academic tasks.
Feelings of frustration, anxiety, or low self-esteem related to academic performance.
Negative attitudes towards school or learning.
Disengagement from school activities or social withdrawal.

What are the Best Treatments of Academic Underachievement Issues?

Effective treatment for academic underachievement involves addressing underlying factors contributing to the issue. Some of the best treatments include:

Psychoeducational Assessment: A comprehensive evaluation to identify any learning disabilities, cognitive strengths and weaknesses, or other factors affecting academic performance.
Counseling and Therapy: Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or counseling can help students address issues such as low self-esteem, motivation, anxiety, or other mental health concerns impacting academic performance.
Skill-building Interventions: Teaching study skills, time management techniques, organizational strategies, and stress management techniques to improve academic performance.
Family and School Collaboration: Involving parents, teachers, and school counselors in developing supportive environments and implementing interventions to address academic challenges.
Educational Advocacy: Supporting students in advocating for their academic needs and accessing appropriate resources and support services within the school system.

By addressing academic underachievement early and implementing appropriate interventions, individuals can overcome challenges, build confidence, and achieve their academic potential. If you or someone you know is struggling with academic underachievement in Houston, The Resilience Center offers specialized counseling and therapy services to support academic success and well-being.

At The Resilience Center of Houston, we are open, affirming, and welcoming of all ethnicities, cultures, socio-economic statuses, genders, sexual identities, religions, and abilities. We work with people from all over greater Houston and accept reimbursement from 30+ insurance and EAP companies.

Call or email us today to get more information on our academic underachievement counseling in Houston or schedule an appointment with a compassionate professional you can trust.

What are the different types of anxiety disorders?

What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

Generalized anxiety disorder involves excessive and persistent worry that interferes with daily life. Relentless worry results in physical symptoms, like restlessness, feeling on edge, difficulty concentrating, muscle tension, exhaustion, and sleep problems. Topics of worry typically center on everyday matters, like appointments, home repairs, work responsibilities, and family health.

What is Panic Disorder?

Panic Disorder is characterized by recurrent Panic Attacks. Panic attacks present with severe and overwhelming psychological and physical distress, involving some of the below symptoms.

What are the physical symptoms of Panic Disorder?

Rapid heartbeat
Shortness of breath
Muscle tension
Sweating
Shaking
Restlessness
Dizziness
Tightness in the chest
Numbness or tingling

What are the psychological symptoms of Panic Disorder?

Feeling like you’re having a heart attack
Feeling like you’re going to die
Feeling impending doom
Feeling like you’re going crazy
Feeling like you’re losing touch with reality
Fearing you’ll lose control of yourself
Constant worry about when you’ll have your next panic attack
Fear you’ll embarrass yourself

What are Phobias?

A specific phobia involves intense and persistent fear of a particular object, situation or activity that is generally not dangerous. The experienced distress is acute and leads sufferers to go to extreme lengths to avoid what they fear.

What are common phobias?

Fear of driving
Fear of flying
Fear of vomiting
Fear of needles
Fear of confined spaces
Fear of being alone
Fear of leaving the house

What is Agoraphobia?

Agoraphobia is characterized by the fear of being trapped or stuck in circumstances in which escape may be difficult or embarrassing, or help might not be easily available. The fear is acutely distressing and interferes with normal daily activities. The person typically avoids the situation, needs a companion, or experiences extreme anxiety.

What are common situations agoraphobics fear?

Trembling
Crowds
Enclosed Spaces
Open Spaces
Public transportation
Leaving the home

What is Post-traumatic Stress Disorder ?

PTSD can develop after a severe physical or emotional trauma such as a sexual assault, natural disaster, or serious accident. Those with PTSD feel intensely upsetting thoughts and emotions connected to their traumatic experience that persist long after the situation happened.

What are PTSD symptoms?

The symptoms of PTSD can be categorized into four areas.

Intrusion – repeated, unwanted thoughts, nightmares, and flashbacks of the event

Avoidance – steering clear of people, places, activities, and objects that are associated with the event.

Changes in cognition and mood – loss of interest, distorted thinking, difficulties concentrating, loss of certain memories, negative emotions, hypervigilance, social withdrawal, and anhedonia.

Changes in behavior – social withdrawal, anger outbursts, recklessness, sensitive startle response, problems sleeping.

What is Social Anxiety Disorder?

Social Anxiety Disorder involves excessive discomfort in social situations and a fear of experiencing embarrassment, judgment, humiliation, condescension, or rejection in social situations that can negatively impact work, school, and other daily activities. People with this disorder will try to avoid social situations or endure them with great anxiety.

What are commonly feared situations for those with social anxiety?

Commonly feared situations include attending parties, interacting at work, eating in public, or engaging in unscripted interactions.

What are common Social Anxiety symptoms?

Trembling
Blushing
Sweating
Rapid heartbeat
Mind goes blank
Stomachache
Speaks very softly
Avoids eye contact

What is Separation Anxiety Disorder?

Separation Anxiety Disorder is is characterized by excessive fear of being away from those we are close to, who are also called attachment persons.

What are signs of Separation Anxiety Disorder?

Anticipation of potential separation causes mounting fear
Persistent worry about the negative consequences resulting from separation
Obsessive focus on the multitude of situations that could lead to separation
Interferes with attending important activities, like work or school
Fears of sleeping outside the home and away from attachment persons
Nightmares about separation
Headaches, nausea, or vomiting

What is Selective Mutism?

Selective Mutism is a rare and debilitating childhood condition that involves a failure to speak in certain situations in which there is a natural expectation to speak. A child may talk at home, for example, and be nonverbal at school. The absence of spoken communication can significantly interfere with the child’s academic achievement and can stunt their social development and the formation of relationships with others. It is theorized that Selective Mutism may be an early and specific manifestation of Social Anxiety Disorder.

What are behaviors associated with Selective Mutism?