Practical, not abstract
You leave sessions with specific techniques to try, not just insights to think about.
Does any of this sound familiar?
Do you struggle with procrastination on assignments, getting to class, or just adjusting to college life?
Is making friends hard, or do social situations feel overwhelming at times?
These are all things we can work on together — so college becomes a successful and fulfilling experience instead of something you're white-knuckling through.
It makes sense that new issues are surfacing right now. College is one of the biggest transitions you'll ever go through — academically, socially, and emotionally. The skills that got you here aren't always the skills that carry you through it. The good news: those skills can be built. That's what therapy is for.
Signature Specialty
Perfectionism
Do you struggle with getting things done?
Are you hard on yourself when you make a mistake?
Do your thoughts about completing something to a degree of excellence keep you stuck from producing?
Do you chronically struggle with burnout?
You may be struggling with perfectionistic traits and suffering from anxiety and depression as a result. We can work together to address these underlying beliefs — so you feel less anxious, less overwhelmed, and can actually enjoy the work and material you're learning.
Perfectionism is one of the most common drivers of the issues students bring to therapy, and one of my deepest areas of clinical work. It often hides underneath procrastination, social anxiety, and burnout — so even if "perfectionism" isn't the word you'd use first, this may still be exactly the work that frees things up.
How I work
My approach is grounded in TEAM-CBT, an evidence-based therapy developed by Dr. David Burns at Stanford. It's practical, skills-focused, and built around the idea that therapy should give you tools you actually use — not just space to vent. We track your mood and progress session-to-session, so we always know what's working and what needs to shift.
Mood-tracked
We measure how you're feeling at the start and end of each session, so we can see what's actually helping.
Goal-driven
You decide what we work on. Therapy moves at your pace, in the direction you want.
Empathic and honest
No judgment, and no pretending things are simpler than they are. Real change starts with being understood.
What we work on
The most common reasons students reach out, and what we build together.
Procrastination & Getting Unstuck
- —Understand what's actually holding you back from going to class or finishing assignments on time
- —Shift your habits in small steps to make BIG changes
- —Build consistency — keep the momentum going and watch the seeds you've planted grow
Social Anxiety & Connection
- —Confront the fears that hold you back from talking to new people
- —Learn practical social skills — conversation skills and other ways to communicate more effectively
- —Learn tools to address and manage anxiety so it isn't stopping you from doing the things you want to do
- —Build more confidence in yourself and do the things you dream of
ADHD & Executive Function
- —Find systems that actually fit your brain — not the ones that worked for someone else
- —Reduce the shame loop that tends to follow missed deadlines and forgotten tasks
- —Build sustainable scaffolding for studying, sleep, and follow-through
Adjustment & Overwhelm
- —Make sense of the homesickness, identity shift, and "is everyone else okay but me?" feeling
- —Develop tools for managing pressure from coursework, family, and yourself
- —Find your footing in a way that's genuinely yours, not a performance
Therapy made for college life
The first three sessions are designed to make sure we're a fit and that you're set up to get real value.
Three part consultation
Before becoming an active client, we engage in a three part consultation process so we both know what you need and how I can help.
1. Free 15-minute call
A no-pressure conversation. You tell me what's going on, I tell you how I work, and we figure out together if this feels like the right fit.
2. Initial session
Our first full session. I'll learn more about your goals, what you're struggling with, and what's already worked or hasn't. We'll start identifying patterns.
3. Goal setting & treatment plan
Together we set the direction — what we'll work on, what tools we'll start with, and how we'll know when something is working. Therapy moves at your pace from here.
About
I'm Rose Markotic, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with extensive experience working with college students. Before launching this telehealth practice, I worked closely with students at UC Berkeley navigating exactly the kinds of issues this page describes — academic anxiety, perfectionism, procrastination, ADHD, social anxiety, identity questions, and the gap between who you were in high school and who you're becoming in college.
Perfectionism is a particular focus of my clinical work — both as a presenting concern and as the quiet driver behind so much of what students struggle with day to day. I'm a TEAM-CBT trained clinician and an active member of the global TEAM-CBT community. I'm licensed in California, Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island, and Vermont, and I see students across all five states by telehealth.
Logistics
Practical details, in plain language.
- Format
- 50-minute telehealth sessions on a secure platform. Most students meet weekly to start.
- Where
- Telehealth across California, Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island, and Vermont. You need to be physically located in one of these states at the time of session.
- Cost
- $220 per 50-minute session. Private-pay practice; superbills provided for out-of-network insurance reimbursement, which many students' parents' plans cover.
- Confidentiality
- What we discuss is between us. As an adult (18+), your sessions are not shared with your school or your parents — even if your parents are paying for the sessions.
- Getting started
- Book a free 15-minute consultation. No pressure. We'll figure out together if this is the right fit.
Therapy for students across five states
College students often live in one state and study in another. I'm licensed in all five — find your school's state below.
Get started with Better Thoughts today
A 15-minute video call with Rose. We'll talk about what's bringing you in and see if I'm the right fit. No pressure to book sessions afterward.
No credit card · 15 minutes · Talk directly with Rose