Who would study psychology unless they had some issues?!-Chapter 112 - 111: Academic Difficulties

"The last time I came, it was to ask the teacher about some study questions."

Nan Zhubin glanced at the previous consultant’s notes about Zhang Lu, whose conceptual conclusion was "academic anxiety."

"Study questions." Nan Zhubin repeated, indicating he was listening attentively.

"Yes." The visitor’s gaze briefly met Nan Zhubin’s.

She explained, "My grades aren’t very good. When I was admitted to the school, I barely made it past the cut-off line, and I was assigned to a major I didn’t choose."

"I... don’t really like my current major. I want to try to like it, but I just find it uninteresting. Maybe that’s why my studies aren’t going well."

The visitor tugged at the corner of her mouth and said softly, "Very bad."

"I want to try to study hard, but I just can’t get into it. As you know, the difference between university and high school studies is huge. We basically have to rely on self-study, but my self-study ability might not be strong, so my grades never improve. Last year, when others were playing, I was reading, but at the end of the semester, I was still at the bottom of the class..."

Nan Zhubin observed the visitor’s expression. As she spoke, she began to frequently purse her lips and frown.

[There were also several obvious throat-swallowing actions, showing strong discomfort while narrating this part.]

"I thought this semester I should also start studying hard. But then something happened, and I didn’t want to read. Sometimes I’d set a time to study, but later, even if it was just watching videos, playing mobile games, or doing anything else, I just didn’t want to touch the books."

[At this point, her emotions began to stabilize again.]

Nan Zhubin had a question and asked timely, "Do you usually enjoy watching videos and playing games?"

The visitor shook her head, "No, I feel like I’m just using them... purely to kill time."

She smiled sheepishly, "Maybe it’s just that I don’t want to study."

Nan Zhubin smiled back in response.

He then guided further, "And then?"

"Then, I started... sleeping."

Nan Zhubin repeated, "Sleeping?"

"Yes, sleeping all day. Every time I thought about studying, I felt very tired and wanted to sleep. When friends asked me to go out, I’d think about studying, but when I started studying, I felt tired again, so I’d go to sleep."

"After a long time like this, I thought it wasn’t okay anymore, so I came to the consultation room for help."

The visitor smiled at Nan Zhubin again.

Nan Zhubin put his index finger in front of his lips and smiled back.

He curiously asked, "If you sleep so much during the day, can you still sleep at night?"

"Yes." The visitor became embarrassed again, "That’s the strangest part. I feel like I can never get enough sleep..."

Internally, Nan Zhubin’s attitude gradually became serious.

[Such descriptions of life are not very promising...]

He continued to sort things out, "What advice did the previous teacher give you?"

The visitor said, "The teacher said my anxiety and depression were triggered by academic difficulties, affecting both life and work. But since it was triggered by academics, I should prioritize solving academic problems first."

Nan Zhubin blinked, resisting the urge to look towards the office area.

He continued guiding the topic, "Did he teach you any study methods?"

The visitor nodded, "Yes, the teacher taught me some review methods at the time. Umm, there were things like ’combining timely review and interval review,’ ’taking notes,’ and... umm, something about a forgetting curve..."

The visitor clearly couldn’t recall the specific consultation details well.

Nan Zhubin tentatively asked, "Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve?"

"Yes, that’s it..."

The visitor smiled again, and she smiled frequently.

[But she also smiled forcibly. It was a very deliberate, social kind of smile...]

[And apart from initially recounting the poor exam results, her emotions were stable throughout.]

"Did the teacher say anything else beyond that?"

The visitor thought for a moment, "Yes, the teacher also said that if grades really can’t improve, I shouldn’t worry too much. As long as university grades pass, it’s fine; to not pursue them too high."

"After that, nothing else, the consultation ended."

Nan Zhubin couldn’t help but grimace inwardly.

He now fully understood why the visitor wanted a second appointment and strongly requested a different consultant.

Time to clean up the mess.

...

Although consultants generally do not provide guidance or suggestions to visitors, there are exceptions.

—Moral guidance for minors, and addressing students’ real academic issues, are "exceptions."

The consultant in charge last time clearly attributed the visitor’s situation to "academic problems."

Logic dictates that students experiencing anxiety and depression from academic difficulties should focus on improving grades — it seems simple enough.

That logic works if the student visitor sought consultation last semester when encountering academic difficulties.

However, now it’s clear the problem is no longer just academic, or the academic problem has become secondary.

In this situation, the previous consultant underestimated the problem and provided incorrect advice, which left the visitor’s issue unaddressed and diminished her confidence in the consultation.

Fortunately, the situation wasn’t critical. The visitor’s awareness for help was strong, and she came for a second consultation; she was also lucky because consultants usually reject last-minute requests for a replacement, but he happened to be in the consultation room.

Now, the situation was in his hands.

[Apologies to the consultant center’s in-charge whose name I still can’t recall, but to quickly build the consultation relationship, I have to slightly critique you in your absence.] ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

Nan Zhubin said, "It sounds like during the last consultation, the teacher mainly focused on giving you study suggestions. However, he didn’t pay enough ’satisfactory’ attention to your emotional experiences."

The visitor’s downcast gaze immediately lifted.

[Finally, an emotional change.]

You could feel her eyes brighten.

The visitor’s lips involuntarily curled. It was a sense of being "rightly understood."

Soon, she realized it wasn’t very polite to show this, and tried to suppress it but failed.

After several attempts, it turned into an embarrassed, shy smile.

[At least this time, the smile was genuine.]

The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr𝒆e(w)𝒆bnovel