Finding a Therapist

As a Mental Health Therapist, it is part of my job to advocate and educate others on mental health services.

Let’s get into it… When to seek a therapist or other mental health services: clinically, I advise everyone to get into services when something begins to cause distress and interferes with their daily functioning. For example if coping with something takes an hour out of your day, that is significant distress. Coping is basically how to use behaviors or actions to help self-soothe yourself and regulate during difficult emotions and/or situations. Other examples of clinical distress are any drastic change in your eating, sleeping or daily habits. This could be under or over eating/sleeping, noticing you’re falling off on your hygiene or withdrawing socially. Another great indicator is mood disturbances. Do you feel constantly on edge? Are minor setbacks sending you spiraling? That’s not normal or healthy and should be addresses.

Common stressors and symptoms that bring folx into therapy:

grief

heartbreak

over eating

co-dependency

lack of sleep

“feeling stuck”

irrational fears

mood swings

persistent anxiety

significant life changes

being persistently unhappy

lack of positive coping skills

Does any of that sound familiar? Probably. If we’re speaking preventatively, therapy really is for EVERYBODY. Somehow having a doctor for your physical body is seen as mandatory but having one for your mental is seen as taboo. Let’s change that! A lot of people come to therapy to have an impartial party to listen to them. That sounds lovely right? Talking to someone without them forcing their opinion down your throat can be very liberating for people. At various points in your life, you will need mental and/or emotional support. You can try to avoid it, but studies show that emotional stress left untreated causes not only mental but also physical breakdowns of the body. The professional option to treat such is a therapist!

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So, how do you find a therapist? To start I would encourage everyone to be open to trying a new therapist until you find the right fit. Studies have shown that the biggest predictor of therapy success is having a good relationship with your therapist. Find someone you trust and can be open with! Perhaps I could be the right fit. If you’re ready to do the work, consider working with me. Here’s the link to book my services.

• If you have insurance, contact your company to find out the providers in your network and possible copays. Many are available by phone and/or have an online portal for you to search.

• If you are employed, ask your HR department about EAP benefits. EAP is an Employee Assistance Program that often includes a handful of free therapy sessions and most employers have the resources to approve a few more.

• If you are covered by Medicaid you can also search online for providers, which will likely be community based or nonprofit organizations. I typed in “medicaid mental health providers near me” and a handful popped up.

• If you are uninsured I would recommend looking into local nonprofits that offer free services. Yes I know these exists because these are the types of places that I work.

• Also look up if any local colleges or universities have a counseling practicum center for their grad students. As part of my grad program, we had to work part time in the counseling center and see clients. The service was free to the community because we were still in school and we were all under supervision.

• For my Michigan peeps, here’s a link to the Dept. of Health and Human Services for free and low costs services. I also have a list of local colleagues that I can share with you.

• Asking for referrals in another great way to find a counselor. Maybe you have a friend who has gotten therapy, ask around and you might be surprised. There are also great online resources to help search for a therapist. For example, PsychologyToday has a really good listing that you can filter and search to find a therapist. The American Psychologist Association has a psychologist locator tool that you can search.

• If you really like someone specific but cant quite afford them, inquire about a sliding scale, barter or pro-bono sessions. All therapist that I know offer some sort of payment system to be flexible with clients, it’s part of our ethics code.

• Last but not least, I am accepting clients! Want to know more about my services including 1:1 individual sessions, 2 month counseling intensives and guided meditation sessions? Check out my services and book your therapy session here. I help millennial POC decrease anxiety and successfully navigate life’s challenges. My specialties include LGBTQ, anxiety, depression and PTSD.

I know this is not all encompassing, but I hope this was a good place for you to start. If you have any specific questions, respond to this email to ask me! If you know someone that is struggling with their mental or emotional health, please encourage and support them to get services. If you have had positive experiences with therapy, share that with others! This past year has been especially difficult on us all. Check on your loved ones! Take care of yourself. Stay on top of your self care and prioritize your health. Friendly reminder that you cannot fill from an empty cup.