A Quick Beginners Guide To Seeking Mental Health Services

What You Need To Know

SO, you are wanting to start therapy but unsure where to start, or what the first steps may be or what you are even looking for. When I have spoken with friends and family this is one of their first concerns or apprehension about seeking mental health services. Seeking help or even asking for help is at times scary or overwhelming to even think about. It taps into a vulnerable area of ourselves.

Much like seeking a specialist for a medical concern you can start to feel flooded with thoughts such as what do I need, what should I be looking for , what kinds of questions should I ask, how much is this going to cost, does insurance pay for this, am I doing the right thing. Woof, just writing about it I can only imagine how quickly that can escalate. Well, calm your souls I am here to give you a few tips when searching for Mental health services.

FIRST- what is the challenge that you are personally facing. Understand this well about yourself. Am I angry, depressed , anxious , are there relationship/intimacy problems or family problems, substance issues, trauma. These are just some of the more common problems I see and not to dismiss that I am only speaking of you , not other members. What if you were a parent looking for services for your child, that is another blog for another time. Stay tune.

Knowing the problem can help narrow your search as you can now zone into a therapist in your area that works specifically with your concern. Oh , and did I mention that there are a few type of therapist. Such as sex therapist, Marriage and Family therapist and Mental health counselors. Each of these professions mutually do almost all the same things. Except, in the state of Florida you must be certified to call your self a “sex therapist.” Again, do your research and ask questions. Next, do you have a preference in gender. Some feel more comfortable with their own gender, race , or even same religious practices. That’s even a specialty.(a specific religious approach) I am jumping ahead and that is a whole other topic.

Are you wanting virtual or in person? Since covid, a shift in how we see providers has been modified by more virtual visits . for some, this is convenient as they can proceed with care in the comfort of their own safe environment, not to mention this adds extra flexibility for the provider as well. for others, this could be challenging , especially when living with family or roommating and not necessarily having the privacy that is require. Which ever works for you, make sure this is something you inquire about.

Now you may not understand this yet but, modality approaches are just as important. Will it be talk therapy, evidence based therapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) , or a non -talk therapeutic approach such as EMDR- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. This is an area you can either research or even ask your new therapist if this is something you may benefit from pending on the concern. I find that most therapist disclose their approaches on their website , definitely a good head start for you.

let’s talk cost. This too can usually be discovered on their website. Do they take insurance or is it self -pay or maybe a combination. One thing that I do is display my cost on my website and also give a free 15 minute consultation.

Let me tell you a small secret of having a free consultation . if they offer it , take it. Think about this for a minute , okay, a minute might be to long but, seriously how many providers have you seen that have taken time out to explain the process and given you an opportunity to ask questions and to see if they can truly help you or even more important if you are a fit with them all for free. This is priceless. Do you know how much time it saves you , not to mention cost !?. I don’t know about you but, I wish we can get this kind of service when we need to see a new primary doctor or a specialist and not waste critical time , all to find out they were not the best fit or they could not help you. So please, if there is a take a way from anything I have said, this will be the one thing to grasp. If you find a provider and you do not see a free consultation, ask , ask ask. Simply email them. It only takes a few minutes and saves you a lot more time.

After reading this , I hope this will ease your mind and that it provides you with some guidance in at least starting the process. Once you have some direction the rest is up to you.

Until Then..

Be well in heart and mind

Christina-