Welcome to 2023: The year to take care of your mental health.

Happy New Year! Hoping the first few weeks have been treating you well! Welcome to my first blog. I felt it was fitting to start with the how, when and why to take care of your mental health and #GOTOTHERAPY. Especially considering how the last few years have gone.

A lot of stigma and misinformation is still (unfortunately) out there about mental health and attending therapy, I think we all have social media and the internet to thank (although it does have draw backs) in helping break down those barriers. I believe, in a way… it has helped normalize therapy. At the very least, helped start the conversation about mental health on such a mass scale. We see a doctor when we have a physical ailment but still struggle to see a therapist when we have psychological challenges.

But… let’s get to the point, what is therapy? Therapy a.k.a. counseling, a.k.a. psychotherapy, talk therapy is what you imagine: Sitting on a couch across from one another talking about your life, like Tony in the Sopranos, or post covid.. on screen. I even have seen places now offer walk and talk sessions- which I think is kind of nice. Therapy is facilitated by a therapist or social worker who is a trained licensed professional (licensure types explained below) who will use a variety of modalities to support you and challenge you in working towards identified treatment goals. Therapy also helps you better manage symptoms and support your overall wellness.

When should I consider going?

There is definitely hesitation for some to attend therapy which truthfully… is understandable! Change is scary and not many people like to talk about their feelings. As a therapist myself, I don’t even like to talk about my feelings, but I know it's healthy and important to. Here are a few bullets as to when it may be a good time to consider it.

• Having difficulty with sleep, low energy, motivation, loss of interest in activities once enjoyed

• Increased worry, intrusive thoughts, difficulty with focus, experiencing panic attacks

• Increased irritability, having difficulty engaging with others and growing conflict

• Need someone who is unbiased to process life circumstances

• Noticing patters in life you would like to change or need support navigating life transitions

• Experiencing a decline in your ability to function

• Hopelessness, engaging in self harm or destructive behaviors, suicidal or homicidal ideation

• A desire to heal old wounds and process your past and grow as a person

• Relationship issues

• Feeling overwhelmed with life

As I mentioned, these are just a few reasons you should consider therapy. But there is no WRONG reason to #gototherapy.

What to talk about? How do I start off these conversations?

It’s a space to talk about literally anything… your deepest secrets, your struggles, traumas, relationships, future life goals and even the positives occurring in life. Yes, therapy is a place to talk about the good stuff too. Life can get hard sometimes, but that doesn’t mean we have to navigate it alone.

Therapy is a place to increase our awareness, work towards change and grow!

The first therapy session is more of an intake process. The therapist's goal is to gather as much information as possible (the basics) to get an idea as to what’s bringing you to therapy. Never feel like you have to divulge everything in one session, you're allowed to take your time! One of the most important things I can say in this blog is this.. trust and safety within the relationship is KEY! You're allowed to sus out this person, get a feel for them and see if you connect and like them. Remember, this is a relationship too, it's one sided but if your not comfortable and not able to be open completely, then you're not going to get the most out of it. Or even worse, feel like you're wasting money. And I promise, if you choose to not go back or communicate you don’t feel it’s a good fit they will not be offended (at least they shouldn’t) and hopefully they are able to provide you some referrals.

But once you’re a few sessions in and comfortable it’s pretty smooth sailing… and I say, or write that with hesitation.. not every session will feel good; especially if you're uncovering topics that your spent years trying to burry or avoid. Sometimes you will walk away feeling refreshed and others defeated. But TRUST THE PROCESS.

Do I have to go forever? How long will this last?

The answer no one likes.. it depends. It's always a case by case basis and based off need. We have seasons in life and some may require some extra support while others may not, so it's ok to go, stop and come back to therapy whenever. Within the first few sessions, you should be identifying goals. Your therapist should be keeping track of where you're at with those, if progress is being made etc. and always be evaluating. Once progress is made and you're feeling things have improved upon X, you can stop or reevaluate goals to continue. I know this sounds like “are we checking the boxes” and maybe a little cold, but I promise it’s a pretty fluid.

However just going to therapy, which is typically once a week, is NOT going to be the magic key to fixing or solving whatever is bringing us there. That’s only 1 hour out of 168 hours in a week. It takes work. You have to be applying and practicing whatever they are encouraging you to do or skills to try.

My mantra is awareness, change, growth. Meaning… it may take some time to uncover barriers, have some “ah ha” moments and recognize our own behaviors or thought perceptions that may be negatively impacting us. Once we have better awareness, well.. now we have the opportunity to change and challenge ourselves which will ideally lead to growth.

How do I find a therapist and what are all those letters?

A simple way to start is a quick Google search; search “mental health therapists near me” and see what pops up in your area or use a search engine tool like Www.psychologytoday.com. But… do your homework . I always tell people, take your time finding a therapist that you think is going to be a right fit, as I mentioned earlier: this is important. Read their bios, explore their specialties etc. You can also reach out to your insurance provider and see if they can provide you with a list of providers covered in your network.

For some quick knowledge on licensure and types of therapists, here is a little break down of what the acronyms stand for…

• LCPC- Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor- This person holds a masters degree in clinical mental health counseling, and is 2+ years post grad, completed required supervision hours and is independently licensed

• LPC- Licensed Professional Counselor- This person holds a masters degree in clinical mental health counseling and “typically” within their first few years post grad and still under supervision due to not holding an independent license.

• LCSW- Licensed Clinical Social Worker- Holds a masters degree is social work and holds an independent license

• LSW- Licensed Social worker- Holds a masters degree, typically a newer graduate under supervision and not independent

• MFT- Marriage and Family Therapist

• LMFT- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Even within the field there are special certifications such as CAADC (certified alcohol and drug counselor) so please research any specifications you may be searching for and know some license types very by state.

But therapy is expensive..

The truth is…it can be, however, there are options, so don’t let this be a deterrent or an excuse. If you have health insurance, find out if your plan covers mental health, most do. You will want to be aware of what your deductible is as well as co pay and/or co-insurance (the % they cover once your deductible is met.. some are 100% which would mean you pay nothing once you meet your deductible, and some are 80% 50% 20% etc.)

If your insurance does not cover mental health, talk with a provider near you and see if they’re able to do sliding scale which is typically income based. A lot of places are willing to meet you where you’re at and within a budget that’s fair.

Other options available outside of those in private practice are community mental health centers, group therapy options and if you live close to Colleges/ Universities you can see if they have a counseling center where you can work with those in training and under supervision.

All in All.. taking that step to start therapy is huge but it doesn’t have to be scary! So please applaud yourself for even thinking about it, that’s step 1.