Eileen Parent
So, you’re feeling overwhelmed. Maybe it’s a nagging sense of dissatisfaction, a persistent feeling of emptiness, or the full-blown weight of the world on your shoulders. You know you need help. Where do you start?
Let’s talk about the 800 pound gorilla in the room: Who should I talk to?
You’ve got your doctor suggesting someone, friends offering well-meaning but often not the best referrals, and the internet – a vast, overwhelming ocean of profiles promising miracles. We’re constantly bombarded with messages about the importance of mental health. But when it comes to actually getting help, we’re left to fend for ourselves in a confusing, often overpriced maze. It’s like society is saying, “Mental health is crucial, but good luck figuring it out on your own.” In this series we will be breaking down some of the current absurdities surrounding this topic and hopefully start opening up some real conversations on what we, as a collective community, need, deserve and expect in regards to mental healthcare.
- Your Unique Mental Health Journey – Emphasizing the importance of personalized care.
- Insurance: Your Therapy Roadblock – Uncovering how insurance affects access to mental healthcare.
- The Therapist Shortage: A Mental Health Crisis – Exploring the challenges of finding a therapist.
- Therapist: Miracle Worker or Helpful Guide? – Debunking myths and expectations about therapists.
- Social Media Therapists: More Likes Than Lives? Unmasking the truth behind online therapy and the rise of influencer therapists.
- Therapy, Inc.: When Profits Outweigh Patients – Examining the business side of mental health.
- Diversity in Therapy Matters – Understanding the importance of a diverse and inclusive therapy.
- Medication + Therapy: The Modern Script? Weighing the pros and cons of different treatment options other than the standard course of treatment currently being offered in western medicine.
- Building a Healthy Therapeutic Bond – The importance of the therapist-client relationship. What does that really look like? How can you achieve and maintain.
- Technology and Therapy: A Complex Relationship – Exploring the pros and cons of online therapy.
It’s crucial to remember that while therapists are an invaluable resource, they aren’t the sole solution to mental health challenges. Therapy can be an incredible starting point on your journey to well-being. Finding the right therapist is a deeply personal process that involves self-reflection, research, and sometimes, trial and error. The right therapist will simply be part of your journey.
Their task at hand is to assist you in finding your own solutions, not be the solution. – (My personal shift on that one). Hopefully this series will help guide you as you ride into the Wild Wild West of mental health care and wellness! xo Ei
