Hello fellow mental health warriors! How is everyone doing? I know many of us are under more stressed and anxious than ever. Today I want to talk about that and how much therapy and counseling can help. NAMI, which offers mental health services to the entire country, is stating that they are receiving more requests for mental health services than ever. It is ok not to be ok. What is not ok, is not reaching out for help. You must take care of your mind at this time in order to have the best chances at physical health. Let's talk about options.
During this unprecedented time, in person talk therapy and counseling has become more complicated than ever. This has brought on a revolution of sorts of telemedicine and virtual appointments. Oh, how I wish this was something more accessible before the pandemic. I've talked before about my experiences with agoraphobia and how hard it is to leave the house. I wish there were times when I could have had virtual therapy as this would have meant I could have safely had my appointments from home instead of canceling and not going at all. Many organizations are now realizing that yes, it is possible to get people help from their own home. If you find yourself thinking, "Gee, I'd love to talk to someone about how stressed I am but I guess I'll wait until the pandemic is over to seek help", now is the time to stop that way of thinking. Let's also note however, that getting out of the house to talk to someone was just as important in my recovery as the therapy itself. There is a time and place for everything. Right now is the time for telemedicine. (here is an article listing the top virtual therapy options in 2020)
The cost of healthcare in this country is deplorable at best. How is it possible that we live a life where we pay hundreds of dollars per paycheck to access health care that will still cause us to lose our homes if we are in fact are hospitalized and have to use said insurance. Instead getting mad, I channel that anger and energy into finding answers. Sometimes finding help is just a google search away:
- Here is a website that offers help in free or sliding scale mental health care services in Michigan.
- If you don't live in Michigan but are still in the United States, Psychology Today offers a great list of sliding scale or free services based on your location, along with providers you can access through your insurance.
- Good Therapy is also a great place to start.
- Open Path Collective is a nationwide network of mental health professionals who charge between $30-$80 per session. Unlike more extensive mental health directories, this website only includes sliding scale therapists in their searchable database.
- If you don’t have health insurance and you can’t pay out-of-pocket for mental healthcare, low-fee or free community mental health clinics can provide the care you need. To find a clinic in your area, contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine or go to MentalHealth.gov. Your primary care physician can also provide recommendations in your community.
Please believe me when I say, I know how exhausting it is to find affordable services. Believe me. I've spend countless hours making phone calls to hundreds of potential providers many of whom insulted me or were very unprofessional. I've stood in line for up to 8 hours to only realize that this particular service wasn't offered to me. I've waited hours in clinic waiting rooms with homeless and intoxicated people so that I could talk to someone who really didn't think my case wasn't significant only because I myself wasn't homeless or an addict. Sometimes I've even felt like I need therapy due to the fact that the process of finding the therapist was traumatic. Just because my life is idyllic and fairytale-esque now doesn't mean that I haven't really gone through it. In fact, I believe that because I've really gone through these horrible situations and come out the other side is why I've set myself up so comfortably now. It just takes a lot of really hard work and many uncomfortable steps to get here.
I recently did an over-haul to my website, lindsayloomis.com, and one of the things I added was a link to NAMI so that those seeking mental health care services who come upon my website can do more than just read my blog or shop my etsy store. I think it's more important than ever to help those who can't help themselves. That's why I think it's important to do the research for others as I have done for myself. I added many helpful links to this post today and it's so important that we pass this information on to others. Please do me a huge favor, and a favor to your loved ones and community and pass this blog on through your social media sites, email or text messages. Send this blog to all of your friends and family. Your truly never know how much it could help someone in need who is being silent in their struggles.
Thank you to everyone who reads and shares and clicks on the advertisements so that I can continue to help others through this wonderful blog community that we have created together! I'll see you back here tomorrow!
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