Author Topic: Best ways to get mental health help, with or without insurance  (Read 3001 times)

Kazyan

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MMM's suggestions on living a good life are top-notch, but I've had much trouble making some necessary changes despite there being no major obstacles to doing so. After lots of deliberation and much fruitless effort, I figure that searching out mental health aids could put me back in the driver's seat of my own decision-making--but where to begin? My health insurance (USA) doesn't cover mental health. Thus, I'm hesitant to seek out a therapist for expensive counseling sessions--particularly because I've had therapists in the past and they haven't really helped, as far as I can tell. So: what have Mustachians typically done when seeking out mental health aid? Diet/exercise/social life is usually a silver bullet, and I've tried that, but it's awkwardly become a chicken-and-egg sort of situation. The amount of effort I can put in with poor mental health doesn't seem to be enough to make the good health habits stick. Or something like that.

SunnyDays

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Re: Best ways to get mental health help, with or without insurance
« Reply #1 on: April 30, 2019, 09:02:21 PM »
If you could be more specific about the mental health issues you're talking about, it would be easier to make suggestions.

frugaldrummer

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Re: Best ways to get mental health help, with or without insurance
« Reply #2 on: April 30, 2019, 09:11:00 PM »
One of the great things the ACA did was require mental health coverage. I'm sorry your health plan is not ACA-compliant.

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of mental health problem are you dealing with?

If it has to do with family of origin issues or addiction, my friend often refers to her involvement in 12-step groups as "free therapy".

If it's something amenable to drug treatment, such as OCD or depression, your primary care doctor may be able to prescribe for you and code it with medical codes such as insomnia or IBS.

If talk therapy is really right for you, some practitioners offer a sliding scale fee structure.


seemsright

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Re: Best ways to get mental health help, with or without insurance
« Reply #3 on: April 30, 2019, 09:13:18 PM »
I spent years trying to figure out my mental health. I fell into a deep dark hole during and after I got my Black Belt (the training was intense and almost a full year) It took me 15 months to feel recovered from the over training.

I have tried many different therapist and was never able to get them to help me figure out my issues. I always seemed to boggle their minds.

I then decided that I needed accountability in getting to goals...it did not matter what the goal was I was missing accountability to my goals. So I found a old school personal trainer 6 months ago I go see her once a week and I have never been more happy in my life. I am able to train, my fitness is increasing. I flat out feel better. My relationships are improving I am able to parent my kid with much more love and patience than ever before. 

Look around for the right thing for you. That might be a therapist or a pair of running shoes. good luck

frugaldrummer

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Re: Best ways to get mental health help, with or without insurance
« Reply #4 on: April 30, 2019, 09:13:55 PM »
Also depression and bipolar support alliance have free meetings in some cities.

mozar

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Re: Best ways to get mental health help, with or without insurance
« Reply #5 on: April 30, 2019, 11:39:27 PM »
I've tried a few therapists as well and with the training they get they don't have the skill to treat people who are "functional " imo. If you're not in a crisis they don't know what to do (I have my opinions as to why but you didn't ask that.)

I started with the book codependent no more which an ex gave me. I sat on it for a few years before I read it. Other books that have helped are feeling good, the new mood therapy and the body keeps score.
I also changed my diet completely.  I had felt foggy for most of my life and it turned out that I'm gluten sensitive. 
I have learned to sleep from scratch. Starting in high school and all the way through my twenties I averaged 30 minutes of sleep a night. Now I can do at least 6 hours every night.

I had considered medication but I was scared of that because I had heard it made you suicidal. Once I was in a good enough place i was able to research that. I also had terrible insurance through work and i just couldn't find a psychiatrist that i could make an appointment with. When i was fired last year I was able to get ACA and a better provider with more doctor access.
What finally got me to make an appointment with a psychiatrist was reading a book about ADHD. I had all the symptoms and I was able to say what my exact symptoms were and work together to pick a medication that addressed those symptoms.  He also officially diagnosed me with clinical depression. And honestly just having an actual diagnosis made me feel better. After about 6 months of taking it I don't feel better or happier but I do feel like I can think clearly about my problems and come up with solutions on my own and that's been a really big deal.

So a number of things could be wrong with you so remember you are your own best advocate so don't give up. Go with your gut feeling that something is wrong with you , whatever it is you can fix it but you have to figure out what the problem is before you can find the solution. You can do it. I believe in you.

E.T.

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Re: Best ways to get mental health help, with or without insurance
« Reply #6 on: May 01, 2019, 05:01:02 AM »
I think it's important to get professional care but if you're just looking for some free/easy daily care type options, I like the Pacifica app. There's also Happify too but I didn't like that one as much. I use the Pacifica app to track my mood, practice guided meditation, and journal. It's nothing fancy but it has helped me chill out in moments of high stress because I can tune into a guided meditation whenever I need to.

Metalcat

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Re: Best ways to get mental health help, with or without insurance
« Reply #7 on: May 01, 2019, 05:43:11 AM »
I've tried a few therapists as well and with the training they get they don't have the skill to treat people who are "functional " imo. If you're not in a crisis they don't know what to do (I have my opinions as to why but you didn't ask that.)

You cannot generalize about the training that "therapists" get.

It depends what kind of "therapist" you go to.
You really can't generalize about "therapists" because that covers a massive range of educational backgrounds because "therapist" literally doesn't mean anything in terms of credentials.

I personally only go to "therapists" with a PhD in Clinical Psychology and I've never ever felt that they weren't exquisitely well trained and qualified to help. They have ~6 years of rigorous training. It's quite an impressive education.
[ETA: that's 6 years of doctoral level training, not total education. That's usually ~a decade.]

MD Psychiatry, Clinical Psychology PhD, Masters of Clinical Psychology, Masters of Education- Psychology, Person who decides to call themselves a "therapist" for some reason, etc, these are all considered "therapists" when people talk about their various experiences with therapy. You can't paint with a broad brush because there's so much variation in training/qualification.

Psychiatrist, Psychologist, and Counselor are all titles that actually mean something, but they mean very very different things. It's important to research the education level and type of the person whose help you seek out.

It's the same way there's a difference between an Optometrist and an Opthalmologist. Different needs, different medical professional.

Someone "functional" may not be suited to Psychiatry, and may benefit more from a psychologist or a counselor depending on their needs.

If they are fully functional and looking to optimize their life through better decision making, they may actually be best served by a coach, or maybe a combo of counselling and coaching.

As for me, I paid $225/hr out of pocket for twice monthly counseling with a psychologist when I was dealing with professional burnout and it was worth every penny.
« Last Edit: May 01, 2019, 01:13:45 PM by Malkynn »

Zamboni

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Re: Best ways to get mental health help, with or without insurance
« Reply #8 on: May 01, 2019, 06:07:51 AM »
Hi OP, you have my sympathy. What you are going through is understandable, and I'm sorry to read about it.

I'm having my own mental health struggles right now. Rather than a financial obstacle, I face more of an interpersonal obstacle. I had a therapist who I saw maybe 8 times when I was getting divorced, and then I saw her again a couple of times a few years later when something came up. For whatever reason, those sessions with her really helped me. Her manner just made me really at ease, her comments at the end of each session always seemed right on point, and she had a lot of context information for my life including some meetings she had in the second round with my other half. Because she had the context, I didn't feel the need to rehash and give a lot of backstory, which helped tremendously.

Then she retired. And now I feel lost. I've tried seeing two different therapists, one I saw maybe 4-5 times before I gave up and the other only once. Both made me feel very judged. The second one gave me a vibe that combined judging with boredom and disinterest. I knew right away I couldn't go back to that person. Having made some bad decisions, I'm sensitive about being judged I guess and I've always been extremely sensitive to body language. After that session, my feelings were remarkably worse, not better.

So now I'm in a fix again where it would help to talk to someone, but I hesitate.

Again, you have my sympathy. Hopefully someone here can help you. This board sometimes does help me feel better.

remizidae

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Re: Best ways to get mental health help, with or without insurance
« Reply #9 on: May 01, 2019, 09:03:28 AM »
I would try one session with a counselor. Just one! Yes, it'll be expensive ($100-300), but you can afford a one-time expense, just to see what it's like. Sometimes, doing something the first time can seem disproportionately difficult. You might find it's 100% worth it, or you might find it's not, and then you don't have to go back and you haven't lost much.

Also:

https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/06/16/things-that-sometimes-help-if-youre-depressed/
https://slatestarcodex.com/2015/07/13/things-that-sometimes-work-if-you-have-anxiety/

walkwalkwalk

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Re: Best ways to get mental health help, with or without insurance
« Reply #10 on: May 01, 2019, 09:23:12 AM »
You may have mental health coverage through a different provider, not your main health insurance. That is how mine is set up.

Kazyan

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Re: Best ways to get mental health help, with or without insurance
« Reply #11 on: May 01, 2019, 12:38:59 PM »
Now that it's a good time of day to respond to the forum--and thanks in advance--here goes:

If you could be more specific about the mental health issues you're talking about, it would be easier to make suggestions.

Not to turn this into a Kazyan's Problems thread, but the major theme recently is a feeling of non-agenticity. It's not that the world around me is constraining my decisions or anything, becuase it's not and I'm wonderfully privileged. Rather, desiring a course of action in my head seems to only occasionally result in me actually taking that action. I'm fairly sure that overexposure to the internet is causing problems too; mainly too much anger and feeling chronically overwhelmed, which I attribute to "news" stories and the fast pace of internet activity. There are other issues and anxieties, but they're less important. I'd like for this thread to help others find what they need, too, not just myself--mental health is very important, even in this demographic that leans more towards well-being than the general populace.

One of the great things the ACA did was require mental health coverage. I'm sorry your health plan is not ACA-compliant.

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of mental health problem are you dealing with?

If it has to do with family of origin issues or addiction, my friend often refers to her involvement in 12-step groups as "free therapy".

If it's something amenable to drug treatment, such as OCD or depression, your primary care doctor may be able to prescribe for you and code it with medical codes such as insomnia or IBS.

If talk therapy is really right for you, some practitioners offer a sliding scale fee structure.

The plan was my choice, so if it really comes down to it, I'll go back to the ACA marketplace and pony up for mental health coverage. Thanks for the itemized suggestions there--no family issues, but my internet habits could be treated with addiction-specific steps. Drug treatment...probably, since a prescribed stimulant worked a few years ago, but that's a bit of a story. Some of it is in the response to mozar below. So that's something to look into again.

I spent years trying to figure out my mental health. I fell into a deep dark hole during and after I got my Black Belt (the training was intense and almost a full year) It took me 15 months to feel recovered from the over training.

I have tried many different therapist and was never able to get them to help me figure out my issues. I always seemed to boggle their minds.

I then decided that I needed accountability in getting to goals...it did not matter what the goal was I was missing accountability to my goals. So I found a old school personal trainer 6 months ago I go see her once a week and I have never been more happy in my life. I am able to train, my fitness is increasing. I flat out feel better. My relationships are improving I am able to parent my kid with much more love and patience than ever before. 

Look around for the right thing for you. That might be a therapist or a pair of running shoes. good luck

Congratulations on finding a path to happiness! May your life keep growing. Come to think of it, external accountability has been lacking in personal goal-setting on my end...that's another aspect to look into.

Also depression and bipolar support alliance have free meetings in some cities.

Noted!

I've tried a few therapists as well and with the training they get they don't have the skill to treat people who are "functional " imo. If you're not in a crisis they don't know what to do (I have my opinions as to why but you didn't ask that.)

I started with the book codependent no more which an ex gave me. I sat on it for a few years before I read it. Other books that have helped are feeling good, the new mood therapy and the body keeps score.
I also changed my diet completely.  I had felt foggy for most of my life and it turned out that I'm gluten sensitive. 
I have learned to sleep from scratch. Starting in high school and all the way through my twenties I averaged 30 minutes of sleep a night. Now I can do at least 6 hours every night.

I had considered medication but I was scared of that because I had heard it made you suicidal. Once I was in a good enough place i was able to research that. I also had terrible insurance through work and i just couldn't find a psychiatrist that i could make an appointment with. When i was fired last year I was able to get ACA and a better provider with more doctor access.
What finally got me to make an appointment with a psychiatrist was reading a book about ADHD. I had all the symptoms and I was able to say what my exact symptoms were and work together to pick a medication that addressed those symptoms.  He also officially diagnosed me with clinical depression. And honestly just having an actual diagnosis made me feel better. After about 6 months of taking it I don't feel better or happier but I do feel like I can think clearly about my problems and come up with solutions on my own and that's been a really big deal.

So a number of things could be wrong with you so remember you are your own best advocate so don't give up. Go with your gut feeling that something is wrong with you , whatever it is you can fix it but you have to figure out what the problem is before you can find the solution. You can do it. I believe in you.


There's a lot in your post that resonates--thank you for typing all that up. Fogginess has really only set in circa three years ago for me, but diet wouldn't be my first guess. The moment of 'oh, these symptoms are me' when reading about ADD is familiar--I do have a diagnosis, sort of, but a second clinic several years on disagreed with it based on an assessment of their own. I was prescribed a stimulant while I had the first clinic's diagnosis, and it worked for the time. The second clinic really didn't want to put me back on the functional medication--everyone wants to try Wellbutrin. Your vote of confidence is much appreciated.

Aside from those, the phrase "The Body Keeps Score" is causing some fear, so...seemsright's reminder about accountability may be more important than it seemed.

I think it's important to get professional care but if you're just looking for some free/easy daily care type options, I like the Pacifica app. There's also Happify too but I didn't like that one as much. I use the Pacifica app to track my mood, practice guided meditation, and journal. It's nothing fancy but it has helped me chill out in moments of high stress because I can tune into a guided meditation whenever I need to.

Every good-faith suggestion is appreciated, including this one, but I doubt they will help. An app just tells you what to do, and my non-agenticity thing isn't in knowing what actions to take, it's in the Step 2 of actually taking them.

You cannot generalize about the training that "therapists" get.

It depends what kind of "therapist" you go to.
You really can't generalize about "therapists" because that covers a massive range of educational backgrounds because "therapist" literally doesn't mean anything in terms of credentials.

I personally only go to "therapists" with a PhD in Clinical Psychology and I've never ever felt that they weren't exquisitely well trained and qualified to help. They have ~6 years of rigorous training. It's quite an impressive education.

MD Psychiatry, Clinical Psychology PhD, Masters of Clinical Psychology, Masters of Education- Psychology, Person who decides to call themselves a "therapist" for some reason, etc, these are all considered "therapists" when people talk about their various experiences with therapy. You can't paint with a broad brush because there's so much variation in training/qualification.

Psychiatrist, Psychologist, and Counselor are all titles that actually mean something, but they mean very very different things. It's important to research the education level and type of the person whose help you seek out.

It's the same way there's a difference between an Optometrist and an Opthalmologist. Different needs, different medical professional.

Someone "functional" may not be suited to Psychiatry, and may benefit more from a psychologist or a counselor depending on their needs.

If they are fully functional and looking to optimize their life through better decision making, they may actually be best served by a coach, or maybe a combo of counselling and coaching.

As for me, I paid $225/hr out of pocket for twice monthly counseling with a psychologist when I was dealing with professional burnout and it was worth every penny.

Good post--I didn't understand that "therapist" was a colloquial term before now. It will be helpful if seeking a professional to know the differences between the roles of a psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor and couch.

Hi OP, you have my sympathy. What you are going through is understandable, and I'm sorry to read about it.

I'm having my own mental health struggles right now. Rather than a financial obstacle, I face more of an interpersonal obstacle. I had a therapist who I saw maybe 8 times when I was getting divorced, and then I saw her again a couple of times a few years later when something came up. For whatever reason, those sessions with her really helped me. Her manner just made me really at ease, her comments at the end of each session always seemed right on point, and she had a lot of context information for my life including some meetings she had in the second round with my other half. Because she had the context, I didn't feel the need to rehash and give a lot of backstory, which helped tremendously.

Then she retired. And now I feel lost. I've tried seeing two different therapists, one I saw maybe 4-5 times before I gave up and the other only once. Both made me feel very judged. The second one gave me a vibe that combined judging with boredom and disinterest. I knew right away I couldn't go back to that person. Having made some bad decisions, I'm sensitive about being judged I guess and I've always been extremely sensitive to body language. After that session, my feelings were remarkably worse, not better.

So now I'm in a fix again where it would help to talk to someone, but I hesitate.

Again, you have my sympathy. Hopefully someone here can help you. This board sometimes does help me feel better.

I hope you do find someone to talk to; it sounds like you need it. This board is full of great people, but since the internet can only do so much, I wish you luck.

I would try one session with a counselor. Just one! Yes, it'll be expensive ($100-300), but you can afford a one-time expense, just to see what it's like. Sometimes, doing something the first time can seem disproportionately difficult. You might find it's 100% worth it, or you might find it's not, and then you don't have to go back and you haven't lost much.

Also:

https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/06/16/things-that-sometimes-help-if-youre-depressed/
https://slatestarcodex.com/2015/07/13/things-that-sometimes-work-if-you-have-anxiety/

A one-time expense to try a new counselor sounds viable. Also, I had no idea that Slate Star Codex had such articles; I'm inclined to save them, since he author of SSC is one of the few rationalist-type people I can actually stand these days. Cool! It's pretty amusing that after a serious depression-fixing algorithm post, the top comment is a fish recipe and for some reason that seems extra-appropriate instead of uncalled for.

You may have mental health coverage through a different provider, not your main health insurance. That is how mine is set up.

I signed up for this health insurance relatively recently, so I still recall some of the broad-strokes, and they made it clear that it doesn't cover mental health. Oh well.

Archipelago

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Re: Best ways to get mental health help, with or without insurance
« Reply #12 on: May 01, 2019, 01:32:40 PM »
Quote
Not to turn this into a Kazyan's Problems thread, but the major theme recently is a feeling of non-agenticity. It's not that the world around me is constraining my decisions or anything, because it's not and I'm wonderfully privileged. Rather, desiring a course of action in my head seems to only occasionally result in me actually taking that action. I'm fairly sure that overexposure to the internet is causing problems too; mainly too much anger and feeling chronically overwhelmed, which I attribute to "news" stories and the fast pace of internet activity. There are other issues and anxieties, but they're less important. I'd like for this thread to help others find what they need, too, not just myself--mental health is very important, even in this demographic that leans more towards well-being than the general populace.
I have a few thoughts that could help, but I'm not a therapist. They could be useful in the interim, however.

I'll attempt to break this down.
Quote
I'm fairly sure that overexposure to the internet is causing problems too; mainly too much anger and feeling chronically overwhelmed, which I attribute to "news" stories and the fast pace of internet activity. There are other issues and anxieties, but they're less important.
You have a hypothetical list of problems you've wrote out. I'd suggest writing down a comprehensive list of everything you feel is a problem. It can be anything, and only you will be able to classify what is a problem and what is not. You've said you're experiencing feelings of anger and being overwhelmed from the internet and news. What's the problem? What exactly is it on the internet and news that makes you feel this way? Be specific as you can. I.e. "I feel overwhelmed when I read any article about global climate change. It makes me feel without hope." Write these down on a list for every single thing that makes you feel the negative emotion.

Quote
feeling chronically overwhelmed
Another example - what could you speculate makes you feel chronically overwhelmed vs. overwhelmed in a single day?

Quote
There are other issues and anxieties, but they're less important.
They may seem less important to you, but there's still utility in writing them down. When you list all of your hypothetical problems, you're able to rank order (sometimes even automatically) which is a significant problem and which is not. This is very important in organizing your thoughts.

Quote
Rather, desiring a course of action in my head seems to only occasionally result in me actually taking that action.
Could it be that your expectations of taking action are misaligned with what you're capable of doing? In that case, it could be helpful to re-negotiate your goals and start with smaller steps. This is where a therapist would come into play. It's a therapist's job to guide you to coming up with solutions to address each problem on your list. A therapist does not have answers; he/she is a guide, if you will, to organizing your thoughts and challenging you to come up with solutions. If an implemented solution does not work one week, in therapy you will check in to see what worked, what didn't, and how the solution can be adjusted to better help.

I would never expect you to answer these questions on the internet but it could just be helpful to think about.

Quote
Good post--I didn't understand that "therapist" was a colloquial term before now. It will be helpful if seeking a professional to know the differences between the roles of a psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor and coach.
A psychiatrist is someone who is able to prescribe, but it's not the only thing they're capable of. There are plenty of psychiatrists that prefer to talk to the client and only prescribe as a last resort.

Psychologists are probably more referred to as a Doctor of Psychology. They have extensive training in clinical psychology. These differ than a Ph.D, which is often research based. PsyD is clinical based. PsyD in some states are able to prescribe.

Counselors could refer to LMFT, M.A. in Psychology and LCSW (social workers). These professionals receive training at the graduate level., 2-4 years depending on the profession.

Life coaches are people that receive a certification of some sort, but I don't believe they receive accredited formal training in psychology. I recommend avoiding these. Psychology is a well studied field where training and education definitely matter.

I'm not sure if you've seen therapists in the past, but if you have, it could be helpful to go back and reflect what was or was not helpful about the therapists you saw. This could narrow down the type of professional you'd want to see next, and the types of therapy you'd implement.




Lastly, I'm sorry that you're experiencing an overwhelming amount of negative emotion. I can relate, having gone through something similar myself. A big part is that you've recognized it's enough of a problem that has motivated you to take action. That's certainly commendable.
« Last Edit: May 01, 2019, 01:36:48 PM by Archipelago »

Metalcat

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Re: Best ways to get mental health help, with or without insurance
« Reply #13 on: May 01, 2019, 01:49:39 PM »

Quote
Good post--I didn't understand that "therapist" was a colloquial term before now. It will be helpful if seeking a professional to know the differences between the roles of a psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor and coach.
A psychiatrist is someone who is able to prescribe, but it's not the only thing they're capable of. There are plenty of psychiatrists that prefer to talk to the client and only prescribe as a last resort.

Psychologists are probably more referred to as a Doctor of Psychology. They have extensive training in clinical psychology. These differ than a Ph.D, which is often research based. PsyD is clinical based. PsyD in some states are able to prescribe.

Counselors could refer to LMFT, M.A. in Psychology and LCSW (social workers). These professionals receive training at the graduate level., 2-4 years depending on the profession.

Life coaches are people that receive a certification of some sort, but I don't believe they receive accredited formal training in psychology. I recommend avoiding these. Psychology is a well studied field where training and education definitely matter.

As someone who knows a number of psychologists who actually recommend that their patients also see a reputable coach, I have to disagree.

There are a lot of great coaches out there and a lot of excellent and intensive coaching education programs.
However, they are absolutely not a governed body and are not at all counselors and should not be sought out to help with mental health problems.

And yeah, there are a lot of bullshit crap coaches. It's a buyer beware kind of industry for sure, like most.

However, I think it's extreme to caution against coaches in general. The Canadian government has an entire coaching department as well as a lot of smaller coaching services throughout other departments.

Coaches are a fantastic option if someone is looking for help with decision making, establishing goals and figuring out what steps to take to reach them.

I'm not saying OP needs a coach. I have no idea what OP needs and I only mentioned coaches as part of a range of professionals and how their services vary depending on their education.

The whole point of my post was that people need to identify their needs and research which professional, or combo of professionals would best serve their particular needs.

So many people say things like "oh, I tried therapy a few times and it just doesn't work", which discourages a lot of other people from seeking the *appropriate* therapy for their actual needs.

mozar

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Re: Best ways to get mental health help, with or without insurance
« Reply #14 on: May 01, 2019, 01:57:42 PM »
I too used to spend a lot of time angry about things on the internet. For me the anger was a symptom, not a cause. I needed to address the cause first and then the anger started dissipating.
I saw all kinds of people with all kinds of letters after their names and titles ending with "ist." I just want you to know OP that they are not alone with your difficulties in finding help from medical professionals.
But I see your point Malynn. There are lots of different therapies that work for different people. You're coming from the concern that the OP may be discouraged from trying more therapy. I'm not saying therapy can't work. I'm saying that there are those of us for whom therapy doesn't work and that OK too.
Also you (the Op) started this thread so ofcourse it should be the Kazyans problems thread. Other people can start their own thread.

Archipelago

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Re: Best ways to get mental health help, with or without insurance
« Reply #15 on: May 01, 2019, 02:06:06 PM »
Quote
As someone who knows a number of psychologists who actually recommend that their patients also see a reputable coach, I have to disagree.
I wouldn't actually disagree with you on this point, because a psychologist in tandem with a life coach can be very helpful for sure. My recommendation was based on the implication that the OP is looking for a mental health professional from scratch. In that regard, I'd recommend against solely looking for a coach.

Thank you for the clarification, I don't think we're actually in disagreement here.

FireAnt

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Re: Best ways to get mental health help, with or without insurance
« Reply #16 on: May 01, 2019, 04:28:48 PM »
Trying not to repeat what others have said.

Does your employer have EAP (Employee Assistance Program)? It is not part of your insurance coverage but a work benefit. Many companies offer this. Some places offer just 1-2 free sessions, some offer 10 or more free sessions. I had not know about my previous employer, until I needed it. If you're open to trying therapy again, this may be a nice way to try it out without spending money initially. Research shows that therapy has been most successful to a person when they have a positive and trusting relationship with their therapist. Not so much the technique and background of study. I know that sounds weird, but it is true in my 10 years of experience as a therapist (although I work with children specifically). I wonder if you just haven't found one that you "clicked" with.

If media is something you think is contributing to your mental health, there are ways to cut it out or minimize it. I know there have been threads on there on people strategies to avoid it. Research does show that media can dramatically affect someone's mood, especially social media. If I find those threads, I'll edit to add them.

Also maybe support groups are more your style? Someone above mentioned substance use ones like AA/NA but there are typically TONS out there. For instance, there is an anxiety resource center in my area that offer a plethora of free services. Your local community mental health can help connect you if you're interested.

socaso

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Re: Best ways to get mental health help, with or without insurance
« Reply #17 on: May 01, 2019, 04:57:42 PM »
I once needed therapy and didn't have insurance so I went to a therapist who was finishing her training at a local university. The sessions were only about $30 per session. I saw her for a year and she really helped me. All our sessions were recorded so her supervising instructor could review them.

You might reach out to any local colleges and universities and see if they have similar programs.