How to Find a Therapist for Depressies

(get it like the how to for dummies books haha very good Bailey)

This is the funniest picture I have ever seen

Hey everyone. So ever since I opened up online about my personal struggles with depression and anxiety, my DMs have become a place where a ton of people at any given time ask me questions regarding anything in the world of mental health. I love it. Being able to help people in any way shape or form make themselves feel better is an opportunity I do not take lightly at all and feel incredibly thankful to be able to do so.

The question that I get far more than anything else is “How can I find a therapist?” Finding a therapist is a really arduous, overwhelming and often clunky and over-complicated process. This really blows because if there is one thing that a really depressed or anxious person doesn’t need, it is to get more deflated or anxious about finally deciding to take the step to make them feel better. Having gone through multiple jobs, insurance changes, unemployment and more, I have been there more times than I would like to admit and deprived myself of months of therapy just because I couldn’t muster up the energy to make it happen. I do not want that to happen to whoever is reading this, so let’s make it a bit easier, yeah?

Topics covered:

• Do I need a therapist?
• Insurance coverage
• What the hell is the difference between a therapist, psychiatrist and psychologist and which one do I need?
• Where to look
• I’m in college
• I cannot afford therapy (you can)
• We did it!

Do I need a therapist?

Yes. Everyone should go to therapy. If you have ever experienced any sort of anxiety, depression or really anything at all you wish you could speak to someone about, then you should see a therapist. We go to the doctor to take care of our body, we go to the dentist to take care of our teeth and we go to therapy to take care of our mind. Brains work pretty goddamn hard to get us through the day and they deserve it. Give them what they need.

Insurance coverage

Do you have health insurance? If the answer to that question is yes, then, first of all, congratulations. If you don’t, that is not the end of the world and there are still so many options that we will go over later in this guide. BUT, this section is aimed at those who do have insurance, so feel free to skip or read through anyway for when the glorious day where you don’t have to risk filing for bankruptcy to go get a physical. Okay,, stepping my soapbox to get to the point at hand.

So, in the United States, Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Coverage Parity laws require most health plans to apply similar rules to mental health benefits as they do for medical/surgical benefits. SO, if you have health insurance, you definitely more than likely will have some level of coverage provided. The best way to find out what level of coverage you’re afforded is to flip your insurance card over, find the number and call them and ask. Here are some easy questions you can ask them to get the most concise, accurate answer possible:

• Does my plan provide mental health coverage?
• What level does it provide?
• Do I need a referral from a primary care physician?
• What would my copay be?
• How often would I be able to go?

Okay. We have now taken the big step of taking the first step. I am proud of you. Maybe you just got a bunch of good news about how you’ll only have a $20-$50 copay a week to start to make yourself feel better? That is great. Hell yes. Maybe you got some not-incredible news that the cost is slightly out of what you consider your price range. First, I would say take a look at your budget and see if you could make it work. You truly cannot put a reasonable price on feeling better and getting your brain on track. If you can’t make it happen, there are other ways to potentially find discounted prices or free services that aren’t quite full-blown therapy but are certainly possible. I’ll touch on those later as well, but right now we are going to talk about the next step of getting that therapist we can afford.

What the hell is the difference between therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists?

Let’s do a quick recap of where we are at now. We have:

1. Decided we are going to go to therapy because we are a human with complex and confusing emotions that deserve to be dissected properly by someone who is a professional
2. Figured out what exactly it is going to cost us to go to therapy and how we are going to make that happen after calling our insurance company.

It is now time to figure out what exactly we are looking for in a therapist. Wait, there are multiple types of therapists? That certainly makes things more confusing! There sure are and it sure does! But nothing to be discouraged or overwhelmed by. Let’s do it. I’m going to define what each one is and can do and that should help you figure out exactly what you need.

Therapists (Licensed Mental Health Counselors): From WebMD: A psychological counselor is a mental health professional who has a master’s degree (MA) in psychology, counseling, or a related field. In order to be licensed, the professional counselor also needs two additional years’ experience working with a qualified mental health professional after graduate school. A mental health counselor is qualified to evaluate and treat mental problems by providing counseling or psychotherapy. There are also more therapists than anything else out there and generally they are easier to find and book, so that may be the best place to start.

Psychologists: From WebMD: A psychologist has a doctoral degree (PhD, PsyD, or EdD) in psychology, which is the study of the mind and behaviors. Graduate school provides a psychologist an education in evaluating and treating mental and emotional disorders. After completing graduate school, a clinical psychologist completes an internship that lasts two to three years and provides further training in treatment methods, psychological theory, and behavioral therapy.

Licensed psychologists are qualified to do counseling and psychotherapy, perform psychological testing, and provide treatment for mental disorders. They are not, though, medical doctors.

Psychiatrists: From WebMD: A psychiatrist is a medical doctor (M.D. or D.O.) who specializes in preventing, diagnosing, and treating mental illness. A psychiatrist’s training starts with four years of medical school and is followed by a one-year internship and at least three years of specialized training as a psychiatric resident. A psychiatrist is trained to differentiate mental health problems from other underlying medical conditions that could present with psychiatric symptoms. They also monitor the effects of mental illness on other physical conditions (such as problems with the heart or high blood pressure), and the effects of medicines on the body (such as weight, blood sugar, blood pressure, sleep, and kidney or liver functioning). A psychiatrist CAN write prescriptions. Psychiatrists often work together with a therapist or psychologist. The psychiatrist will prescribe and monitor medicine while the other provides the actual talk therapy sessions. Some psychiatrists do also do talk therapy, but that is less common.

Okay, great. We have figured out how we are currently feeling and what we think is best. We either did this by figuring it out ourselves, or we talked to our primary care physician about what they personally recommend. Maybe they referred us to someone who is definitely covered by insurance, if you got a referral that is a HUGE help and you can skip the rest of this list. Huge. If not, no problem. We have figured out what kind of mental health professional we want to see and we are going for it. Once again, I’m proud of you. Let’s do it.

Where to look

We know what we want and it is time to now make it happen. Where do I go? Where do I start? What we aren’t going to do is simply google “therapists near me.” As great as google is, when it comes to finding a doctor of any kind, you just can’t trust it and the lack of efficiency is killer.

Here is what your first step should be. Log into your insurance provider’s website and navigate to the section about finding coverage. You want to make sure you are paying the least money and ARE covered before taking the next steps, and your insurance’s website is far and away the best way to do this. Sort by whatever that may be, get out a google doc, your phone notes app or an old fashioned piece of paper and write down 15–20 options. Why so many? You’re going to get some answering machines, secretaries with attitudes, places saying you need to do a consultation, medical groups with 20+ stupid virtual steps to get a real human being and things equally more annoying than that above. You don’t want to just call one place and lose steam. This is something we have decided to do and we are going to do it dammit. Don’t be afraid, I’d recommend actually, making a bunch of appointments. You can always (and should) call and cancel obviously, but make them if you can and then decide which one is best later. Maybe the closest one, the most convenient time or location, a person whose name you just trust the most, whatever it may be. But call and make them and don’t lose motivation from the frustrations that exist in booking appointments.

The ZocDoc app is another alternative to the above method. Make sure you are putting in your insurance information so you KNOW that you are covered (that’s the big one) and do the same thing. Write a bunch down and start calling. Same process as above, just slightly different (and sometimes more user friendly) way to get there.

For many people reading this…you’re done and you can stop reading now. After this, I’m going to provide more advice for some niche groups like those in college and those who don’t have insurance or have limited insurance coverage they still can’t afford. I’m going to provide some other options or alternatives that I have either found myself or found in my research. If this is the end of the finding a therapist journey, congratulations and REMEMBER: Your first therapist may not be the best fit. It may be, but it may not be. But remember how great it felt to find someone and take the first step. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Go visit that list you wrote down, call another one and make it happen. Proud of you.

I’m in college

Almost every single college in America provides free or reduced individual therapy. Sometimes this is provided by one of the mental health professionals listed above. Sometimes it is a graduate student who is logging hours. Either way, it will help and it will make you feel better and it is worth trying. Many colleges do have limits on number of sessions or time, but it is absolutely a great place to start if you are in college looking for convenient help that is close to you. I did this while I was in college and it helped a ton and made me less nervous when I decided to seek outside treatment. You can usually find this information by googling your college’s name and “mental health services.” Colleges have made tremendous progress in this area over the last decade and are honestly on the forefront of mental health help

I cannot afford therapy (you can)

Maybe you cannot afford some of the options I have mentioned above, but you CAN afford something. This is unfortunately a sad reality and a paragraph that will be hopefully completely useless soon. Currently, there are some insurance plans that have costs too high or people without insurance who need treatment and help just the same. BUT it is not the end of the world and there definitely are options. Here are a few and how you can find them.

Local college/university: Similar to the above section, many colleges and universities provide free or reduced mental health coverage as practice for those studying. While it may not be perfect, and they are learning, it is still useful and a financially viable option.

OpenPath Psychotherapy Collective: This is a non-profit nationwide network of mental health professionals dedicated to providing in-office and online mental health care — at a steeply reduced rate — to individuals, couples, children, and families in need. OpenPath works through a one-time membership fee of $59.00. Definitely worth checking out.

Phone helplines:

• If you feel you are an immediate threat to yourself, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1–800–273–8255.
• Emotional listening support hotline for if you aren’t feeling like a danger to yourself, but could really use someone to vent or talk to: 1–800–932–4616
• The Samaratins, am emotional support hotline for anyone who calls feeling lonely, depressed, suicidal, or just are looking for someone to talk to (call or text): 877–870–4673
• Trevor Project Lifeline, a lifeline for LGBT youth in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgment-free place to talk: 866–488–7386
• Crisis Text Line, for if you need someone to talk to but aren’t quite comfortable talking on the phone: Text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the United States, anytime and someone will answer you

We did it!

Who would have thought, look at us! We have found a therapist, or a help of some sort that is helping us take on this journey of feeling better and giving our brain the time and respect it deserves. While it was definitely an overwhelming process, we did it. We remind ourselves that not every therapist is a great fit, and if the first one doesn’t work out we have 10 more we can call and give another shot to. This is a GIANT, colossal step that we should all be really proud of ourselves for taking.

Final reminder: You matter, you are important and you deserve to feel the best you can. I love you all and anyone can contact me anytime, 24/7 on Twitter via DM at @baileycarlin or via email at BaileyWrightCarlin@gmail.com with any questions at all.