When to Seek Help for Your Mental Health During the Holidays
From our own Free From Anxiety Course to the many different apps, platforms, and online telehealth initiatives that have recently become available, mental health support is more accessible now than ever before. In short, the answer is to seek help whenever you’re ready. Even if you’re busy during the holidays, there’s no shortage of convenient options to get the help you need. In the age of telehealth connectivity, mental health support is just one message away.
Online Therapy Apps
You can turn to any of the different online therapy apps that offer a wide range of mental health support services. Apart from being relatively affordable compared to traditional therapy, these apps are designed to improve quick access to therapy options. As a result, it’s an easy option even for those reluctant to try therapy. Healthline’s BetterHelp and Talkspace comparison post details how they pretty much cost the same but offer different types of mental health services. The former includes weekly access to more than 20 moderated interactive live group sessions and the chance to talk to your therapist on the phone. Meanwhile, the latter has an extensive employee assistance program and an online symptoms tracker for self-monitoring. And although these two are the most popular today, they’re far from being the only online therapy apps you can try.
For instance, the app ReGain is focused on providing services related to relationship or marriage counseling. Couples may use the app via a shared account to talk to their counselor or to schedule private in-person sessions. On the other hand, if you’d rather not share your personal life with anyone but still want to seek help, there’s an app for that as well. Bliss Online Therapy for Depression is a free self-guided online tool that gives anyone access to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression. This includes mechanisms for managing one’s mood as well as practicing techniques to improve overall mental health. And you can do all that at your own pace, without having to commit to anyone or anything else but yourself. In short, although online therapy is not for everyone, there’s no harm in giving it a try, especially considering how teletherapy offers a wide range of mental health services.
Consequently, there are even online therapy options for tackling substance abuse disorder with clinical support. reSET technology by Pear Therapeutics is the first digital therapeutic prescription to be FDA-approved. In conjunction with professional treatment, reSET can provide those with substance abuse disorder 24/7 access to CBT while also providing clinicians real-time access to their patients’ triggers, cravings, and other pertinent behaviours. For many suffering from substance abuse disorders, the holidays can come with a lot of triggers and risks. And any of these apps may be able to lessen the further risks that come with winter isolation.
Check Your Counsellor’s Credentials
You should also check the credentials of any counsellors, therapists, or psychologists that you’re considering. This is a good way to ease any worries about whether the person will be able to help you or not. Furthermore, when you’re checking for credentials, don’t be put off by those whose degrees or certificates were obtained through online programs, as modern brick-and-mortar universities have increasingly adopted web-based training methods alongside online universities.
For instance, the graduate-level counselling program run by the University of San Diego now trains future counsellors through a telemental health training clinic under the supervision of licensed clinicians. Aimed at locals who either can’t afford counselling or don’t have insurance, the clinic is hitting two birds with one stone by making counseling accessible while continuing the education of their future counselors at the same time. Similarly, the practicum at the 100% online psychology degree program at Maryville University also involves applied field experience, including clinical courses with a comprehensive approach to providing mental healthcare for individual patients, families, and communities. Apart from basic counseling, these online university trainees receive instruction in a wide range of psychology-driven human services, under courses that meet standards set by the American Psychological Association.
This simply means that you need not worry if your therapist or counselor’s certification or degree comes from an online university or program. This is especially true today, considering how many top psychologists and educators in the field are actively developing online methods of training more counselors to meet the growing nationwide demand for mental health support.
In short, there’s no better time to get help than now. Whenever you’re ready, you can start trying to find an empathic and certified mental health professional from the comfort of your phone.
By: Reatha Jaryn