Getting Mental Health Therapy During COVID.
COVID has caused people already dealing with mental health issues to take several steps back in their ongoing fight towards mental health. COVID has also caused people who have never really struggled with mental health issues to have mental health issues. COVID has also forced the media (news outlets, TV shows and movies) to start talking about the benefits of going to therapy. For many reasons (some listed in this blog post), the stigma about getting help with mental health issues has faded and people are feeling freer to look into getting themselves much needed help.
The stigma of going to therapy has been greatly reduced because of all of the experiences people are having with anxiety, depression, relationships falling apart, and other issues that either: (a) People haven’t experienced before and now they have a reason to believe that mental health is important. (b) People who have been able to pretend that they don’t have problems in their life now find their life to be unmanageable with the addition of COVID. (c) People who have wanted to get mental health help, but have chosen not to get help because of how people would perceive them. (d) Now that online therapy is offered by most therapists, people don’t feel the weirdness of walking into a therapy office because they just hop onto zoom just like they do for their other doctors appointments, office meetings or school. Regardless of the reasons, more and more people are seeing the benefits to getting help with their mental health and are starting to reach out for that well deserved and well needed help. There are also people who are finally getting help because even though they have always seen mental health as important, they were afraid to see a therapist for fear of what friends would think.
Getting help is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of strength. Figuring out how to be your best self and make decisions on purpose as opposed to being caught in the moment, losing a friend out of anger instead of thoughtful deliberation, saying what is on your mind in a loving and respectful way so that people can hear your message (whether or not they agree with it). I often tell people who come in “Imagine if all of the world leaders would be required to go to therapy? Obama, Trump, Bush, Clinton, Merkel (Germany), Trudeau (Canada), Putton (Russia), left, right, conservative, liberal, ALL OF THEM. I think we might have less wars. Leaders making decisions based on what is in the best interest of the country, not based on their own emotional reactions. What a different world that would be”.
How to get help?:
- If you know of a friend who has gone to a good therapist, ask for a referral.
- Look on a review site such as google, healthgrades or yelp. You might not find that every therapist has good reviews, but you can check to see if they have bad reviews.
- Google “how to find a therapist in ___________ “ (search for your city) or “find a female therapist”, “find a male therapist”, “find an online therapist”, etc.
- Find 3-4 therapists online and JUST PICK ONE. A therapist is never going to be perfect, but you do need a therapist who you feel you are fairly comfortable with. I say “fairly comfortable” because therapy itself is not comfortable, so you are looking for the most comfortable therapist based on the ones you have found.
- Interview therapists. Make a list of questions and ask them questions OR just go to one therapy session with a few different therapists and then stick with the one you like the best.
- Call Long Beach Therapy (562.310.9741) to find out how to start online therapy.