All about Mental Health Care
Finding Mental Health care has been historically difficult! Not just because there was a social stigma surrounding it (which this article will not get into), but because it can be very difficult to understand, find, and often afford. And that isn’t even getting into the specifics of specialty care, medication, and what’s covered under insurance. So, here’s a quick crash course on the common questions we’ve seen surrounding Mental Health Care.
How to find Mental Health Care
There are a number of methods available depending on your insurance and how much digging you want to do. We highly recommend you start by looking at what your insurance provider offers. Many insurance providers license their mental health care to a 3rd party provider, such as Magellan or Molina, but other providers might have it built into their own system.
If you have Sharp through SDPEBA, we recently wrote an article about finding a provider through Magellan, so you can refer to that for more information.
Zoc Doc and Good RX also offer options for finding a local therapist, but you’ll need to enter your information into their system and sometimes that can get complicated. We highly recommend you call the therapist’s office or send an email to them asking if your insurance is covered before you go in, and if possible, to get an estimate for your session. This is really important because you don’t want to find a therapist you love, and then find out it is out of budget or worse, out of network.
Psychiatrist vs Therapist
While most people cite the difference between a therapist and a psychiatrist as whether or not they can prescribe medication, it actually goes a bit deeper than that, and doesn’t necessarily mean one is better than the other.
Therapists are licensed professionals who usually hold a college degree in something like psychology, clinical psychology, social work, counseling, or a different specialty. Most therapists can include medication in their treatment plans, but there are restrictions, and it really is a case by case basis.
Psychiatrists have a medical degree, so they have to have around 8 years of schooling and 4 years of residency just to be a psychiatrist. They diagnose and treat mental health conditions, and yes, they can prescribe medication.
Ultimately, if you’re seeking care and you can choose between a psychiatrist or a therapist, there is no “right answer,” unless you have already been diagnosed with a mental health disorder and need someone who can prescribe your medication.
But if you’re unsure or end up needing medication but you went to a therapist, just know that therapists often work directly with psychiatrists and so you’ll be fine no matter the outcome!
How do I know if I need Therapy?
Therapy can help with a large number of issues, not just mental illness. From anxiety, stress, or just managing your emotions, there are a lot of tools therapy can help you unlock that could make your life better.
If you feel open to therapy and want it, then well, what’s the harm in giving it a shot? If you don’t feel open to it, but want to feel open to it, then you’re in the same boat as a lot of people.
Consider what your goals are and what you want to achieve. Are you looking for better ways to manage stress? Are you having trouble dealing with your emotions? Do you want to quit an addiction? If you think therapy will help you achieve those goals, then it is definitely worth considering.
You can always talk to your Primary Care doctor about what you’re going through and see if they recommend therapy. That might be a hard conversation to have, but a trusted doctor is one of the most common pathways people take to start therapy.
Do I need to See a Specialist?
This is definitely a case-by-case situation. Usually, you want to seek a specialist if you’re looking for a specific type of care. A good example would be if you’re looking for someone who specializes in ERP for obsessive-conditions, you’ll want to make sure your provider offers that kind of therapy.
There are dozens of different types of therapy, and if you’re looking for one over the other, then yes, you should probably seek a specialist. If you’re looking at the big picture, such as: finding medication, cognitive behavioral therapy, or talk therapy, you don’t necessarily need to see a specialist.
If you’re unsure, you can start with a general therapy session and ask for recommendations or ask the therapist before making an appointment. Many therapists do a first session that’s around 15-minutes and is often free or very affordable. During these sessions you can get a feel for what the therapist offers and if you don’t like it, you can move on.
If you do decide to go with a specialist, we highly recommend you get a pre-treatment estimate based on your insurance since they can often cost more, but the right therapist can make a real difference, so it’s worth doing the extra leg work.
How do I know if my therapist is right for me?
This is a common issue people face and really is a case by case situation. Many therapists report that their patients “shopped around” for different providers before they landed on them, so if your first visit with your therapist left you feeling uncomfortable, it might be that you and the therapist just didn’t gel!
If that’s the case, you can always go out and find someone different.
We realize that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Mental health care is very important but also very personal, so it can be hard to give general advice that connects to everyone. Everyone is on their own mental health journey, but we hope this article helps you take those first steps with a bit more confidence. Best of luck!