The traditional image of therapy is one patient, reclined on a couch, with one counselor sitting off to the side taking notes. While this form of therapy does exist and can be very helpful, many other options are available today. Depending on a number of factors, one therapy that works wonders for your friend may have little to no effect on your mental health. If one-on-one talk therapy does not appeal to you, there are a few different options for you to treat your mental illness.
Today art therapy is widely practiced in a wide variety of settings like hospitals and rehabs.
Art Therapy: Family Fun as Treatment
Art therapy is an umbrella term to describe any form of treatment that utilizes the arts. Art therapy to treat addiction, for example, might mean that whenever the urge to use strikes, the person will pick up a pen and paper instead. For mental illness, hobbies and crafts are a great way to soothe the mind. Furthermore, if you are a parent with little time to attend therapy sessions, art therapy can be a great way to spend time with your kids while focusing on your treatment at the same time. Scheduling arts and crafts time each day can help battle symptoms of mental illness while positively reinforcing familial bonds.
I have a Mental Illness Pinterest board.
Animal Therapy: An Excuse to Go to the Local Shelter
Most people in the West will own a pet at some time or another. Animals usually are considered to be fun, lovable companions. However, studies have shown that dog owners, in particular, live longer, happier, and healthier lives. Pets reduce stress, alleviate depression, and if trained properly, can become service dogs to tackle larger issues relating to mental health. For example, a PTSD service dog might learn to bring its owner back from a flashback with pawing, licking, or barking.
Even if you are unable to care for an animal in your home, volunteering at the local humane society will provide the benefits of spending time with animals for those who struggle with mental illness.
It’s no secret that exercise is good for you. It keeps your body fit and healthy while providing endorphins to your brain. As therapy, exercise draws focus from things like addiction or mental illness to the moment. When you are focused on the exercise, it becomes difficult to fixate on things like anxiety or depression. Furthermore, keeping your body healthy also can improve mental wellbeing.
Regular exercise is a great way to conduct at-home treatment. Scheduling consistent, beneficial exercises that you enjoy are a very healthy treatment for coping with mental illness. Some good at-home exercise might be yoga or tai chi. Both are low-impact with a meditative or mindfulness aspect, combining relaxation and exercise.
The key is to strive for balance. The goal is to have an overall healthy lifestyle. Exercise is a great natural treatment for mental illness.
Though talk therapy plays a role in many treatment plans, it also is important that you have tools for coping at home. Your mental illness remains with you outside of treatment, and it is fully possible to have a bad day when your counselor is booked and unable to see you. So, instead of turning to negative methods of self-treatment such as alcohol or drug abuse, be sure you have options for treatment at home. Has your counselor set up a plan for art, animal therapy, or exercise? While the treatments are conducted at home, it is recommended that you have professional guidance.
Jennifer Woodson
Jennifer Woodson enjoys serving the public as a writer for PublicHealthCorps.org. The site is dedicated to putting the public back into public health by serving as a hub of reputable and useful public information on health topics.
The ACA includes substance use disorders and mental illness as one of the ten elements of essential health benefits. This is great, but the first part is admitting you need help. Seeking recovery for mental, emotional, spiritual, or relationship issues can be particularly challenging. You must also factor in your healthcare options. What services does your healthcare provider cover? Once you find out what is covered — where do you go from there? Here are some options …. there are quite a few.
Psychologist
When many people think of a psychologist, the first image that comes to their mind is of a patient lying on a leather couch and telling the good doctor their feelings. While that does sometimes happen, psychologists do more than ask someone how they feel. Psychologists specialize in the science of behaviors, emotions, and thoughts. Working in private offices, hospitals, schools, or other areas, psychologists treat a range of issues from relationship issues to mental illness through counseling.
Psychiatrist
Psychiatrists and psychologists often practice in the same area, but psychiatrists mainly diagnose, treat, and help prevent mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders through the use of psychiatric medicine, physical exams, and by interpreting laboratory tests.
Resources For Locating A Mental Health Professional
While general practice doctors can prescribe medications to help with mental and emotional problems, psychiatrists are often preferred for complicated disorders. Some psychiatrists’ specialties include addiction, forensic psychiatry, and behavioral disabilities.
Psychoanalyst
A psychoanalyst follows the theories and practice of Sigmund Freud by helping a patient explore his or her repressed or unconscious impulses, anxieties, and internal conflicts. This is done through free association, dream interpretation, and the analysis of resistance and transference. While the practice has its critics, many find that it successfully explores deep psychological and emotional disturbances that could unknowingly create patterns of bad behavior.
Psychiatric Nurse
Rarely is a psychiatric nurse like Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. In real life, these registered nurses who specialize in mental health are known for their positive therapeutic relationship with patients. Under the supervision of a medical doctor, psychiatric nurses perform psychological therapies, administer psychiatric medication, and often deal with challenging patient behavior (as they most often practice in mental health facilities).
Psychotherapist
A psychotherapist is a general term for a number of different mental health professionals (psychologists, therapists, etc.) that provide psychotherapy—a type of talking therapy designed to improve a patient’s mental health and well-being. There are many different schools of psychotherapy that can involve therapeutic conversations, group therapy, expressive therapy, and more. The most popular type is cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), where a person learns to change bad behaviors or emotions.
Mental Health Counselor
Mental health counselor is yet another broad term used to describe someone who provides counseling. Their titles may also include the terms “licensed” or “professional.” Since the term is vague, it’s important to inquire about a counselor’s education, experience, and types of services involved.
Some counselors specialize in job stress, addiction, marriages, families, general stress, and so on.
Family & Marriage Counselor
A family and marriage counselor specializes in common problems that occur within families and married couples: differences, arguments, and so on. The length of the therapy is normally brief, as the sessions are typically focused on specific dilemmas and reaching quick resolutions.
This type of therapy is also used on a one-on-one basis. Sometimes, if one person’s problem—eating disorders, addiction, etc.—affects people close to him or her, group sessions may be used.
Addiction Counselor
Addiction counselors treat people with addictions. While this usually involves substance abuse alcoholism or gambling problems. It can also include less common addictions, including sexual addictions, hoarding, and others.
Addiction counseling is often done in a group setting, similar to the methods used by Alcoholics Anonymous, but can also be private or with loved ones affected by the addiction.
Art Therapist
Art therapists deal in a very specific type of therapy. This method involves using creative media such as painting, sculpture, writing, or other creative outlets to help explore and alleviate problems with depression, medical illnesses, past traumatic events, and addiction.
Proponents of this type of therapy believe it can help a patient express underlying thoughts and feelings that traditional talking therapy may not fetter out.
Religious Counselor
Religious counselors, also known as pastoral counselors, are trained to help people with a variety of problems. Their primary focus is on crises of faith, marriage and family counseling, and emotional and mental problems, all within a spiritual context.
These counselors are often leaders in area churches, or have extensive religious and mental health training. They often conduct sessions in a one-on-one basis, in groups, or in couples or family settings.
Training
A mental health professional’s training depends on their specific field and the state they practice. Psychologists often require a PhD, while psychiatrists require medical degrees. Nearly every state requires that any type of counselor have a college degree with extra specialized training.
Some things to look for in a mental health professional’s background include:
State licensing
Postgraduate degrees: masters or doctorate
Clinical experience
Published articles
Who to Choose?
A brief test that will help you determine whether you might benefit from therapy
If you think it’s time to see a psychologist or therapist, you have an important choice in front of you. Picking the right person to help you overcome any emotional or mental troubles is important. When choosing someone, factor in his or her specialty, training, methods, schedule, availability, convenience, and any other factors you consider important. Most importantly, search out someone you trust.
Social Worker
Social workers are a group of public employees dedicated to helping people cope with and solve issues in their lives. These can include personal problems, disabilities, and social problems like substance abuse, housing, and unemployment. Social workers are often involved in family disputes that involve domestic violence or child abuse. There are many subtypes of social work, including:
Child, Family & School
Medical & Public Health
Mental Health & Substance Abuse
Sponsor, Peer or Mentor
This is a person who volunteers to help you because they have had a similar experience. Often they want to help you because it is part of their own recovery. This is not a medical position. It is just one person helping another ….. for fun and for free.
No Cost Rehab can check your insurance to see if you can go to a rehab for treatment of clinical disorders
Part one talked about the 12-step fellowship called Al-Anon. As a quick review — Al-Anon is a group that can help a person who is in pain, caused by a loved one’s alcoholism or addiction.
But, what if you have tried five or six meetings and it just does not work for you? Or, what if you like it, but you feel like you need additional help? There are alternatives.
Therapy and counseling
Look for a counselor that has experience with addiction and/or co-dependency. This is especially helpful, if you prefer a one-on-one setting. Some people are shy, and feel more comfortable sharing their feelings in a private environment. But, if you like group support, there are group therapy programs too. If you feel that you have some issues other than co-dependency, individual psychotherapy or psychiatry might be a better fit. This is particularly important for people, suffering in a way that is treated by medication.
Support of Friends and Family
These people may not have a therapeutic background, but they love you and know you best. Confiding in your loved ones can provide tremendous relief. It can be beneficial to talk to people who can be straightforward with you and point out things, that your might have missed. Just make sure you are honest about what is wrong and they will give you that “second pair of eyes” that you need. I find it interesting that many times, you will share your burden with another person, only to find out that they have been through something similar.
Research
By searching for articles, chats or online groups regarding addiction and co-addiction, you can gain a better understanding of your own behavior. One word of caution, take the information in small bites, so you do not get overwhelmed. I particularly like the .gov sites. They are straightforward and typically un-biased.
If you like reading things on paper, rather than a screen, go to the library. Educating yourself with books on co-addiction, co-dependency and addiction, can help you understand the causes of the condition. It’s easier to find a solution when you can fully understand the problem. By educating yourself you can start to put the pieces together and see the big picture.
Change something
Being around an alcoholic or addict (who refused to get help) is like breathing in second-hand smoke. After I while, it is going to bother you. It is hard to feel confident and strong when you are living with someone who does not want to get better. Sometimes space and distance can help you focus on yourself. It’s healthy to get a new perspective and realize that you can live your own life.
Get out of Denial
Many people justify an unhealthy relationship with an addict, because they truly believe that the person is going to die, without their aid. Also, it is easy to get lost in the other person’s problems and focus all of your energies on their addiction. It feels comfortable not having to look at yourself. From personal experience, any money or support I received while “using” just made me worse. I got help after my family, severed all ties and literally “hid” from me. I’m serious. I am so grateful they had the strength to practice “tough love”. They still feel bad about it, but I thank them all the time, for it was a gift.
Resources to help you. Click on the globe for the list of sources.
Look at the following to test your enabling scale. Do you do any of the following?
Failing Responsibilities. Inattention to work, parenting, friends and other responsibilities. Putting your things on the back burner every time the loved one had some drama.
Failing Emotions. Do You find yourself becoming anxious with anger, worry, depression, and fear over the other person’s behavior? Your feelings are enmeshed in theirs.
Self-Care. Are you neglecting your looks and hygiene. You don’t buy new clothes, put off getting a haircut and constantly eat unhealthy? This is because of all of your energy is spent on the addict/alcoholic. You find little time to shower, brush your hair, teeth, or take care of your personal appearance the way you like or the way you used to.
Lying and Keeping Secrets. You find yourself making stories to cover up for the other person’s behavior. You lie, because it is too embarrassing to tell the truth.
Not enjoying life. You feel unworthy. You used to play sports, read, dine, and watch movies with friends. You don’t do those things anymore, because they are not enjoyable and/or you do not have the time.
Our 800RecoveryHub site offers free and confidential help
If you don’t take care of yourself, you will get mentally and physically ll. But I have found that when the pain gets bad enough, you will be motivated to find some relief. If you still don’t know where to turn ….simply contact me.
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