Where can you go to find help?
By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Talking with friends and family can improve mental health. You can share your struggles, receive practical and emotional support and feel encouraged about your life. But you likely will need help from a professional mental health provider at some point in your life. Whether an acute or ongoing issue, connecting with a provider can make a big difference in improving your mental health. Finding a provider can seem daunting.
Matthew Drury, licensed clinical social worker with Rochester Regional Health, recommends speaking with your primary care provider. They know both you and your needs and also the resources in the area.
“They have internal referrals and can provide names and numbers,” he said.
Drury added that some workplaces provide an employee assistance program that can help workers find help. For those not working, Drury recommended seeking community-based mental health clinics through Rochester Regional Health. Some therapists work on a sliding scale fee basis.
During a primary care provider visit such as an annual physical or well-child visit, patients often receive screening for mental health issues, which can spark a conversation on the topic. Sometimes patients ask about mental health during a primary care visit, said physician Michael Loeb, family medicine for Rochester Regional Health.
Searching online can help patients who want to set up regular therapy sessions.
“One of the biggest recommendations is Psychology Today,” Loeb said. “They have a pretty good ‘Find a Therapist’ page where you can find a therapist in your area. It has some options.”
In addition to searching by location, you can search by gender, issue, religious background and more.
Loeb recommends calling your insurance company to see which therapists are within your network. Out-of-network providers will cost more or could even be entirely out of pocket and those expenses will add up quickly as these issues tend to take time to resolve.
Loeb also mentioned the Mental Health Association of Rochester, as this organization maintains a list of member counselors and services.
Ryan Thibodeau, PhD., professor of psychology at St. John Fisher University, board member at National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Rochester and licensed clinical psychologist, encourages people seeking mental health providers through their primary care provider or through internet resources such as those available at NAMI Rochester (https://namiroc.org/resources/community-resources/).
The site offers helpful articles about mental illness, along with a list of crisis lines and providers who can provide scheduled sessions for mental health.
“NAMI National has a really good treatment locator tool, as well,” Thibodeau added.
That is at https://helplinefaqs.nami.org/article/255-i-need-to-see-a-psychiatrist-therapist-how-can-i-find-one.
Other resources for finding help include www.betterhelp.com and the department of health (Monroe County, https://www.monroecounty.gov/health; Ontario County https://www.ontariocountyny.gov/101/Public-Health; and Wayne County, https://www.wcphny.com).
Therapists understand that you need time to determine if you’re a good fit with that therapist. It’s OK to speak with a few different therapists until you find one that feels right.