Seeking mental health support is slowly becoming less stigmatized and more accessible to everyone. However, navigating the mental health system can be complicated. Here are a few places you can start your mental wellness journey:
School
School is a great place to search for mental health service providers. A school counselor might be a mental health trained professional or there will be a therapist or social worker that you can work with through the school. If not, that is okay. Ask your school counselor if they can work with you to help you find a mental health service provider.
Insurance Provider
Affordability is a big factor in accessing mental health services. Your parent’s insurance provider may cover mental health services. They will let you know who you can see who is in your network, but it will be you and your parent’s job to contact them to see if they are accepting new patients and if they work with adolescents.
Crisis lines
Calling or texting 9-8-8 is a great place to start. A lot of people think that calling a crisis line is only meant for people who are currently in crisis, but the majority of the people who call or text are not in crisis but need to feel listened to and validated. While this could feel therapeutic, it’s not a long-term solution. Something else that these volunteers are excellent at is providing callers with appropriate resources . While they don’t have specific therapists in their resource bank, chances are they will have a resource to help you find a therapist in your area.
Online
If you are interested in looking up specific therapists in your area, you’re already in the right place! You can use our provider directory to find a therapist in your area who meets your needs.
For immediate support visit our crisis support page here.