Have you ever thought about seeing a therapist but aren’t sure where to start? Have you been recently diagnosed with depression or are recently ready to talk to a specialist about it? If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by the options available out there, you’re not alone.
Just like there are specialty doctors for different procedures and needs, so too are there specialty mental health practitioners that have different strengths for different mental health needs. The following blog is about talk therapy and depression specifically. If you have depression or think you might and want to learn about selecting the right kind of talk therapist this blog will be for you. Take this along with recommendations from your primary care physician (PCP) and formulate your best option that works for you.
Oh and if you’re a mental health practitioner reading this and you stay to the end, I share about a program I’m really proud about.
#1 Know Whether You Have Mild, Moderate Or Severe Depression⠀
⠀
If you have mild to moderate depression, talk therapy might be all you need. ⠀
⠀
If you have more severe depression, you might need to consider medication according to webmd.com’s article here. ⠀
Some people have issues with taking medication or being unable to cope without the help of meds. Think of it this way, would you fault an individual with a recent heart procedure for taking blood thinners so they’d don’t have a blood clot and die? No you’d say take your meds to prevent something bad from happening. The same perspective should be seen for those with mental health needs but unfortunately it’s not always respected the same.
It is up to us to share compassion and empathy to those seeking treatment and those on the fence about it. Since we don’t know if someone is taking medication or might be thinking about taking medication for mental health concerns, be nice to everyone. Period.
⠀
#2 What Type Of Talk Therapy Is Best For Those Diagnosed With Depression?
⠀
When it comes to helping people with depression, CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and interpersonal therapy are the most common ones used. CBT according to the Mayo Clinic is a way to help an individual identify flawed thinking patterns and rewire your thinking. Interpersonal therapy according to Psychology Today is a way to help individuals with mood disorders, or addictions to cope.
When I worked in the state psychiatric hospital, my colleagues told me funding is generally for CBT because that’s what the majority of research states is effective for patients. So CBT was the main form of therapy for patients and any additional types of therapy were brought in when CBT was ineffective at moving a patient towards their treatment goals.
⠀
Find what works best for you if you’re in need and don’t settle.
#3 What Kind Of Therapist Should You Choose?⠀
⠀
It depends on your needs and goals of therapy. Primarily, psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor, social worker, etc are chosen.⠀
⠀
If you have medical insurance and are concerned about cost, counselors and social workers will be on the lower end and psychologists and psychiatrists will be on the higher end for billing purposes.⠀
⠀
If you’re unsure, check out their credentials online and see if they specialize in helping people with depression in their bio. Oftentimes a therapist that might specialize in another area has colleagues they can recommend to you. They typically have an email option or a phone number you can dial them. Let them know your goals and see if they’re a good fit or if they could recommend someone to you.
If cost is a factor and your insurance is limited, ask if they have an income based payment scale. Oftentimes they’ll be able to lower their fees to those in high need but low income.
#4 What Are Some Benefits of Talk Therapy For Those With Depression?
⠀
Reducing suicide risk, reducing back pain, and more. ⠀
⠀
Check out this article. ⠀
⠀⠀
Comment below on some benefits you’ve received or someone you care about has received from talk therapy.⠀
#5 Group Therapists Utilize Their Resources When Forming New Groups
⠀
I designed the Move Happy Facilitator Program© for my patients in a psychiatric hospital setting. The program’s purpose is to empower individuals to move towards their own happiness through mindset, community and fitness. ⠀
I created the program as a gift 🎁 for my patients. You see, I lost my father my 3rd day on the job. I was still learning my patients’ names, the expectations of my job role and even my co-workers’ names. Every day I had a patient hand me a color picture, ask for a fist 👊 bump, and check in on how I was doing. The patients didn’t have to do that. I was supposed to check in on THEM! I was blown away by their kindness I HAD to give something back for their kindness.
I was shadowing my colleagues in the different treatment groups and noticed the fitness group was being led by 2 really sweet ladies that didn’t have a background in fitness teaching like I had. They played the same yoga DVD on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Monday/Wednesday/Friday they played the same walking DVD for 16 weeks straight. 👀 Then the same DVD for the next semester I came to find out as well. If I was in that group, I’d be terribly bored and unmotivated to workout my best. I can’t imagine if I was a patient in that group repeatedly!
I used to teach health and fitness in the K-12th grade school system and even taught fitness classes at Oregon State University as a graduate teaching assistant, and worked with the military as a research assistant in helping improve lifetime fitness and well-being. I had to create my own curriculum through these experiences since funding was always an issue.
So I decided to use my skills and create a program for the patients at the hospital for the patients that had been so kind to me during the loss of my father. With my supervisor’s permission, I went to work outside of work hours to design Move Happy.
I researched what other programs were available to the public to move people towards their own happiness through therapy-fitness. I found nothing that combined the two. I also checked out if there were any journal programs that were combined in a fitness therapy setting. Nothing. I knew how effective journaling has been found to help people with their emotional state. I knew how effective group therapy was at building community. I knew how effective fitness was and could be motivating to help individuals move towards their own happiness and confidence levels.
So I decided to break down the components of happiness through empirical research (that’s looking at published journal articles from other researchers). I outlined weekly topics of these components into 16 weeks since that’s what the hospital had set for the semester system. Then I had asked for input from the mental health practitioners in the hospital that I worked with and that worked with the patients on a 1:1 level (psychologists, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, recreational therapists, and licensed mental health therapists). I looked for simple 1-page questionnaires on happiness levels and could not find any. So, I created a psychological questionnaire for the patients to answer to measure their happiness levels from start to finish. I also created a fitness questionnaire as well so we could measure their improvement in both mental health and fitness to see if the program was effective. I also included feedback questions in the questionnaire so the patients could provide insight to improving the program for future groups. From my colleagues input and my personal reflections, I launched the first Move Happy© group class along with my colleague and Licensed Mental Health Therapist (LMHT), Sayaka.
It was such a big hit with the patients we revised it and ran it a second time, then revised it again and ran it a third time, this time I was promoted to a new role in the hospital and my colleague that ran the walking/yoga class came and covered for me for a few weeks and saw how I ran my group. She told me she LOVED it and loved how the patients knew exactly what to do and enjoyed working out with the patients as well saying, “I’d sub for you any day.”
Through a series of lost funding for the hospital and a financial situation I had to leave the hospital to find a job to cover my living expenses. I was so sad to leave but knew it needed to be done. Before I left one of my patients, a former marine and high level executive in his professional career said to me, “Erin you need to share this with other hospitals. I can see your program on TV one day.”
I had many testimonies like that one that encouraged me to share the program with other people. I finally gained the courage, the finances, and the confidence to package the program as I had facilitated to my patients. I got the branding trademarked and registered through the United States Trademark and Patient Office, and packaged the program.
One thing I didn’t mention was that there was literally no funding to work with. Mental health receives even less funding than public schools. So I did not want to create a program that would cost a lot to run. All you need is some paper to print the journals, pens or pencils, some space for exercises, and light weights (backpacks, or water jugs will do). If you want it to be even more fun, add some music from your favorite Spotify or Pandora playlists and that’ll boost engagement during the exercise portion. Internet was kinda spotty where I facilitated it so the patients appreciated the efforts but we also had some old school radios that worked just fine as well.
⠀
If this program sounds like something you’d like to add to your group therapy classes you can order it here.⠀
⠀
40% of proceeds goes back to support mental health purposes⠀
⠀
Email me for large group trainings and for continuing education credit interests.⠀
Move Happy® Updates
We are celebrating Thanksgiving in the US next week. All day Friday-Monday will be specials on all things Move Happy® in the store. You will NOT want to miss out. Mark your calendars 29th-Dec 1st.
Our Podcast is getting some big momentum with NY Times best selling author gracing the show in the next few weeks. If you haven’t followed the show yet, check it out here. It will be on iTunes hopefully by the end of next week and Spotify thereafter.
The Move Happy® World Tour 1.0 begins soon. It will include live music 🎶, great speakers, and life transformation.
So there you have it folks. Depression is a challenge to live with, but it isn’t impossible to treat. As an individual diagnosed with depression myself, I can relate to the challenges. Some that have more severe cases need medication temporarily or permanently. Work with your PCP to find out what works best for you. CBT and Interpersonal therapy are the most common forms of therapy for individuals diagnosed with depression. Exercise is recommended for everyone so why not incorporate some fitness into your daily routine to help with your depression as well? If you lead group therapy and aren’t sure how to incorporate fitness as well or what to recommend to your patients, order the MHFP today.
PS: Don’t forget to tell someone you love them today
PPS: If you loved what you read today, I’d be honored if you’d share this with a friend or colleague.
Recent Comments