Taking the understanding of how to identify mental health illness symptoms from part 1 of this series, now comes time to match what type of provider is needed. Not every mental health provider is qualified for the most severe cases.
From Part 1 we identified 3 groups being mild, moderate and severe cases of mental illness. The more severe the cases the more qualified the provider must be.
For the mild group virtually any mental health provider and therapy type is qualified. They include Group talk therapy, talk therapy, Psychotherapy, Psychiatry, and Clinical Hypnotherapy.
Group talk therapy and support groups.
Group therapy provides support from people who are experiencing the same thing. This is a good choice of you need or want to be able to pickup the phone and call someone at anytime if you need some support. The recovery process is very slow with this method but the costs can be from free and up. You need to be comfortable in a group setting and willing to discuss things about yourself openly. The moderator of a group may only require minimal professional training as that the therapy comes from talking about your problems and accepting them. Many people can get the same benefits by simply talking to a good friend who has an available ear and shoulder for you. From time to time a more skilled health care provider may suggest you join a group if they feel it is appropriate for you.
Talk therapy counseling.
Talk therapy and counseling can be provided in a number of places. Some communities have social workers who will work with you but many times they have huge case loads and the time you can spend with them may be limited. There are also some counseling services that you can go to for a modest to moderate fee. The mental health provider will have some training to meet the local community guidelines. This is the same as group talk therapy except it is one on one and you don’t need to talk about things openly in a public setting. This is a good choice for people who just need to get some ideas to work with to resolve problems. This is also good for people who just are unsure about their own decision making process, and or breaking new ground. Improvement is slow in most cases.
The reason so many types of providers are qualified for mild cases of mental illness is simply because they are mild cases. The problems are often a bump in the road of life that will go away on its own and the mental health provider becomes a shock absorber to make the ride a bit more comfortable.
Next in part 3 Connecting the Dots will talk about moderate mental illness and the available options. They are much more limited as a higher level of education is required of the provider.
Next part 3 Here
