Hi lovelies.
Mid February can easily bring with it the mid-winter blues. I know, at least for my east coast folks, that we are deep in the chilly months where snowfall is equally as prevalent as sleet, hail gray days, making it difficult to get outside and freshen our mindsets.
I want to remind people that getting help is a strength not a weakness; that it is okay to not be okay and that there is help and hope out there. Recognizing and allowing yourself to receive help is the first big and important step in one’s healing journey. But the process of actually receiving help is a whole other process — one that can be quite exhausting and challenging, especially when dealing with a debilitating mental illness and/or just the winter blues.
For this reason, I want to provide some cost-effective services that make connecting with a therapist a tad of an easier process.
Mental health directories, such as Psychology Today and GoodTherapy.org, enable you to search for sliding scale therapists in cities all across the nation. A hassle-free option is Zencare.
Along with these resources, the non-profit Open Path Psychotherapy Collective assists in matching middle- and lower-income people (and families) with affordable mental health services. Their listings showcase over 12,445 therapists, and you have the option to filter the specialists by race, gender, and language. This system makes finding a therapist that best suits you and your needs effortless. The specialists are always accepting new clients, are available to meet online, and are easily accessible — just click the send button via email to get in contact.
To reiterate, simply the act of formatting an email to a therapist ( a potentially emotional and/or stigmatized task) can be really challenging. I know this first hand. Thus, I have crafted a template that you can choose to use if you want when contacting a therapist. Hopefully, this template makes reaching out for help easier and more accessible. Remember: you deserve care and love — and this care and love is out there, waiting to give you the tools you may need to become stronger, healthier and happier. While I still live with depression and trauma, my experience with therapy has helped me navigate these dark patches and make them less intense, more manageable and not as prolonged. I am incredibly grateful and proud of the inner work I have done with the help of my therapist.
I am cheering you all on and believing in you all SO deeply. You are beautiful and uniquely yourself and deserve to prioritize yourself and your mental wellbeing.
With so much love,
Julia
Therapist Outreach Template
Not sure of what to say in reaching out to a therapist for the first time?
Here’s a template you can use:
SUBJECT LINE: Seeking Consultation
Body:
Hello –
I am [INSERT YOUR NAME HERE]. I am seeking mental health support. I am struggling with [XXX]. Are you accepting new patients? If so, what are your payment options?
(If you have insurance, insert: Do you accept [INSERT INSURANCE PLAN NAME]?)
(OPTIONAL: Are you equipped to provide culturally competent care, unpacking racial trauma?)
Thank you,
[INSERT NAME AND YOUR CONTACT INFO HERE]
