May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental Health American has been creating awareness of mental health issues since 1949 and is still going strong.
Mental Health America has two campaigns this year. The first is Do More for 1 in 4. What does this mean? It’s a call to action! 1 in 4 American adults live with a diagnosable, treatable mental health condition & can live full and productive lives. The second campaign is Live Well! It's Essential for Your Potential. This focuses on educating the public about mental wellness and the ways people can improve their mental state.
To do our part this month, we want to share you a few ways of finding a mental health provider and what some of the different specialties of mental health professionals mean.
How does one even know where to start when looking for a mental health provider? There are a few ways:
2. Out of area? That’s Ok! Ask your primary physician for a referral.
3. Contact a crisis center in your area.
4. Your insurance directory provides a list of providers.
5. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Visit http://mentalhealth.samhsa.
6. Some communities have a mental health center.
7. Medicare offers a list of participating doctors on its website, www.medicare.gov. (Click on “Find a Doctor”).
Now you have ways to find a mental health provider, now the question becomes what is the right type of provider for you. We have touched upon the differences between psychiatrists (Dr. Kulik) and psychologists in past blogs, but here are some other professionals that may surprise you.
A Child/Adolescent Psychologist has special training in the diagnosis and treatment of emotional and behavioral problems in children. Our staff: Dr. Alexandria Laris.
Clinical Social Worker is a counselor with a master’s degree in social work trained to make diagnoses and provide individual and group counseling. Our staff: Charles Preyar and Trudi Lewis.
Licensed Professional Counselor is a counselor with a master’s degree in psychology, counseling or a related field trained to diagnose and provide individual and group counseling. Our staff: Lauren Pac, Sheryl Ankrom, Maureen Sanderson, and Jill Hughes.
Marital and Family Therapist is a counselor with a master’s degree, with special education and training in marital and family therapy trained to diagnose and provide individual and group counseling. Our staff member: Michelle Mannino Purkey.
Neuropsychology studies the structure and function of the brain related to specific psychological processes and behaviors. Neuropsychological assessment involves the evaluation of various cognitive domains using standardized assessment procedures. Our staff: Michelle Pagoria and Amy Swier-Vosnos.
Nurse Practitioners are an advanced practice nurse. They have completed graduate-level education, either with a Master's or a Doctoral degree, and are trained in medical conditions. Unlike physicians, Nurse Practitioners are licensed through nursing boards instead of medical boards. Nurse Practitioners perform many jobs, such as counseling and educating patients on health behaviors, perform physical exams, physical therapy, and order tests. Nurse Practitioners can also be a person's primary healthcare provider depending upon the state. Our staff: Nathan Jaisingh, Dalia Garrett, Amber Gross, Kathryn Cavitt, Elizabeth Wengel, Lucinda Clark.
Pastoral Counselor is a member of clergy with training in clinical pastoral education trained to diagnose and provide individual and group counseling. You can find Pastoral Counselors in your church.
Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor is a counselor with specific clinical training in alcohol and drug abuse trained to diagnose and provide individual and group counseling.
Mental Health America. (2011). Getting Help for your 1 in 4. Retrieved from http://www.
Mental Health America. (2011). May is Mental Health Month 2011. Retrieved from http://www.
Image by United Nations. Retrieved from
http://www.flickr.com/photos/un_photo/3546066619/sizes/z/in/photostream/License: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
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