How to Find a Psychologist Near Me

Author By Wendy Wisner, Contributor
Posted:

If you are reading this, you are probably hoping to start therapy with a psychologist, either for the first time, or after some time away. Congratulations! Making the decision to go to therapy takes courage, resilience, and self-awareness — but the benefits of therapy are worth it.

Now that you’ve committed to starting therapy, you are probably wondering: “How Can I Find A Psychologist Near Me?” This is an overwhelming question for many of us. You may feel lost about where to start in your search for a psychologist near you. Or it may feel like there are too many options, and you don’t have enough guidance to wade through the choices.

It’s normal for this process to feel daunting at first. Remember that all of us who have gone to therapy had to start by searching, and there are many resources out there to aid you and make the process smoother. Continue reading How to Find a Psychologist Near Me

Why Following Wellness Trends Isn’t Always Beneficial to Your Mental Health

Author By Brittney Saline
Posted:
wellness trends

Keto. Paleo. Gluten-free. Vegan. Fasting. Four-hour meal windows. Anti-aging creams, hair serums, CBD oil, vitamin water, customized multi-vitamins, IV drips, MCT oil, step counters, and that magic hairbrush that’s supposed to balance the positive and negative ions in your hair. Any of these sound familiar?

We are living in the age of wellness and you can hardly crack a magazine, scroll through social media, or do a Google search without being bombarded with the latest theory on how to be your healthiest, best self.

Ironically, it might just be making your mental health worse. Continue reading Why Following Wellness Trends Isn’t Always Beneficial to Your Mental Health

What is Life Like After a Mass Shooting? Parkland’s Lizzie Eaton Shares Her Mental Health Story

Author By Lizzie Eaton
Posted:
Lizzie Eaton

As time passed, I kept squeezing more and more into my hiding spot thinking that I could be next. Despite the news and confirmation of what was happening, I could not wrap my mind around the reality.

As the story kept updating, the number of casualties went up and up. I couldn’t fathom that my friends were getting shot, that there were videos of bodies on the floor flooding social media. I just kept thinking this could not be real. While I waited in my classroom, I sat not knowing if I would be the next victim, if my friends were hurt, or if I would ever see my family again.

You never think it will happen at your school, in your community, to you and your friends. And then it does. Continue reading What is Life Like After a Mass Shooting? Parkland’s Lizzie Eaton Shares Her Mental Health Story

The Cycle of Gun Violence: Is Social Contagion or Mental Illness to Blame?

Author By Jamie Wiebe, Contributor
Posted:
media on gun control

Americans are calling for gun reform after the terrifying increase in mass shootings. Some also urge increasing national funding for mental health, claiming that these disorders are responsible for the uptick in violence. However, the American Psychological Association (APA) recently claimed that social contagion, not exclusively mental illness, is responsible for the wave of mass shootings. Continue reading The Cycle of Gun Violence: Is Social Contagion or Mental Illness to Blame?

Bullying Awareness Month: Bullying’s Impact on Mental Health

Author By Jessica Weinberger, Contributor
Posted:
young girl crying from bullying

One teen remembers the pushing, the physical threats, and intimidation from a school bully during middle school. He developed severe depression, going from a “semi-loud guy” to a quiet one. He hoped for a fresh start at a new high school, only to find his bully had chosen the same school and began spreading malicious rumors about him. It was a self-described hell, which he described on the Pacer Center’s Teens Against Bullying website, where hundreds of other teens share their own accounts of bullying.

The National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice estimates that about 20% of students ages 12 to 18 experience bullying nationwide. The effects of bullying — whether physical, verbal, or relational — are far reaching. October is National Bullying Prevention Month, an opportunity to raise awareness and provide tools for change. That includes broadening the conversation by discussing the impact on victims’ mental health. Continue reading Bullying Awareness Month: Bullying’s Impact on Mental Health

Mental Illness Awareness Week: The Benefits of a Mental Health Checkup

Author By Tamara Stevens, Clinical Psychologist
Posted:
therapist giving mental health check up

October 10th is the World Health Organization’s World Mental Health Day and all week long is recognized as Mental Illness Awareness Week. Geared toward raising awareness and improving access to mental health care, this day reminds us of the importance of mental health in our daily lives. Unfortunately, many of us don’t think about taking care of mental health until there’s a problem. Continue reading Mental Illness Awareness Week: The Benefits of a Mental Health Checkup

The Good Stress: How Eustress Helps You Grow

Author By Jamie Wiebe, Contributor
Posted:
dad teaching daughter how to ride bike experiencing eustress or good stress

Americans are more stressed than ever — but if you’re a glass-half-full kind of person, that statistic might not be so terrifying. There are two types of stress: the awful, normal stress that leads to late-night hair-tearing sessions, and eustress, or good stress.

Good stress? It’s not as wild as you think. If you’re a scary movie fan, you know the feeling: The killer is right around the corner, the last protagonist alive is hiding behind the tree, and your heart is pounding. Yes, you’re stressed. You’re also excited, intrigued, and eager to keep watching.

You’ll experience bouts of eustress throughout your life, and it’s easy to mistake them for regular distress. Perhaps you’re about to start your first year at college. Sure, you’re petrified; You’ll be living alone in a new place where you know no one.

Eustress pushes you to new heights. It encourages you to dive into new career experiences, finish that tough workout, and take on that major renovation project.

Here’s what you need to know about stress’s less-scary side. Continue reading The Good Stress: How Eustress Helps You Grow

4 Questions About Addictive Personalities Answered

Author By Elizabeth Su, Contributor
Posted:
wine glass at the dinner table

Often, people ask me why I often avoid drinking alcohol, refuse to get an Apple Watch, or stray away from diets like the plague. I say it’s because I have “an addictive personality.” What I usually mean when I say this, is that I have a tendency to numb my feelings or get carried away with an activity to the point of compulsion — instead of regulating my nervous system in a more balanced, healthier way.

Let me explain. If I have a bad day at work or catch a wave of social anxiety at a group event, like a wedding, my first instinct is to make that feeling go away. What is one of the quickest ways to do that? Alcohol…which is why I have to be careful. More times than not, my desire to drink alcohol is directly tied to my desire to escape uncomfortable feelings. Red flag!

Similarly, I used to get so overwhelmed with making “healthy” food and lifestyle choices that I would go overboard on how much food restricted and how much I would exercise. It felt like an “all or nothing” game to me. Much like my relationship with alcohol, it was the motive behind restricting food and exercising a lot that became an issue. Continue reading 4 Questions About Addictive Personalities Answered

5 Signs of Acute Stress Disorder

Author By Sarah Domingo
Posted:
man stressed on bus

Two years ago, my car hydroplaned during a heavy snowstorm and crashed into another car. While my car was totaled, everyone walked away from the accident with only a few small cuts and bruises. However, for about a month afterwards, all I could think about was this event. I was constantly on edge, from the moment I woke up agitated in the morning, until I was trying to calm down at night and sleep. Driving — something I used to enjoy — became a deep fear. After that month, my constant feelings and thoughts circling around the event eventually dissipated, and I was able to carry on with my daily life. What gives?

It was something more than simply “getting over” this car accident. After researching the topic and speaking to a licensed therapist, I realized that I had experienced symptoms of a condition called Acute Stress Disorder (ASD). This anxiety condition is relatively new in the psychological field, and it shares many of the same symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Continue reading 5 Signs of Acute Stress Disorder

Donate Your Health Care Data Today

Author By Oren Frank, Cofounder & CEO of Talkspace
Posted:
health-care-data

This post, Donate Your Health Care Data Today, was originally published as an opinion piece in The New York Times’ ‘The Privacy Project’ on October 2nd, 2019.

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably become increasingly concerned about your data, and for good reason: It seems that every day, we wake up to news about a new data breach or privacy violation, encouraging collective paranoia to travel widely and well.

This fear is perhaps most justified when it comes to matters as intimate as our health — there is something haunting about the image of an attacker with unauthorized access to our treatment records, medication protocol and comprehensive electronic health records. On the other hand, should we really be so worried that people will find out about our history of arrhythmia or the results of a recent blood test? In reality, it is not the existence of this data that’s dangerous but the intent of the agents who can obtain it and what they choose to use it for.

Continue reading Donate Your Health Care Data Today