Think Good, Feel Good

If you've spent any substantial amount of time plopped in front of a television, you've probably seen some sort of media representation of therapy, mental illness, and mental health professionals. Fortunately, the increased visibility of the mental health field helps to diminish the stigma surrounding mental illness and seeking treatment. Unfortunately, therapists' are oftentimes portrayed as unprofessional and ethically flexible individuals who have compromising relationships with their clients. In this post, I will explore common tropes about mental health and mental health professionals that are portrayed in the media. Sex with clients Many therapists have personal friendships or even sexual relationships with their clients while they are treating them, or shortly after treatment is terminated. In the popular sitcom "How I Met Your Mother," one of the main characters is court mandated to attend therapy, and within a few months the two share a sexual relationshi

  Thank you for the contributions to this blog post! I appreciate the widespread willingness to submit questions and am happy to answer questions I receive about myself, therapy, and the search for a mental health provider.  Let's get started with the first three questions: 1.) How much does therapy cost?  The cost of therapy depends on a few factors: who is providing the service and what their credentials are, insurance coverage, and the type of practice you are working with. Firstly, costs can vary greatly depending upon whom is the mental health provider. The table below from Thervo (2021) illustrates the differences in average rates of various mental health providers. Notably, these figures are for specialists in Columbus, OH. Specialist Average Cost Per Session Psychiatrist $100 – $200 Psychologist $70 – $150 Counselor $20 – $80 Psychotherapist $100 – $300 Insurance is also another variables that must be considered in examining the prices of counseling. Most of my clients who

 "Maybe you should talk to someone..." The words that evoke feelings of anxiety, anger, shame, confusion, and concern for so many.  So what does it even mean? To "talk" to "someone".  We know that by "someone", the person really means a counselor or therapist. Even with all of the progress that has been made in destigmatizing seeking help for mental health concerns, there is still some level of offense that is often interpreted when we consider the thought that others may perceive us as someone who needs to talk to "someone".  So, this begs the question, what kind of people need to go to therapy? To be brief, if you inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, therapy will most likely prove beneficial.  Whether you are going through a difficult life event such as a divorce, loss of a loved one, dealing with prolonged grief, difficult relationships in your life, career concerns, or stress of any kind, or you have been living with symptoms of

                                                                            It isn't groundbreaking to suggest that physical health and mental health are connected. These two facets of health can create a sort of "chicken and egg" scenario. Is poor mental health a cause of a physical problem? Is a physical problem a manifestation of a mental health issue? The two do not have a strictly one-way linear relationship, as would be easy to believe.   In other words, it isn't simply a one way street; we can't assume exclusively that poor mental health leads to poor physical health or good physical health leads to good mental health. Instead, we need to consider that the relationship is much more intertwined, with both aspects of health contributing to factors of the other.  This tells us that there are physical steps we can take toward mental wellness, and steps we can take towards mental wellness that will also benefit our physical health. Below are a few examples of co