SEEKING HELP - WHERE TO BEGIN

Regardless of whether you suffer from depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, or some other kind of problem, you can begin the process of selecting a therapist or program by compiling a list of names.   Get recommendations from friends, doctors, and people who have had positive experiences with mental health professionals or treatment programs specializing in your areas of concern.

Names of therapists and treatment centers specific to your concerns can also be obtained from hospitals, libraries, police departments, university health or counseling centers, your or your partner’s employee and family support programs, or 12 Step programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (https://www.aa.org), Narcotics Anonymous (http://www.na.org), Overeaters Anonymous (https://oa.org), Al-Anon (http://www.al-anon.org) and Ala-Teen  (https://al-anon.org/newcomers/teen-corner-alateen/), Adult Children of Alcoholics (https://adultchildren.org) and Nar-Anon (https://www.nar-anon.org).   

Other potential sources of names are local social service agencies. These are usually run by either the city or county and can be located by accessing the home page for your city or county.  

You can also contact local, state, or national hotlines for Support for Trauma or Abuse (https://pa.performcare.org/self-management-wellness/trauma/hotlines.aspx), Psych Central Common Hotlines (https://psychcentral.com/lib/common-hotline-phone-numbers/), Teen Health & Wellness (https://teenhealthandwellness.com/static/hotlines), as well as local or state chapters of the American Psychiatric Association (https://www.psychiatry.org/), the American Psychological Association (https://www.apa.org/), the National Association of Social Workers (https://www.socialworkers.org/), or the International Society for the Study of Traumatic Stress (https://www.istss.org/).

Any of the above organizations may have lists of qualified professionals and licensed treatment programs.

Military Organizations Helping Active Duty Military and Their Families

            - Official website of the Military Health Care (https://health.mil/)

            - Military One Source (https://www.militaryonesource.mil/) Scroll down and go to "Health & Wellness"; then go to "Mental Health."

            - VA Health Care (https://www.va.gov/health-care/ ("Veterans Crisis Line" link))

            - Army ( https://www.army.mil/ [go to "ARMY A-Z"; scroll down and go to the desired option: (examples: "24 Hour Counseling Hot Line - Army One Source" or "Army Medicine")]

            - Navy  (https://www.navy.mil/ (go to "Links"; then "My Navy Portal"; then "Quick Links"; scroll down to the bottom to go to "Navy 311"; scroll down to the bottom and go to "Medical" to see available resources.)

            - Marines (www.usmc.mil (then go to "Family" for links to Tricare, DSTRESS Line, Community Counseling, or Military OneSource)

            - Air Force (www.af.mil (Quick Links at bottom of page - go to "Suicide Prevention" which takes you to the Air Force Medical Service webpage)

 Organizations Helping Veterans and their Families

Veterans and their families can seek assistance at their closest Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) and at the closest Vet Center (often called Outreach Veteran Center of Department of Veteran Affairs). Consult your local library or hospital to locate the VAMC or Vet Center nearest you or go to https://www.va.gov/health/vamc or https://www.vetcenter.va.gov.

Veteran’s service organizations, such as the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Disabled American Veterans, Blinded Veterans Association, and Wounded Warriors Project, may also be able to provide you with assistance and names of qualified mental health professionals and reputable treatment programs.

 A complete listing of veteran service organization is available from https://www.va.gov/vso.

 Organizations Helping Victims of Domestic Violence and Other Crimes

 If you are a victim of crime, the police may a have a useful referral list.

 Victims of sexual assault and/or domestic violence can also contact local rape crisis hotlines (https://centers.rainn.org --or-- http://crisiscallcenter.org/sass/24-hour-response) or the sexual assault or abused person’s programs sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services of your local county, for example: https://www3.montgomerycountymd.gov/311/Solutions.aspx?SolutionId=1-50YHBL.

 The following organizations may also offer help:

 Survivors of Incest Anonymous (https://siawso.org), the National Child Abuse Hotline, Childhelp USA (https://www.childhelp.org), The National Coalition against Domestic Violence (http://www.ncadv.org) and local chapters of NOW (National Organization for Women) (https://now.org) for referrals.

 Other women’s organizations may also have lists of qualified professionals.

Copyright (c) 2018  Aphrodite Matsakis.  All Rights Reserved