A difficult time in your life; such as losing a loved one, experiencing chronic illness, or financial problems may wear you out and overwhelm your ability to cope with life.
Through these times, it's comforting to have support to heal your inner wound.
The biggest obstacle while trying to manage my mental health was the cost of it all.
If you’re reading this blog, my guess is that you’re going through the same struggles.
So without further ado,
I’d like to share the different therapy options I've tried over the years & my honest opinion on how these experiences have helped improve my mental health.
WHY IS MENTAL HEALTH SO IMPORTANT?
Mental health affects how we think, feel, and act.
It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.
It's important to care for your mental health because it can help you to:
- Cope with the stresses in your life
- Realize your full potentials
- Work Productively
- Maintain / Build healthy relationships
- Be physically healthy
Neglecting your mental health can lead to more serious health complications such as:
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Weakened immune system
- Asthma
- Obesity
- Gastronomical problems
So in times where you feel like your mental health isn't on your A-game, what type of support can you get depending on your budget?
1. IN-PERSON THERAPY
Cost: Working with a licensed therapy generally ranges from $65 - $250 per hour or more.
Opinion: Full disclosure - I was only able to work with my therapist for only a few sessions.
Even with my work health insurance, the cost per session was too high for me to continue further on a regular basis.
Did it help? - Absolutely.
Apart from the cost, in-person therapy was the best experience I’ve had working with a therapist, and I believe it's due to the face-to-face interaction.
Subtle messages can be exchanged through eye contact and body languages & in-person therapy allows you to notice all these minor details (for both you and your therapist).
In comforting atmosphere, I genuinely felt that I had my therapist's undivided attention during the sessions which ultimately helped me to be more open and vulnerable during my sessions.
2. ONLINE SUBSCRIPTION THERAPY
After the pandemic, we're now more acceptable to communicating online & online therapy is becoming more common.
They're often advertised as "more affordable" alternative to therapy.
When I did a my research on online therapy, there were two major subscription based services: Betterhelp & Talkspace.
Here are some of the differences between the two services:
|
Betterhelp |
Talkspace |
|
|
Cost |
Begins at $60 per week ($260 per month):
|
|
|
Services Offered |
Therapy |
Therapy & Psychiatry |
|
Discounts |
You can apply for financial aid |
Discounts available for biannually or quarterly payments |
Based on my session preferences and pricing, I've decided to sign up with Betterhelp.
Please note that licensed therapists with Betterhelp are unable able prescribe any medications. (If your conditions are more serious and require medication, I recommend Talkspace.)
Opinion: Depending on your Wi-Fi connection, you might experience occasional delays while talking to your therapist.
In times, I found this distracting and felt unconnected with my therapist all together.
But being able to hold a session in my personal space was cozy and convenient.
Overall, it's definitely an excellent and more affordable alternative to in-person therapy.
Monthly subscription including 4 video sessions (45-60 minutes per session depending on your therapist) equals to an hour of in-person therapy session.
BONUS!
- Sign up with Betterhelp HERE to receive 1 week free trial
- Sign up with Talkspace HERE to receive $200 towards your therapy
3. SELF-HELP APPS
For some, $200-$300 a month on therapy may not be much.
But it's definitely not the luxury I can afford.
Despite my financial crisis, I wasn't ready to give up on working on my mental health.
Which is why I did some digging, and discovered a self-help therapy app called Bloom.
Bloom offers cognitive-behavioral-therapy (CBT) combined with interactive video classes with journaling and mindfulness exercises to help you improve your mental well-being.
Cost: $59.95 per year or $14.50 per month.
Opinion: It can't be compared to talking to a real life therapist, because the exercises are pre-recorded.
So you won't receive instant feedback on your specific situations.
But, Bloom offers different meditation videos, and CBT exercises to help you recognize and process your thought patterns.
Just to give you a glimpse, here are some of the CBT exercises available:
- Reducing stress
- Coping with grief
- Processing a breakup
- Navigating through conflict
The best part?
I can revisit any time and for as many times I need to.
I also like how I can use the app as a journal to set my intentions for the day in the morning, and unwind in the evening by practicing nighttime breathwork.
If you haven't checked it out yet, I highly recommend that you do!
Bloom not only helps me to navigate through my struggles on days where I experience anxiety and depressive episodes on a budget tight month, but it also helps me to stay motivated and productive.
4. FREE SUPPORT
Koko is a non-profit peer-to-peer chat service offering words of comfort from real people.
Why do they offer the service for free?
Because their mission is to make mental health accessible to everyone!
You can find mini courses on topics including stress, eating disorders, anxiety, and self harm.
They also match online resources specific to your situations.
Keep in mind, Koko is not a formal mental health service.
But it helps to gain perspective on something that’s troubling you.
Free and anonymous.
HAVE YOU DECIDED WHAT'S RIGHT FOR YOU?
When we get physically ill, we visit a doctor - Right?
So why should we neglect getting help & support when we're struggling mentally and emotionally?
In order to fully care for ourselves, not only should we look after our physical health on a regular basis, but our mental health as well.
In addition to the resources listed above, you can also improve your mental health by meditating, using relaxation techniques, and practicing gratitude.
I sincerely hope this blog post helped find the support you were looking for.
If you have any questions or other suggestions, (or just want to chat), please leave a comment lovelies!
