Finding a Therapist During the COVID-19 Crisis
Contact Your Doctor
While it’s easy to feel disconnected during the COVID-19 pandemic, your primary care physician or family doctor is just a phone or video call away. Whether you normally see your doctor on a regular basis or maybe your annual appointment is a few years overdue, your doctor can help you navigate the emotions you’re feeling and prescribe medication to manage symptoms of stress, anxiety, or depression. Your doctor can also be your trusted resource to a network of medical professionals who specialize in a variety of types of therapy. Therapists and psychologists primarily focus on talk therapy and managing emotions to solve problems. A patient may also be referred to a psychologist if the patient may benefit from a medical diagnosis and treatment plan with prescribed medication. Whether prescribed medication by your doctor or psychiatrist, remember to search for a prescription coupon to receive your discount prescription or present your discount card at the pharmacy.
Stay Connected and Consistent
How do you connect with your therapist when maintaining social distance is a must? Just like the rest of the medical world has shifted to treating patients virtually, so have therapists! Therapists have offered one-on-one and group sessions by phone or video calls while maintaining complete confidentiality from the comfort of the patient’s and therapist’s home long before social distancing guidelines were put in place.
Skip the Appointment and Source Your Own Therapist
Online therapy programs, or Telehealth1, have become widely accepted, especially during the pandemic as the world experiences shared stress. Online platform, BetterHelp2, has a counselor directory filled with licensed and accredited therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and clinical social workers who can be assigned to you based on your identified objectives and preferences during sign up. Similarly, Talkspace3 offers flexible membership plans for 24/7 access to messaging and video conferencing. Telehealth platforms and apps offer practical therapy options at affordable rates and are standing by to help you stay on top of your mental health.
Manage Your Mental Health Between Therapy Appointments
There are many apps dedicated to managing your mental health that can be used alongside regularly scheduled therapy. Information on COVID-19 is constantly evolving and can provoke unexpected panic and stress. For moments when you need to ease your mind, and quick, tracking your emotions and maintaining good habits during stressful situations can have a positive impact. What’s Up, a free cognitive behavioral therapy app, works as a journal to log your emotions and reinforce healthy habits. For extremely stressful situations, utilize the “Catastrophe Scale” to gain perspective on the weight of emotions. Check in on your emotional wellbeing with Calm4, the app that focuses on meditation and mindfulness for stress management. A subscription to the Calm app gives users access to guided meditations, sleep stories, and stress management sessions to help calm nerves and refocus thoughts. Find cost savings with a discount prescription with the America’s Pharmacy app. While COVID-19 comes with much uncertainty, you can feel confident in managing your savings with a prescription coupon. You can also manage your recently placed prescriptions and refills within the app and locate your nearest pharmacy.
Download the America’s Pharmacy app and start saving
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Sources:
1. https://positivepsychology.com/teletherapy/