6 Ways to Support Counseling Awareness Month

Happy Counseling Awareness Month! As a member of the American Counseling Association, there's a big part of me that relishes in my role as an advocate for communicating on a larger scale about mental and emotional health. In an effort to inspire you to join the conversation around these issues, I'm sharing 6 Ways to Support Counseling Awareness Month.

Get to know a provider and learn what we actually do

There is still a lot of confusion about what mental health counselors or psychotherapists really do, and to be honest, it's hard to explain! In a nutshell, professional counselors work to help people achieve their life goals, typically using various forms of talk therapy. Most of us have experience helping people with severe and persistent diagnoses such as bipolar disorders or schizophrenia to helping others with other life changes and relationship concerns.  There is a lot of variety in the field which largely depends on the counselor's interests and their work setting.

Read our websites (and visit Instagram) and share our articles with a friend or loved one. Just spreading the word can be a great way to spread awareness and get to know what mental health counselors really do.

Show your loved ones that you care.

One of the most helpful ways that you can help us honor the profession of mental health counseling and promote wellness is to refer a friend or family member, who you know is having a difficult time, to a therapist. Oftentimes, we overlook some of the signs that our friends or loved ones might need some extra support. Sometimes they can not get adequate support from us or the other people in their lives. For them, counseling can be a god-send. If you are concerned about someone you love, express your concern and suggest that they consult with a psychotherapist for further support. Who knows, that conversation may be just what they need to get back on track.

Use your voice to fight stigma

This month you can use your voice and online presence to fight the stigma about mental health issues. Embrace wellness by treating mental health illnesses just like any other diagnosis. Have conversations with others about their emotional health and well-being. Share ideas of how you practice self-care.  And of course, leverage your social media accounts by using some of the following hashtags:

• #mentalhealthawareness
• #StoptheStigma
• #depression
• #anxiety
• #PTSD
• #EndStigma

Exercise compassion and practice random acts of kindness

There is no greater way to honor Counseling Awareness Month than to be a living example of the kind of compassion and care that therapists aim to embody for their clients everyday.  This month, challenge yourself to consciously complete an act of kindness everyday. How can you extend kindness to someone you encounter in your life? You can even make it a 30 day challenge between you and your friends to help spread the word about emotional health.  As Naomi Judd once said, "Slow down, simplify and be kind."

Engage in proper self-care

As many therapists will tell you sometimes it is even hard for us to make sure to engage in proper self-care.  And by self-care I mean taking time to relax and decompress from the responsibilities of work and family.  While most of us love our jobs and have passion for our work and other life roles, it is just as important to give some of that love and care to ourselves as well.  Take five minutes out of your busy day just to sit in silence and breathe.  Take a 10 minute walk alone during your lunch break to stretch your legs and give your brain a bit of a rest.  Write down five things you are grateful for as a way to cap off the day.  No matter what you decide to do, practice the art of loving yourself in a way that works for you.

Share your own story

One of the most powerful ways that you can contribute to the movement of increasing awareness of mental health issues and counseling is to share your own story.  If you are a therapist yourself, share about what made you decide to choose mental health care as your profession or even share a more personal story about how you overcame a difficult time in your life. If you have ever been in therapy or received counseling, this month presents a great opportunity to shout out a counselor who was there for you in your hour of need.

By taking some of the steps listed above you can be sure that you are creating an environment that helps reduce stigma, promote emotional health and empower others to seek out support.  There is strength in numbers and if we gather our voices together we can continue to push emotional health issues to the forefront of mainstream conversations so that we can create a healthier environment for all of our family members, loved ones and friends around the world.

A Discussion on Trauma with Dr. Jamie Marich

Today I'm excited to share with you a video of a TedX Talk with Dr. Jamie Marich, a mental health professional and humanitarian who I've had the pleasure of meeting in person at a training in the city back in 2014.This talk encompasses so much of what Dr. Marich is about:  her centeredness and being grounded in not just the jargon of mental health but the need to be human as we interact with each other's hurts, and not just as professionals but as people.  One quote from Dr. Marich that really stuck out to me so clearly embodies this and her overall philosophy.  Marich shares the following:

"This world is full of hurt people with unhealed emotional wounding. When these wounds remain unaddressed, we play through the game of life in various degrees of an injured state or we run the risk of pervasively harming other people by bleeding all over them, metaphorically speaking."

Check out the powerful and enlightening full TedX Talk below:

Bouncing Back from Injury: Recovery in Mental Health

Recovery has become a buzz word for the substance use treatment community for some time now, but the concept also applies to those who have coped with some serious mental illness or have been challenged by a recent episode.To look further into the concept of recovery I think it might be helpful to move, for a moment, outside of the context of mental health and look at a basic definition for some further insight.If you conduct a quick search on Google you will find "recovery" defined as:

1. a return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength.
2. the action or process of regaining possession or control of something stolen or lost

I actually find both of those definitions helpful in thinking about mental health.Recovery is a process by which one regains something or fosters the development of an area after an injury.  Athletes recover from injuries.  People, more generally speaking, recovery from stresses like abuse, divorces, hospitalizations and bouts of depression.  In both cases it always takes time and some intervention to recover and heal.Healing can be a long and sometimes painful process.  Just like physical therapy, counseling may be uncomfortable at times but the hope is that, just like an athlete, you can emerge on the other side of the "injury" a healthier and more knowledgeable person. In a word, stronger.Think of the many baseball pitchers who have had to have Tommy John surgery in order to pitch again. Think of Grant Hill and his ankle injury in the early 2000s. Consider Amar'e Stoudemire and his various injuries.  We can learn a lot from athletes.One of the most helpful things you can do to move forward in your recovery is to figure out what your new goals are. Think of the accomplishments you want to achieve over the next six months, one year and two years.Here are some questions you may want to ask yourself as you embark on the new part of your journey:

• How do I see myself after I recover?
• What do I want from life?
• What kind of work would I like to do?
• What kind of family environment would I like to have?
• What gives me energy and excites me? What really is my passion?
• And, how do I achieve these things?

As you begin the exploration and healing process, keep a journal, make lists and break down bigger tasks into smaller, more manageable objectives.  Set yourself up for success! And if you find yourself getting stuck along the way, enlist the help of a knowledgeable family member, loved one, or a third-party like a therapist who can work with you to re-create the life you've been hoping for.  And as Nike says, "Just do it!" 

7 Ways to Recognize Mental Health Relapse

Living with a mental illness can be very difficult.  Once you've experienced a hospitilization or sought out the expertise of a mental health professional and recovered, it's important to recognize the signs that the negative impact of your illness may be returning.  This is a concept that we call relapse.

Like someone who is addicted to alcohol or someone who has battled a chronic condition like cancer, a mental health diagnosis can change your perspective on your ability to be "healed" or live a happy and productive life. The honest truth is, you can be satisfied, happy and fulfilled even if you have been previously diagnosed with a mental illness. There's just one trick...It requires hard work.That is over-simplifying recovery a bit and I would remiss not to mention that there are plenty of barriers for a lot of folks out there in seeking mental health care (cost, cultural factors, time, etc.). But those barriers aside, recovery and maintaining optimal mental wellness requires significant hard work and commitment. That's one reason why I have such admiration and respect for my clients as therapy or personal development is not an easy process. To use a running analogy, mental wellness should be thought of as training for a mental marathon. Both take a considerable amount of time, dedication, likely some discomfort or pain and leave you with a great sense of accomplishment and achievement.

A relapse can occur after extremely stressful events or exposure to particularly strong triggers of your past issues.

Relapse is loosely defined as a period when previous symptoms return or the symptoms of your illness worsen. Self awareness is key here, along with the observations of a third party, like a professional mental health counselor.

Here are some warning signs that you may be experiencing a mental health relapse:

• A drastic change in energy levels

• Fatigue

• Increased irritabitliy, anger of frustration

• Not properly maintaining a clean and organized living space

• Not grooming yourself as you normally would (ex. bathing, shaving, putting on makeup, etc.)

• Difficulty concentrating or focusing on tasks

• Loved one's reports that your behavior has changed

Relapse is a common experience for people who have battled emotional issues. There is no shame in acknowledging that symptoms may have re-emerged or worsened. Reach out.  Engage your therapist, psychiatrist or loved ones at the first signs of trouble so that you can get the help you need. There is no shame in relapse.  It is often a part of the process of recovery and can also present an opportunity to develop even deeper understanding, meaning and new ways to cope.

Shedding Light on Suicide: Building Hope and Sharing Resources

Almost 30,000 people in the United States commit suicide each year.  Unfortunately, people with serious mental health conditions resort to suicide often as a way to alleviate crippling emotional pain.  If you are struggling with thoughts of death and suicidal thoughts, here are some tips that may help:

1. Help is only a click (or phone call) away.

There are many local and national helplines that can help you if you are having suicidal thoughts.  First off, if you feel danger is imminent 911 is the best resource. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 is a great resource that will help link you with local resources no matter where you live in the United States.  Those local in New York City can call Lifenet that offers both English (1-800-LIFENET) and Spanish (1-877-298-3373) support lines.  LGBT specific helpline support is available via The Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386. And if you identify as a member of the trans community, there is another great resource called the Trans Lifeline that can be reached at 877-565-8860 in the United States and 877-330-6366 in Canada.

2.  Stay the course.

If you have been prescribed medications for mental health conditions like depression, then continue to take them. Do not stop any prescribed medications unless otherwise directed to by a physician or psychiatrist.  If you feel like these medications are posing some risk to you or have unbearable side effects, contact your prescriber immediately or visit a local emergency room if you feel that need is urgent.

3. Seek out professional, ongoing support.

Continue to utilize therapy or find ongoing support from a therapist.  Suicidal thoughts can be very difficult to deal with, especially alone.  Seek out a professional, licensed therapist to help you work through your immediate feelings and develop a plan that helps you battle your thoughts and move toward a healthier and more satisfied life.  This professional can also provide ongoing support to help you work through any underlying issues or concerns you may be having.

4.  Remind yourself your are not alone.

Suicidal thoughts can be very isolating and it's very difficult to share with others what you may be experiencing internally, especially if there is outside pressure to be happy or to act a certain way, which is common in many cultures.  In those dark moments, gently remind yourself that many others have thoughts of suicide and there is hope for you. There is another way to get through the pain.For more information about suicide prevention please consult with any of the resources linked above. Also, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has a great FAQ page if you or a loved one are experiencing thoughts of suicide.