SEEKING HELP

DAMIAN MORRIS multimedia editor WINTER RACINE photographer

From finding the right provider to understanding insurance coverage, navigating the mental health system can prove intimidating to many.

Jessica Ulrich, director of Counseling Services, said she encourages those who may feel scared or intimidated by the process to contact Counseling Services. She said they can help simplify many of these steps through various forms of support such as assistance in understanding their treatment options and referrals to community providers.

“Therapy is a mutual relationship a client has with a counselor or therapist that they’re working with,” Ulrich said. “It allows the individual to be able to work on presenting concerns that they have. Therapy can definitely differ from person to person but typically speaking, there is a mutually agreed upon goal that you’re working towards, and therapy is supposed to be a place where someone can support you in reaching that goal.”

Assistant Social Work Professor Aidan Ferguson also said it’s important to remember that denying a provider based on a lack of connection or comfort with them will not be taken personally.

“The most important predictor of positive outcomes in therapy is actually the therapeutic relationship,” Furguson said. “Every mental health care provider out there knows that not everyone is going to fit with your therapeutic style, and that’s okay. There’s no hard feelings if you walk into a therapist’s office, you have your first session, and you’re like, ‘Something about this is just not jiving with me.’”

CAMELA SHARP reporter

In order to maintain mental health, seeking professional help is almost always key. But it’s also good to keep in mind and be aware of another component: self-care.

Sarah Conoyer, an associate professor in psychology and licensed clinical psychologist, said that self-care is doing things that build your ability to be motivated to cater to your responsibilities.

“I see it as not just doing things that we enjoy, but sometimes it’s having boundaries with people, sometimes it’s saying no to things that you maybe want to do but you can’t do because we can only do so many things,” Conoyer said.

Conoyer said that self-care is important to mental health because through self-care, we become more mentally healthy.

“I think often we get some of those mental health needs met through those self-care practices. It’s not just about being happy, but I think it is a connection of being able to be self aware to know enough of what it is that is maybe good for you and maybe isn’t so good for you,” Conoyer said.

Carlee Hawkins, an associate professor in psychology at SIUE and social psychologist, said that a lack of self-care starts this chain reaction of problems. Simply not feeling well will affect the way we behave and feel about ourselves and our outlook on the world.

“It’s a downward spiral,” Hawkins said. “When we present to the world and to people around us as tense, anxious, worried, stressed. Chaos machine. Running around everywhere. When we present like that, it’s contagious, it stresses other people out.”

Hawkins also said the importance of self-care is demonstrated by the negatives of neglecting it.

“Over time that can lead to disease and disability and death,” Hawkins said. “Because no one else can do it for us and we have to do it for ourselves or it doesn’t happen. And if we neglect our self-care then we start to disconnect and then we start to degrade.”