Mental Health
A mental illness is a medical condition that disrupts a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others and daily functioning
- Guide to getting help
- What to expect: For local offices, when you call expect to be put straight to voicemail. Here you can leave a message saying you are a new client looking for counseling make sure to leave your name and phone number. Expect a call back within a month. Some offices also have email, again expect a call back within a month
- How to choose a therapist
- Read bios! People who will cater to you and will talk about issues you’re facing
- ex “I cater to the worried well”
- “I am a member of the LGBTQ+ community and love working with them”
- “I specialize in trauma-informed practice”
- Do a trial run
- Many therapists have free or discounted-rate 15-30 minute consultations to “try them out”
- By doing this, you can see if you will click
- Know your licenses (MI only)
- License titles differ by state, but they can all do relatively the same things
- On psychology today you can over over the license title and it will tell you what it means
- LLPC — a limited licensed professional counselor. Usually people in a master’s program working toward a full license. They are completing their internship required to graduate. They usually will charge less.
- LPC —a licensed professional counselor. they have to pass the national counselor exam and have graduated from an accredited master’s program in counseling
- LMFT — licensed marriage and family therapist. They graduate from a COAMFTE accredited program, pass an exam, and do an internship.
- LMSW — licensed master of social work. graduate from an accredited masters program in social work.
- LP — licensed psychologist. have completed a doctorate program and obtained license to practice
- LLP — limited license psychologist. like an LLPC but for doctorate, rather than master’s, students
- Read bios! People who will cater to you and will talk about issues you’re facing
- Your first in-person or telehealth therapy appointment
- Ask you generally what your goals for therapy are
- What you’re struggling with
- Make short and long term goals
- Get to know you! who are you and why are you here
- Reasons a therapist may not be the right fit
- doesn’t respect boundaries
- talks too much about themselves
- personalities clash
- you’re not making progress
- don’t have experience with your problems
Helpful Organizations
- Psychology today! https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/michigan?gclid=Cj0KCQjwuLShBhC_ARIsAFod4fJC72p7-zEU8LHotjUrl0zWITIyCyB3oLeXg-MKCsGdimm4TPeQ6eoaAlLyEALw_wcB
- Sort by insurance
- Sort by type of issue (anxiety, depression, LGBTQ issues)
- Bios often include if they are taking clients, waitlists, pricing, and how to contact them
- Sort by types of therapy
- Sort by kind of therapist (preferred gender, religion, sexuality)
- ProjectHealthyMinds
- Takes a multi-pronged approach on …
- The mental health crisis and closing the treatment gap by focusing on the barriers that prevent people from getting support
- The mission
- Tackling one of the defining issues of our generation - the growing mental health crisis
- Statistics of Mental Health in Today’s Society
- It’s a global epidemic: More than 615 million people globally suffer from a mental health condition – twice the entire population of the United States
- It’s getting worse: Depression skyrocketed three-fold during the pandemic. Recent studies found 1 in 4 young adults considred suicide in the last month
- It’s everyone’s business: In addition to the massive personal toll, depression and anxiety account for $1 trillion in lost productivity globally every year
- Takes a multi-pronged approach on …
- Heyyou Project
- A new clothing brand that gives 15 % of profits to Suicide Prevention and Mental Health awareness (National Alliance on Mental Illness and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention).
- This brand makes clothes that spread positivity without speaking.
- With these fundraisers, the heyyou project is able to raise awareness about mental health issues and spread positivity outside of clothes with billboards, creative content, and influencer partnerships
- Start Your Recovery
- A groundbreaking new website that serves as a one-stop shop for finding local resources & support for substance abuse disorders.
- Concise, consolidated list including rehabilitation centers across Michigan, both upper and lower peninsula.
- Sort by insurance, offered services, city, type of detoxification, language, specialty groups and more to find the right location for you.
- Search for clinic options here: https://startyourrecovery.org/treatment/rehab-centers/michigan
NMU Counseling and Consultation Services
- Link to web page: https://nmu.edu/counselingandconsultation/
- Guide to services: https://nmu.edu/counselingandconsultation/guidelines-clients
- Phone Number: (906) 227-2980
- Counseling and Consultation Services provides services for NMU students and is located in 3405 Hedgcock on the second floor (opposite side from Melted). The office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Phone Number: (906) 227-2980
Crisis hotlines are available 24/7
- Call: (906) 482-4357, Text: (906) 356-3337, Chat: https://dialhelp.org/
- National Alliance on Mental Illness:
- National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
- Franklin County Suicide Hotline (Call and Text) : 614-221-5445
Pathway: https://www.pathwaysup.org/
- Crisis hotline: 1-888-728-4929
- Access to services: 1-888-906-9060
- Free crisis counseling between 5pm and 8am and on weekends
- Phone Number: (855) 384-1800
- Crisis Text line
- Text HOME to 741741 (Free Crisis Line )
- suicide prevention hotline
- 988
Mental Health Podcasts
- CWC Talks: The College Mental Health Podcast
- “provides honest conversations on mental health issues facing college students”
- A Slight Change of Plans
- “fun, intimate podcast which dives into human behavior and all the ways in which we change and evolve”.
- Meditation Minis
- “provides short bouts of varied meditation techniques that can be done in 15 minutes or less”.
Mental Health Activities
- Yoga / Fitness
- “yoga with adriene” on youtube for free!
- yoga and fitness classes available at the Fit Zone and Peif (free for NMU students)
- https://nmu.edu/recsports/fitness-classes find classes and times through this link
- Unity Yoga Studio - drop in classes & donation based
- Mindfulness meditation
- Reading
- Hiking / naturistic activities
- Hike October: https://www.hikeformentalhealth.org/hike-schedule/hikeoctober/
- Check out the NMU Conservation Crew!
- Hike October: https://www.hikeformentalhealth.org/hike-schedule/hikeoctober/
- Listen to music
- keep a journal
- Making art
- Art Therapy Club @nmu
- Making a gratitude list
Mental Health Apps
All apps listed below offer free access, although some may have in-app purchases for enhanced features.
- Better Stop Suicide
- best for: suicide awareness, positive thinking
- “help people who are having suicidal thoughts by encouraging their minds to slow, calm down, and think rationally”.
- iBreathe
- best for: stress, breathing techniques
- simple way to reduce stress and anxiety
- MindShift
- best for: anxiety
- “provide anxiety relief using CBT tools to adjust thinking and behaviors”.
- Happify
- best for: boosting mood
- uses games to help in different areas including: coping with stress, fueling your career success, achieving mindfulness through meditation, conquering negative thoughts, building self-confidence.
- What’s Up?
- best for: general mental health
- “uses CBT and ACT methods to help you cope with depression, stress, and more”.
- Sanvello
- best for: stress, anxiety, depression
- features mood tracking, guided journeys, coping tools, progress assessment and peer support; optional coaching and therapy
- Relax with Andrew Johnson Lite
- best for: sleep
- guided sleep meditations, mindfulness sessions
- Bearable
- best for: symptom tracking
- “health tracker that helps you put mental health symptoms into context with your general well-being”
- Insight Timer
- best for: meditation
- “over 80,000 free guided meditations from over 10,000 teachers on topics like stress, relationships, healing, sleep, creativity, and more”.
- Healthy Minds Program
- best for: mindfulness
- “helps you develop the skills for a healthy mind - by strengthening mental focus, decreasing stress, and growing resilience, compassion, and better immune health”
NMU Events
- NMU Wild Pups - Animal Assisted Intervention Program (AAI)
- goal = to provide recreation, education, motivation, and support to enrich campus
- Animal Assisted Activity
- provide recreational opportunities to enhance the quality of life of others
- more informal and include general therapy visits
- Animal Assisted Education
- handler-animal team is qualified to provide educational services on AAI
- Animal Assisted Therapy
- a formal therapeutic capacity when a handler-animal team is qualified to provide professional services such as physical, cognitive, or psychosocial therapies.
- NMU Art therapy club
- Suicide prevention training
- Conservation crew hosts hike october
Updated 5/31/2024