Boston residents who are looking for assistance with personal and emotional struggles can rely on TherapyTribe, a website that consolidates licensed therapists in one easy-to-search website. You can even search by specialty. If you or a loved one has a specific health condition, you can perform a basic search with your zip code to find nearby specialists.
If you have never had counseling or therapy services in the past, you may not know what to expect. A therapist is someone to whom you can talk about all of your difficulties, where you can brainstorm solutions and achieve a healthy life balance.
To meet residents' health needs in the Boston area, the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) prepared and promoted initiatives that would improve the general health. They performed a variety of health studies to determine what areas needed improvement, and some of the top included substance abuse, mental health, and violence.
In order to help improve access and help those in need of mental health resources, the BPHC increased the number of clinics that offer counseling and therapy. If you have health insurance, your benefits may cover these services. As of 2008, more than 95% of adult residents in Boston had health insurance, which is a very promising statistic.
One area that needed help was the rate of adolescent women giving birth, which caused a serious strain on health resources, as well as emotional struggles with teenage mothers who find themselves in difficult situations. In 2012-2013, the birth rate declined, along with disparity in infant mortality rates. In addition, the study data showed that over a 10-year period, the number of high school students (at Boston public schools) who felt depressed or sad decreased.
Other problems in the Boston area, addiction and substance abuse can be overcome with counseling and therapy. Over a one-year period, deaths in Boston related to addiction or substance abuse decreased by an average of 30% among the top ethnic groups that make up the diverse population. Many patients who receive counseling can overcome their addictions through healthy and positive attitude changes, along with management of pain and withdrawal symptoms.
Violence is another common problem in Boston, whether it is gang-related or a product of domestic assaults, and many people don't know where to turn for help. This is also a substantial problem among the teen population, with 10% of high school students reporting some type of bullying, whether online or in person. Nearly half of these students also have had someone close to them be killed, while an alarming 30% said that they would not report a crime to a police officer. This leaves counseling as one of the only resources for struggling teens, and TherapyTribe is more than happy to help.
With such a broad range of issues in the Boston area, there is a necessity for accessibility to counseling and therapy for all residents. Therapy can provide a safe and private outlet for you or your teen to share thoughts and talk about how to resolve issues before they take over and result in more drastic actions. Finding the right therapist is the first step towards positive change and at TherapyTribe, we are here to help you every step of the way.
Read more about therapy. Below is a list of articles about psychotherapy.