Tag: Health eCareers

Using Your Employee Benefits for Mental Health Care

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Accessing and paying for mental health care can be tricky. Many mental health professionals do not work directly with insurance, and those who do can have very long wait lists. But did you know that there are some other ways you can pay for mental health care with the assistance of employer-run programs?

  1. Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). These programs are offered by many employers (large and small). EAPs allow employees to see a contracted mental health professional for 3-10 sessions per year free of charge. Yes, free! Too often, employees don’t know this is a benefit to which they are entitled. So ask your manager or HR department for more information.
  2. Health Savings Accounts/Flex Spending Accounts/Medical Savings Accounts. These aren’t technically a benefit as this is money that you put away pre-tax to use for approved medical expenses. So, your employer doesn’t (usually) give you the money for the accounts, but many do facilitate the opening of such an account. Again, ask your manager or HR department for details.

Need more ideas about how to make the most of your employee benefits? Check out my recent article over at Health eCareers:

Photo credit: Health eCareers

Jealous of Your Co-Workers? How to Cope

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Have you ever felt jealous of a co-worker?

Maybe they:

Are more appreciated than you

Have moved up the ladder faster than you

Seem to have more of everything (money, success, friends, possessions) than you

Appear better at their job than you

Photo Credit: Health eCareers

Whatever the specifics, it’s actually not all that unusual to have feelings of jealousy – particularly at work as we spend so much time with our co-workers. But what can you do to tame the green monster?

Check out my recent article over at Health eCareers for ideas about to 1) decipher why exactly you’re having jealous feelings 2) what to do about them.

Here’s an example of what I mean:

To read the entire article, head over to Health eCareers

Photo Credit: Health eCareers


Trouble with Anger at Work?

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Does work make you angry? Do you have trouble controlling your temper with your co-workers? Do you lost your cool on a regular basis?

Angry outbursts aren’t just annoying, unprofessional and upsetting to everyone; high levels of anger have also been linked to a number of health problems. These include increased risk for: heart attacks, heart disease and strokes. High levels of anger have also been linked to a weakened immune system.

I recently wrote an article on Health eCareers offering tips for how to manage your anger at work in particular. Here’s one tip:

Want more ideas about how to manage your irritability at work? Check out the entire article here:

Photo credit: Health eCareers

Options for Treatment for Alcohol Addiction

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In my last post I wrote about how to determine if you (or someone else) is using alcohol in a problematic way. In this post, I would like to talk about options for treatment. Because there are a lot.

We all know about AA, and 30 day residential programs, but there are so many more options available as well. In a recent article over at Health eCareers, I outline several of the most common treatment options, including: detox, inpatient, intensive outpatient and medically-assisted treatment. I also talk about individual psychotherapy, which is often an important part of a treatment plan:



For more information, check out the entire article at:
https://www.healthecareers.com/article/career/help-for-patients-struggling-with-alcohol-addiction

In my practice, I often work with folks struggling with addiction. If you would like to talk more about how individual psychotherapy can help with sobriety, please give me a call at 303-828-3080.

Do you have a problem with alcohol?

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I hear a lot of people in my practice ask themselves whether they have a problem with alcohol. Questions like:

Do I drink too much?

Could I stop if I wanted to?

Could I stand it if I had to stop drinking forever?

Has my drinking changed significantly over the past year or so?

It’s difficult to ask these questions, and ever tougher to answer them honestly. So how do you really know if you (or someone close to you) has a problem with alcohol that needs to be address?

I recently wrote an article over at Health eCareers outlining how to determine if your alcohol use is problematic. Check it out:

https://www.healthecareers.com/article/career/how-to-determine-if-you-or-anyone-has-a-substance-abuse-problem


Some points to consider, from the DSM-V:


Making Sense of Mental Health Care

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Why is it so hard to find quality mental health care? There are a lot of reasons: stigma, affordability, provider shortage, just to name a few potential reasons.

A simpler challenge to solve, however, is to simply make sense of all the different types of mental health care providers out there. There are so many different acronyms – how is anyone supposed to make sense of it all?

I recently wrote an article over at Health eCareers explaining the differences in mental health providers – from psychiatrists and psychologists (yes, there is a difference between the two) to social workers and addiction counselors. Check it out:

Photo Credit: Health eCareers

And in case you’re wondering, this one happens to be my favorite:

https://www.healthecareers.com/article/career/making-sense-of-acronyms-in-mental-healthcare


Preparing for a Smooth Transition Into Retirement

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Is retirement part of your New Year’s resolution? Preparing for it? Actually doing it? We hear a lot about financial planning aspect of retirement, but not so much about the psychological, emotional and social planning aspects of retirement.

I recently wrote an article over at Health eCareers about some strategies for planning for a smooth transition into retirement. Here’s one tip:

Talk to the important people in your lives.

It’s easy to assume that our spouses, children, grandchildren and friends have the same ideas about our retirement as we do, but that is often not the case. Your kids might have the expectation that, once retired, you will pick up your grandchildren from school more often, or your friends might assume that you can go to lunch or play golf every day. Perhaps your spouse is expecting lots of travel. Whatever the assumptions of the people closest to you, it’s possible that they’re not the same as yours. Check in well ahead of time with questions like: “How are you thinking our life might change once I retire?” and “Do you have any expectations of me once I’m no longer working?” Once you understand their ideas, you can share your own plans, and no one will be caught off guard.

Want to read the entire article? Check out Health eCareers for more info and tips!

Photo credit: Health eCareers

How to Find Outpatient Mental Health Care

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Finding outpatient mental health care, like counseling, medication management or group therapy can be really confusing and difficult. I recently wrote an article over at Health eCareers about how to navigate the process:

1. What type of mental health provider to see

2. How to pay for services

3. How to actually find a provider that works for you

Check it out:

Photo Credit: Health eCareers

 

How to Cope With a Bad Boss

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Photo Credit: Health eCareers

Have you ever had a terrible, awful, annoying, rude, unfair boss?

OF COURSE YOU HAVE!

At some point in our lives, all of us have had a terrible boss. My terrible boss story includes frozen fish food, piranhas and Christmas Eve – but I won’t get into the details.

Anyway, I recently wrote an article over at Health eCareers that included some tips for how to cope with the bad boss in your life. Here’s a glimpse:

Stop talking so much

When I’ve had bad bosses in the past, my first instinct has been to talk about it. With family, with friends, with the grocery store clerk; with just about anyone who will listen. The trouble with talking about it is, it can take a stressor that takes up eight hours of your day and stretches it to taking up 10, 12, 14 hours, or even more. Why give your boss more power and control than they already have? Try keeping work at work and reclaim your off-work hours for things that are fun, relaxing and pleasurable.

To read the rest of the tips, check out the entire story here.

 

Want to Become a Psychologist?

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Did you know that psychology is one of the top 5 most popular college majors?

There’s a lot you can do with a bachelor’s degree in psychology:

  • Become a teacher
  • Go to law, medical or nursing school
  • Work in business or sales
  • Get a job in community corrections, inpatient behavioral health or substance abuse treatment programs

In short, psychology is a great foundation for lots of careers.  But what about if you want to take your education in psychology further and become a psychologist?

I recently wrote an article over at HealtheCareers about what to think about before taking the plunge and entering graduate school to become a psychologist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s one tip that might come as a bit of a surprise: