The acceptance and discussion of mental health has improved in recent years compared to decades ago. However, there is still room for improvement, and it’s crucial that we continue to strive towards having open and honest discussions about mental health. Here are some of the reasons it is so important.

Talking is the first step in getting help

By talking about mental health, you can help someone to spot signs of issues and get help. Many people keep things to themselves or compare their situation to others and assume they don’t have a mental health issue because their circumstances or symptoms differ. Talking can reveal how different people experience various problems and demonstrate that there isn’t just one way of reacting to mental illness.

By encouraging more people to talk about what mental health can look like and how it manifests itself, you can become part of the positive change. A qualification, such as an online mental health counseling degree, can qualify you to help others. Prioritizing mental health shows people that this is just as important as taking care of their body and other physical ailments. St. Bonaventure offers courses that can be studied online, which is ideal if you want to keep working while you study.

The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that one in five U.S. adults is living with a mental illness. However, the true figure could be much higher because some people try to avoid talking about it out of a fear of being viewed as weak. If you decide to work with people who have a mental illness, part of your role will be to encourage conversations related to this topic so they can admit they are struggling and ask for help. Being able to listen and demonstrate an understanding without showing judgment will help them feel more comfortable opening up to you.

Normalizing mental illness

It’s also important to normalize mental illness, not only because this is now a normal part of life for so many people, but also to encourage more people to be open about it. There are now so many factors that can contribute to issues such as anxiety and depression and exacerbate them.

If you’re working with vulnerable people, it can help them if you talk openly about mental health and encourage them to do the same, while educating them or their family on how to deal with it as a normal part of life. Speaking about it openly can demonstrate that this is not abnormal. It validates the way people feel and can encourage their friends and family to support them.

Showing people with mental illness how to help themselves can provide them with coping mechanisms. This is a much better way to reassure them that their experiences are normal, rather than avoiding talking about these issues.

The media can sensationalize issues such as mental illness. Often they will include eye-catching headlines and images of celebrities having public breakdowns. This can only heighten the feeling of being abnormal for those who suffer from a genuine mental illness. A lot of work still needs to be done to counteract this and show that mental illness is completely normal.

Showing that anyone can suffer from mental illness

Being open shows that anyone can experience mental illness. It might seem like conditions such as depression should only affect those who have a tangible reason to feel depressed, or anxiety only happens to people in stressful jobs. However, neither of these things are true. 

It can be more difficult for someone who has a lot of friends, a great job that they love, few or no money worries, and a busy social life to admit they have a problem. It’s not easy for them to put into words how they feel, and those who have more stressful or demanding lives might judge them and say they should be grateful for what they have. This isn’t a helpful approach, and it makes people shut down and act like everything is normal because they are expected to be okay.

Mental illness doesn’t discriminate and should be taken seriously, regardless of the age, gender, race, or class of the person affected by it. Often the cause can be something in our brains, which is why medication can help. Although outside factors can play a part or aggravate the condition, they are rarely the sole cause.

The more discussions we have to highlight this, the more we can reduce the feeling of guilt or the idea that someone should be okay because they have a lot of good things in their life. This will encourage more people to seek help sooner.

Encouraging employers to be more supportive

An open discussion on mental health can benefit employees in the workplace. It can enable employers to gain an understanding of the issue and those affected by it, in addition to making reasonable adjustments.

Some employees might need flexible working hours. For example, they might struggle to get up early due to their mental illness or as a result of their medication. They may also be unable to sleep until much later. Therefore, their working hours could be adjusted by introducing hybrid working conditions where they start later in the day, work several hours in the office, and then do the rest of their work from home.

This would make work more accessible for people who are struggling as a result of poor mental health and make it easier for more people to work who previously would have had to settle for part-time work or take sick time from work for long periods of time. The more flexible approach would benefit both the employee and their employer because more work would be completed to the required standards and the employee wouldn’t feel pressured or like the workplace was worsening their condition.

In a supportive work environment, employees would feel more comfortable talking to their employer and discussing their mental health in the same way they would talk about physical problems.

Increasing awareness in the workplace

Many workplaces encourage employees to compete against each other through contests such as employee of the month. This can make it difficult for anyone who is struggling. It might encourage some people to work harder and get rewarded, but for those who have mental health issues and whose main struggle is getting to work and doing what is required of them, the extra competitive factor can become too much.

A more supportive workplace will encourage employees to work together in teams, using the strengths and abilities of each person. This will make it easier to discuss problems, including those related to mental illness. For example, if one person needs to complete some of their work alone or from home, the others can be more understanding and offer to organize any related meetings remotely so everyone can still be included and stay informed of any important changes or updates.

Most importantly, by making it easier to talk to colleagues about mental illness, the workplace can feel like a safer and more supportive place. Again, this benefits the employees and the employer, as well as their colleagues. It can help to avoid misunderstandings and ensure the required amount of work is completed each day on terms that work better for the employee.

Training in the workplace is a good way to encourage this type of discussion, and so are regular informal meetings where people are made to feel like they can discuss problems openly and find solutions.

Talking and acceptance can reduce the burden

Talking about mental health can be beneficial in getting friends and family to help and be more understanding. Talk therapies such as counseling can also help a person express themselves, often discovering things they hadn’t thought about, such as reasons for the way they feel or solutions that could help. It can lead to acceptance and the comfort that comes from knowing they are not the only person to experience some aspects of mental illness.

Being accepted by loved ones and able to accept themselves doesn’t mean not trying to make positive changes or get help. However, it takes away some of the pressure and reassures them it’s okay to feel the way they do, and they learn ways to manage their condition. Often, they can use a combination of therapy, medication, and positive changes in their lifestyle to live a better life than they have previously.

Acceptance also means understanding that bad days still happen and not letting them spiral by feeling like they have let everyone down on these days. Therapy groups can be beneficial because they give people a better understanding of what others with the same or other conditions are experiencing and the methods they use to deal with these barriers or problems. It reduces the burden of having to either be better every day or pretend to be better.

Making people aware of the different types of mental illness

Being able to talk about mental illness can help people to understand that this blanket term covers so many conditions. Depression and anxiety are just two of them. Extreme phobias that prevent people from living their lives to the fullest could fall under the umbrella of mental illness, as can OCD or schizophrenia.

An open discussion and readily available information on the different aspects of mental illness can help people spot the signs, not just in themselves but in close friends and family members. The old-fashioned approach to ignoring mental health and pushing on has never been healthy. 

These issues won’t go away if untreated. Instead, they are more likely to worsen and manifest in other ways, causing the person with this condition to inadvertently harm themselves by pushing people away, turning to addictive substances, performing poorly at work, or losing their job because they lose the motivation to leave their home.

Special awareness days are helpful, but they can only do so much to make people aware of the different types of mental illness. In addition, everyone is different, so the way one person reacts or is affected by their specific mental illness can differ from another person’s reaction with the same diagnosis. Sharing the common signs for each one is a good start, but it’s helpful to remind people that everyone is unique and people will rarely fall neatly into a list of symptoms. Some people will also experience a mix of mental health problems, and this can make it harder for them or those around them to understand. The more we talk about these issues, the more we can encourage others to seek help when they feel they need it.

Getting a better idea of the help and support needed

There is a lot of support and help available to people with mental illness, but this could still be improved and expanded. With more openness around the topic, these services could be adapted to meet the increased need. People could also be referred to the relevant organizations and groups by opening up and speaking to their doctor.

Although some people find these groups for themselves, they might not offer the right support for them and can prevent them from seeking help elsewhere. This doesn’t mean the group isn’t well-run, but considering the different types of mental illness and different people’s experiences with them, not every place that offers help and support will be suitable for everyone.

It can take time to find the right support that speaks to someone personally and delivers help in a way they can understand and relate to. Some people need a more emotional approach to talk through everything and have their experiences validated while taking time away from their usual routine. Others want to be more active in their recovery and treatment and are able to work around their mental health. Neither of these approaches are wrong; they are just different. With more discussion, the different ways of supporting people can be more accessible and easier to find.

Avoiding other health issues

There are several reasons mental illness can lead to or aggravate some physical health conditions. The extra stress can lead to high blood pressure, heart problems and a lack of sleep. These are all harmful and can have further complications.

Depression can be a major factor in overeating, or it can lead to more dangerous addictions, putting extra strain on the body. It becomes a vicious cycle of making the person feel worse but continuing to do these things to make themselves feel better – yet ultimately feeling much worse after the initial enjoyment or high is over.

Mental illness can also make it more difficult to get treatment because there can be a stigma around the physical aspects of any medical condition it has contributed to, making some people feel like they have done this to themselves. However, talking about mental illness and the way it causes people to react can help the person suffering to understand and help others to empathize, including those who may have been judgmental.

When advice is given out to patients to exercise and change their diet, it might seem unrealistic to expect these changes to improve their mental health. However, a healthier diet can still help to look after the body and exercise can release endorphins, which is a more natural high than that gained from drugs, alcohol or excessive eating but without the guilt factor that often follows it. Although these changes are not a cure for mental illness, they can contribute to feeling a little better and reducing the risks of physical health problems, which are likely to make the person feel worse.

Reducing the number of suicides

For many people, keeping their thoughts and feelings to themselves can make them feel helpless, isolated and unable to cope. Therefore, it makes sense that talking openly about their struggles could be a good way to feel better or at least reduce some of these negative feelings.

The American Federation for Suicide Protection named suicide as the 12th leading cause of death in the U.S. during 2020. There were 1.20 million suicide attempts, and more than 45,000 of these people died. This difference between the figures could suggest that people rarely want to die, but many of them most likely wanted some kind of help but didn’t know how to communicate this to those around them. There is no way of knowing how many just wanted help, but having someone to talk to may have been enough to prevent them from attempting suicide.

If nothing else, many of these people could have been directed to services set up to help them if they felt like they were able to talk about their struggles. This would have at least helped some people who were struggling.

As you can see, mental health is a complex issue, and there is no one way to treat everyone. However, one of the steps in getting help is talking to someone. The more discussions there are around the subject, the more people will feel like it’s okay not to be okay. If you decide to pursue a career in counseling, you can become an important part in changing how people feel about their own mental health.

We all belong to a community. Whether that community consists of neighbors you see at a cookout, students you sit with in class, or colleagues you see daily, we are all a part of a greater system. You might have heard the phrase “it takes a village,” which usually translates to raising a child or reaching success. Either way, we know we don’t achieve our goals alone. 

Unfortunately, individuals who are trying to improve their overall well-being might come up against a community that doesn’t want to change. How then can we implement positive change in our personal communities that allow us to grow?

This article will explore two simple ideas to inspire ourselves and our wider community to create change.

#1 Share Your Gifts

Passionate people inspire others. It is important to share our hobbies, expertise, and what makes us excited to be alive. There are many ways you can raise the collective energy of the people around you simply by talking about the things you love!

Some ideas for sharing your gifts and passions with others:

• Plan informal get-togethers: An informal and fun way to begin creating a community event is to open your door to a small group of people. Keep it simple like a viewing party and potluck event where you watch a sports event or the premiere of a long-loved TV show. Those who are intrigued will take you up on your offer, and you might just deepen your connection with someone in your community. This is a fun and intimate way to really get to know the people in your community so you can plan future events together!

• Teach community events: Bringing your skillset to your community will allow you to talk about something you love while educating others! If you find joy while painting, fishing, or hiking, an easy way to get your community involved is to give them a chance to be involved. If you don’t have a physical community to share your hobbies, you might consider communing with like-minded people online or in chat rooms while trying to meet new people face-to-face.

• Volunteer: A great way to inspire and uplift your own community is to be a part of it. Whether you plant a community garden, organize a food or clothing drive, or simply mow your neighbor’s lawn, acts of service will lift your community’s spirits and create change. If you are already community-minded, you might consider taking it one step further.  Studying a master of social work online will greatly enhance your skillset and make an inspiring change in your career path.

#2 Lead a Community Wellness Exercises

• Meditate together: If you are on a self-development journey, you have likely already meditated and have received the benefits. To further connect with and inspire your community, create a monthly or weekly day to meet for meditation. You can meet over Zoom or in person and gently lead your peers through a meditation or mindfulness exercise. This will likely result in deeper connections with your friends while bettering the mental health of your entire community.
• Do yoga together: Invite others to become mindful and physically fit through yoga. There are many donation-based classes offered in parks and yoga studios, giving others the chance to learn how to do yoga for a price they can afford. Check out options on Meetup, a social app for meeting like-minded people! Doing yoga together will increase endorphins and lower cortisol levels, making everyone happier and more relaxed.
• Walk together: Getting outside together is a great way to connect with nature, increase cardiovascular health, and get more of those happy hormones flowing. Walking or hiking allows time to talk with your community and get to know them deeper. 

Take Away 

Inciting positive change in your community only takes a little initiative and creativity. Organizing community events like enrichment activities, group hikes, and service projects are great ways to get started!

Now more than ever before, mental health is a topic of conversation around the world. There are international efforts to boost mental health and teach people of all ages how to recognize and manage their feelings, moods and impulses in a healthy and sustainable way. 

The rising acceptance of mental health care and awareness has also led to a boom in the mental health profession as thousands of therapists, practitioners and psychologists now have more professional opportunities than ever before. It can sometimes be difficult for mental health practitioners to find the right job, and the job hunt itself can be a tiring, if not overwhelming, process. 

The mental health practitioner career path 

The mental health field is a wide and varied sector with many different career paths and opportunities. The rise of digital healthcare platforms has also only served to increase the number of possible jobs and the diversity of experience in the sector. However, the main paths which most practitioners follow remain the most popular. 

1. Assessment and therapy

Therapists and counsellors typically provide care to their patients through discussion with the individual of their thoughts, feelings and behaviors. These professionals are trained to help their patients overcome obstacles, encounter challenges and face their goals. Some of them are also trained to help with assessing mental health conditions faced by the patient. 

These professionals are typically psychologists, counsellors, clinicians, therapists and clinical social workers. Prescription medication is just one part of a complete mental health regimen, which will also typically include talk therapy with a psychiatrist, counsellor or therapist. 

2. Prescribing medications 

Only psychiatrists can prescribe medications to their patients after the individual’s mental health condition has been diagnosed. After prescription however, the individual’s mental health can be monitored by both psychiatrists and mental health nurse practitioners. 

Other career paths 

A third professional stream includes certified addiction peer specialists, social workers and pastoral counsellors. These roles all have their own education and experience requirements, but they nonetheless provide important mental health services for many people. 

Improving your resume 

Regardless of your experience or your field of expertise, your resume could likely do with a boost of some kind. Below are some ways you can improve your skillset to boost your resume and your chances of finding a dream job. 

1. The importance of a second opinion 

It is always worthwhile to get a second opinion on your resume, no matter how much experience you have or how long you have been using your resume for. Even just having a trusted friend or colleague read over a resume to check for errors and give perspective can be useful as they are likely to catch something which you have not noticed. 

If you are not having much success with your job hunt or you just really want to make sure that you have a polished resume, you can also use one of the many different professional services that are available online. These resume services offer to help you write your resume or will give you advice and pointers on how to rewrite your resume. 

This is a service which you can find offered by third parties advertising their services on platforms such as LinkedIn, but it is also a service that many recruitment agencies offer for free. 

2. Opportunities through further education 

Going back to school may seem like a daunting task, but it could be the one thing that helps you to secure a new job. Pursuing further education can expose you to new ideas, enhance your skillset and demonstrate to potential employers that you are serious about your career in mental health. 

There are a number of different postgraduate programs available for mental health practitioners to pursue, which are likely to appeal to individuals for different reasons. For example, the online executive master of health administration from the Telfer School of Management at uOttawa is an ideal program for individuals who already have a bachelor’s degree and a number of years’ experience in the field. 

This particular course provides a hybrid education in both healthcare and business administration, which means that learners are able to graduate with the skills and experience needed to thrive in today’s challenging and competitive healthcare industry. The course is primarily taught online, which is ideal for individuals who also have professional or familial commitments and who need a program with flexibility. 

Regardless of the program you choose, make sure to look through the course syllabus to ensure that the subjects taught are relevant to your field and interests and review the opportunities which the program offers for professional development outside of the classroom. 

3. Learn a new language 

This is certainly not the easiest way to supercharge your resume, but it is a worthwhile effort. Learning a new language – especially a commonly used language – can provide you with several different benefits as a mental health practitioner. 

Being able to speak more than one language means that you have access to a whole new population of potential patients who you can work with. It also means that if you want to relocate through a large company, you may have more options available to you. 

Finally, languages can even come in handy during therapy and mental health work itself. The renowned couples’ therapist Esther Perel sometimes uses the French language to communicate with her patients and break down barriers. 

Hunting for mental health practitioner roles 

Although the importance of mental health has become a mainstream topic and has been highlighted by publications, professional bodies and experts around the world, it can still be a challenge for some professionals to break into the field. It is an increasingly competitive job market as the increased demand for mental health professionals has resulted in more and more people choosing to pursue therapy and counselling career paths. 

This is not to say, however, that the market is so competitive that it is impossible to break into or that it will take years to piece together a resume. Instead, it means that you may need to be persistent and creative when job hunting and to utilize all the tools and opportunities available to you. 

This can seem like a daunting prospect to anyone who is either a career changer or just starting out in the sector, but thankfully there are several steps you can take to make the process much easier and to get your resume into the right hands. 

1. Go digital

Some mental health professionals have started to develop large, loyal online followings on social media platforms where they post about issues they commonly see, potential fixes which some people might find useful, and tips for mental health. 

While becoming a “mental health-influencer” is a great way to get noticed and brighten up your resume, it is certainly not for everyone. Not everyone wants to post on social media, and not everyone should, as a false step or two online can lead to consequences in their profession. 

Another way to look for roles in the profession is through the many different digital platforms that now exist specifically for providing therapy and mental health support. There are now about half a dozen different platforms which offer mental health services via digital and web-based applications. 

Companies such as Talkspace and Headspace are large companies which employ an impressive number of mental health professionals remotely, and they are expanding. Working for one of these companies is certainly not for everyone, but it is one way to gain experience in the field and develop your understanding of the digital possibilities for the next generation of therapy. 

2. The power of networking

Another way to find available roles in the mental health practitioner space is by embracing the power of networking. One of the easiest and most effective things you can do is create a LinkedIn profile and to keep it updated. If you are so inclined, you can also broaden your reach on LinkedIn by connecting with other professionals in the field and making periodic posts. 

LinkedIn is also great for job hunts in part because the platform analyzes your skills, experience and education and pairs you with what the algorithm deems to be appropriate. While not every job will be a match, this feature can help you to explore similar jobs in target locations and fields. 

There are other forms of networking though which can be just as useful as LinkedIn. If you join a professional body or association, they will typically host networking events that allow you to attend talks, connect with other professionals and share your experience. 

If you are part of a disadvantaged group, there may also be additional associations you can join. There are groups which focus on promoting the professional development and success of women, people of color and people in the LGBTQ+ community, among others. These groups are a great way to network and put yourself out there so that you can gain more exposure to potential opportunities. 

3. Consider a move

If you live in a small town or rural area which lacks mental health infrastructure and healthcare, you may want to consider a move. Everyone deserves proper healthcare coverage and treatment, but some places do not offer the same opportunities that others do, and you may need to consider moving to where the jobs are. 

The cost of living is rising around the world, and this can make the prospect of moving to a new city or even just a large town daunting. However, the reality is that the cost of living is rising pretty much everywhere, and even rural places are no longer affordable to live in when you factor in the costs associated with transportation. 

Before you uproot yourself and move to a new location, you should do your research to ensure that you like the place you are moving to and that there are enough mental health services available there that you will be able to find lasting employment opportunities. If you are hired for a role prior to moving, you will have the security of a job offer to rely on and you may also qualify for a relocation bonus. 

4. Hang out a shingle 

Finally, there is always the option to start your own practice if you are a licensed practitioner and have enough experience in the sector. Depending on where you are located, you may want to offer digital or in-person services or even hybrid offerings. 

Running a business is never easy, no matter how small it is, so it is worth doing your research beforehand and making sure you really know what you are signing up for. Another alternative is to look for a small clinic or group of other independent therapists and practitioners in your area who you can join. 

5. Do not forget self-care 

As all mental health practitioners know, job hunting can take a serious toll on your mental and emotional wellbeing. A job hunt can take anywhere from a few days to weeks, months or even years. As that time drags on, it becomes increasingly difficult to stay upbeat and positive about your chances for landing a job you like and pursuing the career path which interests you. 

As the job hunt becomes increasingly difficult, your chances of creating well-made, convincing job applications are also likely to decrease due to the stress and repeated failure you have experienced. This is why it is so important to remember self-care during the job-hunting process and to take time to enjoy your hobbies and interests outside of your professional life. 

You should also remember that a rejection from a job application has nothing to do with you personally and is not a reflection on your skills and abilities. 

These are just a few of the many ways you can search for a job in the mental health practitioner sector. Everyone has different strengths, weaknesses and experiences which they can bring to the table and use to highlight their skills when job hunting. 

Good luck and happy hunting!