Care Access

Getting appropriate care while dealing with depression can be daunting at first, but it is often the first step toward recovery. Finding the right provider, though, can be difficult, because of financial constraints and concerns about the provider’s ability to care for your specific needs. Below you’ll find information for finding a mental health provider with or without financial resources and for locating a provider with experience working specific populations (i.e. BIPOC, LGBTQIA+). You’ll also find important information about affording medications, and inpatient/residential treatment. 

General Therapist/Psychiatrist Access

Have Insurance / Can Afford Treatment
  • Look in-network with your insurance to see list of recommended providers.
  • Zencare is a database of vetted therapists. Includes videos of therapists, insurance information, clinical specialties, and up-to-date information. Ability to have 10 min free initial consultation call with therapists. Only in some states.
  • PsychologyToday and TherapyDen are large databases of therapists in the U.S.
  • Contact local counseling centers to inquire about potential therapists.
  • Contact a resource specialist with Resources to Recover, an organization that offers families affected by mental illness guidance, support and information on the best practices and providers in recovery-oriented mental health care.
Don't Have Insurance / Difficulty Affording Treatment

Don’t have insurance/have difficulty affording treatment? Try the following options:

Community Health Centers & Free Clinics
  • Contact a community health center and/or community mental health center. Find one here.
  • Contact a free clinic to inquire about services.
Private Therapists
  • See if private therapists are willing to work on a sliding scale (especially those who don’t take insurance).
  • OpenPathCollective – a non-profit nationwide network of mental health professionals dedicated to providing in-office mental health care—at a steeply reduced rate.
Teaching Hospitals
  • See about clinics where you can get reduced cost treatment from psychiatry residents and/or clinical psychology students. Call the psychology, psychiatry, or behavioral health department & inquire about sessions with graduate students, who are supervised and can provide services at a lower cost as they gain counseling experience.
Medicaid
NAMI
SAMHSA
  • SAMHSA is a government organization that maintains a database of low-cost treatment facilities across the U.S. and is a “go-to” resource for locating affordable mental health care nationwide. Contact SAMHSA at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or online at their Treatment Locator.
Social Services Databases
Place of Worship
  • Local place of worship (if applicable) may offer counseling from a trained minister, rabbi, priest, imam, etc., which is usually free. Most are members of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. If your place of worship doesn’t have counseling, they may have a fund available to help you pay for treatment.
Place of Employment
  • If employed, you may want to see whether or not your employer offers an Employee Assistance Plan (EAP). An EAP is an employer-paid benefit that is separate from your medical plan. It’s designed to help employees through difficult situations.
    • Employees usually can access counseling through an EAP for no cost, however there is usually a limit to the number of free sessions.
    • To check if you have an EAP, call the 800 number on the back of your insurance card or call your HR department.
Online/App-Based Therapy
  • Online/App-Based therapy can be helpful and more affordable for some people. Some options are BetterHelp, TalkSpace or 7 Cups of Tea, which charge a fee per week. Real is a new online therapy platform for under $30/month and Sesh offers online group support led by therapists.
Treatment Scholarships

The To Write Love On Her Arms organization provides treatment & recovery scholarships to those facing financial barriers to treatment. Fill out a scholarship application here. 

Sources: NBCNews, NAMI

Care Resources for Specific Populations

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)

General BIPOC
  • Inclusive Therapists aims to make the process of seeking therapy simpler and safer for all people, especially marginalized populations.
  • Melanin and Mental Health connects individuals with culturally competent clinicians committed to serving the mental health needs of Black & Latinx/Hispanic communities.
  • The National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network (NQTTCN) is a healing justice organization committed to transforming mental health for queer and trans people of color (QTPoC).
  • The Ayana Therapy app strives to address the strong lack of engagement between minorities and the mental health care industry by matching users with licensed professionals that share their unique traits, values, and sensibilities.
  • FindAMulticulturalTherapist.com is a psychotherapy directory specializing in providing an opportunity for people from different cultural backgrounds to find a therapist who shares their cultural experience. Our goal is to assist in connecting individuals to culturally competent therapist.
Black and African American Communities
  • Black Mental Health Alliance develops, promotes, and sponsors trusted, culturally-relevant educational forums, trainings, and referral services that support the health and wellbeing of Black people and other vulnerable communities.
  • The Loveland Foundation provides financial support for therapy for Black women and girls.
  • Therapy for Black Girls is an online space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls. It also has a directory to help with finding culturally-competent therapists.
  • Therapy for Black Men is a directory to help men of color in their search for a therapist.
  • The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation is an organization working to change the perception of mental illness in the African-American community by encouraging people to get the help they need. Click here for their directory of mental health providers and programs that serve the Black community. 
  • Black Therapist Network is network that helps connect you to a list of Black therapists around the country to serve your needs.
  • Association of Black Psychologists has a directory comprised of psychologists who are members of The Association of Black Psychologists who own and operate their own private practice business or are employed as therapists.
Latinx/Hispanic Communities
  • Therapy for Latinx is a national directory of Latinx therapists for the Latinx community.
  • Latinx Therapy is a directory of Latinx therapists. Enter your zipcode to search for a therapist near you.
  • Latinx Therapists Action Network. The Latinx Therapists Action Network Directory is a directory of licensed, culturally grounded, Latinx mental health practitioners who believe in the human rights of migrant peoples. 
  •  
Native and Indigenous Communities
  • IHS Division of Behavioral Health addresses severe behavioral health issues that impact American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) individuals, families, and communities. To locate mental health programs in your area, search the IHS Healthcare Locator by checking the “Behavioral Health” under “Choose facility types.”
Asian American/Pacific Islander Communities

SOURCE: Mental Health: Taking Care of Yourself and Loved Ones

SOURCE: BIPOC Mental Health Month 2020 Outreach Toolkit

LGBTQIA+

SOURCE, SOURCE

Affording Medications

Tips
  • Use discount programs: GoodRx and Blink Health are fantastic resources that offer significant discounts on meds. They can also help you to compare prices at different pharmacies to help you find the cheapest option.
  • Ask around: all pharmacies do not charge the same price for a medication. Call different pharmacies in your area or use GoodRx or Blink Health to compare prices.
  • Ask your doctor for coupons: If you’re receiving your medication for the first time, your doctor might have coupons, or can help you apply to the medication supplier to help you receive a discount (if you meet income requirements). 
  • Get insurance: private insurance, and public aid programs such as Medicaid and Medicare, can greatly offset the cost of paying for medication. Click here to see if you qualify for Medicaid, and here to see if you qualify for Medicare. 

 

SOURCE

Inpatient/Residential Treatment

Finding Treatment

Help with Choosing an Inpatient/Residential Facility
Residential Treatment-Specific Resources
  • Consult the American Residential Treatment Association – they maintain a partial list of residential treatment facilities across the U.S. (NOTE: this list is NOT comprehensive and resources listed can be costly).
  • Use the Psychology Today directory and filter results according to the type of treatment facility you’re seeking.
  • Keep in mind:  CARF International is an independent, non-profit accreditor of health and human services.  On their website you can utilize their Find an Accredited Provider function to locate a CARF-accredited treatment facility.
  • Contact a resource specialist with Resources to Recover, an organization that offers families affected by mental illness guidance, support and information on the best practices and providers in recovery-oriented mental health care.

SOURCE: NAMI

Understanding Hospitalization for Depression

Hospitalization can be necessary to help stabilize symptoms when depression becomes severe.  Many people go to the hospital when depression gets bad. Rather than a place to fear, the hospital is a place for you to stabilize and stay safe.
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