There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to mental health care. Fortunately, there are many options of mental health care to choose from. Whether you see one provider, or combine a few mental health support systems to suit your needs, there are plenty of options available to help you build a care team that fits your life.
What do those options look like? Here are a few to give you an idea:
A therapist is trained to help you explore your emotions, manage stress, and work through challenges. They may use different approaches, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), trauma-focused therapy, or mindfulness-based practices. Therapists must be licensed and keep up with new advances in mental health care.
- Best for: Processing emotions, building coping skills, working through transitions or trauma
- Benefits: Offers a safe, confidential space to explore your feelings with professional guidance
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who can diagnose mental health conditions and prescribe medication. They often work alongside therapists and other care providers to support overall mental well-being.
- Best for: Managing conditions like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, or PTSD
- Benefits: Can prescribe and monitor medication as part of a broader mental health care plan
Individual coaching focuses primarily on goal-setting, skill-building, and motivation. Coaching is usually more practical than therapeutic. Depending on your goals, you could choose a mental health coach, life coach, or wellness coach with a specialty in a specific focus area.
- Best for: Creating action plans for personal or professional growth
- Benefits: Helps you stay accountable, focused, and energized toward your goals
Mental Health Care Doesn’t Have to Be Isolating
People with shared experiences come together in peer support groups. Trained facilitators usually lead these groups, and they focus on mutual support rather than clinical treatment.
- Best for: Finding community with others who understand your experiences
- Benefits: Reduces feelings of isolation and offers encouragement through shared stories
Group coaching brings people together in a small group setting, combining teaching, discussion, and peer support. Sessions are led by a coach and center around a shared topic or goal.
- Best for: Learning new skills and strategies alongside others
- Benefits: Builds motivation and connection through group energy and shared learning
You might find that one of these options fits perfectly with what you need right now, or you might mix and match to build a support system that works for you. Some people see a therapist and a psychiatrist at the same time. Others combine coaching with peer support. The only right way to do mental health care is the way that works for you.
