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  DR. Michael Shery, clinical psycholoGY

  2615 Three Oaks Rd, Ste. 2A, 

  Cary, Illinois 60013

www.carypsychology.com  847 275 8236 (24 Hrs);  drmike@carypsychology.com

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Self-Help, Universities and Drug Assistance Plans: More Low-Cost Ways to Eliminate Stress, Anxiety, and Family Problems

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BULLETIN:  Five more little-known ways to help eliminate your stress, anxiety, depression, anger or parenting problems include:

1. LOCAL UNIVERSITIES

Universities that have schools or programs in psychology, counseling or social work sometimes provide clinics that offer inexpensive therapy to members of the community. Services are typically provided by graduate students under the intense supervision of the faculty.  The graduate students provide these services in order to log sufficient experience to earn their counseling degrees or licenses.

Being new to the field, their efforts are overseen by fully qualified professors. TIP:  Contact the school of counseling or social work at a local university and ask if there is a program providing low-cost counseling to the public.

If not, ask the school to refer you to inexpensive therapists in the region, such as recent graduates.

2.  HELP HOTLINES AND "WARM" LINES

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800-273-8255) provides free telephone counseling, 24 hours a day, if you are in severe emotional distress or suicidal crisis. Also, some local mental health organizations offer "warm lines."   They are like hotlines, only they provide phone counseling that is not necessarily emergency-oriented.

These call centers are usually staffed by volunteers, but they are a useful free option for those who need someone to whom to talk things out. Ask your county’s mental health agency if there are any such warm lines in your area... or type "warm line," the name of your state and the name of your condition (such as "depression" or "addiction") or other symptoms into a search engine, such as Google, and see what appears.

3.  SELF-HELP SUPPORT GROUPS

Support groups are volunteer self-help forums where participants meet with others who are confronting similar psychological or emotional issues. No professional therapist is routinely present, however the groups are typically free and can be very helpful.

TIP:  Inquire at local churches or the social work departments of local hospitals if there are support groups in your area for people coping with your particular issue. If this does not work, use Google or another search engine to search for a national nonprofit organization that deals with your situation. Then contact the organization and see if someone there can direct you to relevant support groups in your area.

For example: The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance has a network of over 1,000 peer-run in-person support groups available nationwide and also offers online support groups. (Call 800-826-3632, or go to its website and select "Find Support," then "Find a support group near you.")

4.  HELP WITH PSYCHIATRIC DRUG COSTS

Most major pharmaceutical manufacturers have "patient assistance programs" that provide their psychiatric drugs -- at no cost or at a greatly reduced cost. However, you are only likely to qualify if you have no health insurance at all and very limited financial resources.

Check the web site of the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, an organization sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry.  It can help you determine whether you are eligible for assistance (888-477-2669. Or contact the relevant pharmaceutical manufacturer directly to inquire about its patient assistance program.

Also, you might check the web site of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.  It lists the applicable 800 numbers for many commonly prescribed psychotropic drugs. (Call 800-950-6264, or go to its website and select "Medication," then "Prescription Drug Assistance Program.").

5. Self-Help Programs

What if I am a private person and don't want to talk to a stranger about my problems?  Many people who have particularly private personalities or severe time constraints use self-help programs, called Self-Therapy Kits, or STKs. These are educational self-help programs; you can use them by yourself in the privacy of your own home. You are in total control and, in a sense, using them is like having a private therapist at your personal disposal.

They are educational digital programs and may include e-books, CDs, DVDs, MP3s or any combination thereof. They are inexpensive and teach you how to relieve and cope with your anxieties and frustrations independently.

These programs are particularly helpful if you have limited financial resources; they typically cost a one-time fee of anywhere from $9 to $100 or so, and the fee is only a one-time event. It is not like a weekly fee that you would have to pay to participate in private counseling.

They can be easily located on the internet.  Just search for "self-help" "self-improvement books," "self-help for anxiety, depression," self-therapy" etc.

They are delivered in many formats and can include any or all of the following: DVDs, MP3s, e-books, workbooks, videos etc. They are self-paced, bargain-priced and can be used anytime in the privacy and comfort of your own home.

STKs are self-contained, easy-to-use self-help programs that provide valuable help to eliminate anger, anxiety, depression or family or parenting problems. There are many available and they may include: CDs, DVDs, MP3s, e-books, workbooks, audios, videos etc. or any combination thereof. 

As stated previously, they are inexpensive and their fees are one-time only, rather than repetitive as in counseling. They can vary in cost anywhere from a one-time fee of $9.99 to $100 or slightly more.

They are used in the privacy of your home, are self-paced and are available to you 24/7. They provide psychological information and use visualization, behavioral exercises and convenient systems to accurately monitor your feelings and progress.

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>STKs:  Recommended Self-Help Treatments

>Self-Help Kits: Consumer and Professional Reviews

>New Patient Registration

>Anger Management and ADHD

>Depression and Anxiety Articles

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