Mental Health Care Steps

Written By David Novohradsky

Improving mental health is a journey. So we created our own version of a "Stepped Care Mental Health Model". This is to help you understand the activities and levels of care that are available. With each step providing a higher level of care to improve your mental health.

  • The importance of self-care cannot be understated. Self-care will look different for each individual, however one thing is certain ALL people can benefit from proper self-care.

    Self Care can look like

    1. Meditation

    2. Reflection

    3. Journaling

    4. Working out

    5. Proper sleep

    6. Community based events (Like Meditation and Tai-Chi)

    And so much more.

    Proper self care can create a solid foundation that can drastically improve your mental health.

  • Online resources and apps are great tools to improve mental health since they are easily accessible and relatively affordable.

    Websites such as

    And Apps such as

    Insight Timer, Waking up, Moments of Space, Moodnotes, Daylio, and The Mindfulness Appare all great options to expand your "toolkit"/skills and understanding of mental health.

    Insight Timer

    Insight Timer Offers an extensive library of meditation. Much of which is free, unlike many other options that are available.

    The premium membership helps support the instructors on the app, which is great to see.

    "Teachers receive 50% of all subscription income that Insight Timer receives after app store commissions."

    • Premium will cost $59.99 annually or $9.99 monthly (In line or a little cheaper than some other options on the market)

    Here are key features that people love about Insight Timer

    • The timer

    • Meditations

    • Courses 

    Insight Timer offers a lot of value for free which may be enough for many people.

    They help reward their instructors by sharing subscription revenue.

    And the premium is well priced within the market with plenty of value to justify the price.

    Waking up

    A great meditation app although it is a pricer option at $19.99 a month or $119.99 annually.

    This app seems to be designed for more advanced, serious-minded, or goal-oriented users.

    But there are still beginner meditation practices, as well as daily meditations which are accessible on the home page, making it simpler to prioritize taking action to meditate instead of searching for the "perfect meditation practice."

    • “Waking Up donates a minimum of 10% of its profits to the most effective charities. “

    With Walking Up there are many challenging and insightful talks available as well to dive deeper into who you are, how you think, and other topics about life.

    If you are looking for an app that has great beginner meditation, yet is tailored to a more advanced individual, this can be a great app to continue to grow with.

    Moments of Space

    If you are looking for a simple no frills meditation app this is it. The app is aesthetic, clean, and simple.

    • Moments of Space offers a great delivery for their meditation 

    • Which is paired with a soothing voice

    The apps takes advantage of a tried and true learning model (Which makes the delivery and learning process different from other options)

    1. You Learn

    2. Practice 

    3. Then apply what you’ve learned

    With this app it is easy to find great meditation, there aren't a ton of distractions and silly features. There is no confusion on where to begin and the app is based off of a constructive learning model.

    Moodnotes

    A one-time $4.99 fee to download the app.
    This is great for those who are looking for a lot of simple CBT features without paying a monthly subscription.

    (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) or CBT Practices.

    Mood Notes takes advantage of a simple approach to journaling and tracking your mood. They can help address cognitive distortions through journaling, learning new healthy behaviors, challenging negative thoughts, and reflecting on your day.

    These add up which can help improve your overall mood and out look from day to day.
    However, the biggest downside is that Moodnotes is only available on IOS devices.

    Daylio Journal - Mood Tracker

    For a similar journaling app Daylio is available on both IOS and Android. With similar features both Daylio and Moodnotes are well rated and recommended.

    Keep in mind meditation is best done without the reliance on an app and or sounds.

    We recommend no more than 3 apps.

    As the number of apps on your phone increases these apps become more of a distraction, leading to less effective results. The goal of these apps is to explore and learn new skills and habits that can improve your mental health. As you build a solid foundation your reliance on platforms and apps should decrease.

    Keep implementing things that you have learned and only use apps that are necessary to continue to improve your mental health. 

    Here's an example: there are great journaling apps that can help teach you how to journal (Mood Notes) but once you have a foundation of how to journal it is best to transfer that skill to journaling in a physical book. This way you are less reliant on your phone, which can be the source of many distractions. 

    The best mediation can be done in many places without the reliance on many tools. However, these platforms are great learning tools and places to start to create a foundation for your mediation style and practice. 

    Lastly we have talk lines. Talk lines are a quick and important tool to use if you are not doing well or in a crisis.

    They can help calm and guide you to the next steps in your journey in improving your mental health.

    988 is now a nationwide helpline we highly recommend.

    Reach out to Samaritans Hope (988)

  • Virtual therapy solves the issues of difficult applications and long waits to see a therapist, which can hamper your ability to see a therapist in person.

    Virtual therapy is a way to bridge that gap with more accessible yet relatively high-quality therapy. You can often receive a match within a week or two with virtual therapy services. 

    The biggest downside is the cost which can be quite high. However, in return you get access to a therapist quickly. (Keep in mind some options accept insurance).

    For people who are quite busy and prefer the flexibility of online therapy, this can be a deciding factor when addressing the availability of tools to improve their mental health. 

    Here are online therapy services worth considering 👇

    Note:

    Psychology: Refers to therapy (such as talk therapy)

    Psychiatry: Refers to the prescription of medication from a doctor

    (All links lead to reviews from unaffiliated external sites)

    • Brightside (Both psychology and psychiatry)

    • Thriveworks (Both psychology and psychiatry)

    • Open Path Collective

      (Great for psychology services without insurance)

    • E-Therapy Cafe

      (Cost effective option for psychology)

    • Talkspace (Both psychology and psychiatry)

    • Little Otter

      (Great for family therapy)

    • Therapy For Black Girls

      (psychology tailored for black communities)

    • Path (Both psychology and psychiatry)

    • If you are not insured, and are ok with longer intake times look for local community health centers. They often offer mental health service (Both available online and in-person. These are non-profits and have a "sliding scale" which means prices are based on income)

    However, it is important to note that the face-to-face connection in-person therapy provides cannot be fully replicated, and depending on the individuals needs, traveling to a location with the goal of being on time can give you an important reason to leave the house. (Which can be a welcomed or needed change for many people)

    Be aware that many mental health apps and online therapy services do have less than stellar data collection and distribution policies. It is up to you to decide if the benefit of the app/service outweighs their less than ideal privacy policies. Some online companies also take part in surge pricing, simply put when the demand is higher for therapy in your area they charge more. Which is unexpectable since this can be when you need it most.

    More about privacy policy

  • Although more difficult to get an appointment, In-Person Therapy has a face to face connection and level of confidentiality that virtual therapy cannot replace.

    If you are interested, reach out to your health insurance provider to see who they recommend and which providers are covered by your insurance.

  • In most cases medication can only be prescribed by a psychiatrist or other health care providers specializing in mental health after you have tried and are continuing therapy. It is possible to take medication without therapy, however it is not recommended. Medication can be a tricky thing to navigate. So we recommend working with a psychiatrist/ mental health provider while continuing self-care and therapy.

    We believe medication is best as a support in combination with self-care and therapy. Our view is to use what is needed to help get to a better place. (Be cautious of both raising and decreasing medication, speak with and discuss your needs with your mental health provider!)

  • Intensive Outpatient Program

    IOP are a great inbetween for someone looking for greater care than just therapy. With an IOP you will meet multiple times a week with health care providers and other people in this treatment program. With this option you will still be living at home giving you more flexibility to continue closer to normal daily life which may be a benefit.

    What Is IOP?: 17 Questions About Intensive Outpatient Programs

    Partial Hospitalization Programs

    PHP programs are a step up from IOP's in that you would meet every week day. They do share a similar program structure with IOP's, however PHP's meet more frequently. With a PHP you still go home at the end of the day which may be a benefit depending on your situation.

    PHP vs IOP

    PHP for teens

  • A residential program is a live-in program designed to help individuals who need more

    • intensive care/longer term care

    • A supportive environment

    • A greater amount of day to day structure

    • A great environment to allow you to grow and connect with others in order to take the steps needed to "feel like yourself again"

    What is Residential Treatment?

  • Hospitalization is the most intensive level of care, which is best to help stabilize an individual in a crisis. (Hospitalization are accessible through the emergency room at your local hospital). They can help teach you the basics of self care. A hospital has strong connections within health care and your assigned social worker can guide you to your next step. Whether that is a Residential Program, PHP, IOP or solely therapy and medication. Hospitalization is best for individuals who need help immediately and cannot wait for the application process required for other mental health programs.

  • We are excited to hear how these recommendations help you. Feel free to leave recommendations about how we can improve this article and articles in the future. Let us know your experience (and thoughts) here.

David Novohradsky
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