May is Mental Health Month
Happy Mental Health Awareness Month!
May is a very special time of the year when we get to step up and further dissolve the stigmas around mental health so that everyone can experience the benefits of seeing a mental health professional. Since 1949, America’s mental health organizations have come together to address the stigma and encourage people to seek mental health services.
What are the Benefits of Therapy and Counseling?
Therapy and counseling offer a slew of positive outcomes that trickle into every part of a person’s life, whether it be social, mental, emotional, or physical health. The act of exploration alone can be a major point of growth for a lot of people, simply because they’ve never been offered tools to be successful in the endeavor.
At the heart of it, therapy and counseling are not magical fix-alls – they provide a safe space to talk about anything weighing on your mental health, and develop healthy management and coping skills for everyday life.
Those who have sought out therapy have reported improvements in several areas of life, including:
Interpersonal Skills
Better communication skills
Better relationships
Physical Health
Better sleep
Management of substance abuse
Resolving habits such as smoking
Mental Growth
Increased happiness and satisfaction with life
Feelings of empowerment
Increased productivity
Identifying and addressing behaviors that stop growth
Formulating clearer goals
Managing and coping with trauma
Emotional management
Problem-solving skills
Stress management
Are Mental Health and Mental Illness the Same?
When mental health is brought up as a topic, many people still make the jump and try to synonymize mental health with mental illness. By proxy, therapy and counseling become a service that only those with a diagnosed mental illness should take part in. A service that, should you be interested in it, means that you have a form of mental illness.
Firstly, we’re working hard to de-stigmatize mental illness. It’s not shameful or embarrassing to have a mental illness – our brains are very unique and that means that everyone has a different experience in regard to coping mechanisms, chemical makeup, and other various elements that can contribute to mental illness. In fact, ¼ of the world’s population will experience mental illness at one point in their lives, and no one is exempt from it – it can happen to anybody!
Secondly, mental health is not the same thing as mental illness! According to mentalhealth.gov, mental health is defined as, “our emotional, psychological, and social well-being that affects how we think, feel, act, how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.” This means that mental illness can factor into your mental health, but the term as a whole refers to the ‘bigger picture’, like our physical health!
Mental health can change due to a diverse range of different factors coming from various parts of your life, such as your home life, your social life, your work life, your romantic life, and the relationships you hold with others. When stressors are introduced, whether they be everyday or more major stressors, mental health can suffer temporarily; that’s why therapy and counseling services are here for everyone with every problem of all degrees, from what you might consider to be a minor hiccup in your mental health to diagnosed mental illnesses!
Some common reasons that people seek therapy:
Experiences with abuse, trauma, or neglect
Encounters with behavioral challenges
Struggles with daily life challenges
Management of emotional challenges
Recent major life transitions or changes
Pre-existing mental illness
Suspicion of a mental illness condition
Relationship challenges with their partner, family, or work relations
Experiences with addiction or substance abuse
A desire to make changes for an overall better mental and emotional health
Dawn Pendleton, a Louisville Therapist, Has Mental Health Services That Can Help You
With mental health needs ranging across a broad spectrum, mental health providers each play a crucial role filling gaps and needs to create a better understanding of issues brought to the table. Therapists with specialties in certain areas can delve deeper into solutions and provide a customized experience that targets specific problems and areas of issue. Because of this, not every therapist will be your best option for marital problems, certain psychological diagnoses, or counseling for children, and it’s important to find a therapist that works for you.
Dawn Pendleton is a therapist based out of Louisville, KY with in-person and telehealth available for those across Kentucky and Indiana. Her specialties and demographics include:
Individual Therapy
Family Therapy
Therapy for Adults
Therapy for Teens Over the Age of 16
EMDR
Trauma Therapy
Therapy for LGBTQIA+ individuals
Sports & Performance Enhancement
PEAT
Contact Dawn today to start exploring ways to better understand and improve the state of your mental health. Mental Health Month is one that we use to facilitate healing, boost awareness, and encourage intelligence when it comes to your health and what you can do for it – take part today and make the leap!
If you or someone you love is looking for a reliable, trustworthy counselor with specialties in the LGBTQIA+ community, sports and performance enhancement, and those affected by trauma, Dawn Pendleton of Pendleton Counseling Collaborative, EMDR-certified and Licensed Marriage and Family therapist, is currently accepting new clients. With over 20 years of experience working in both the public and private sectors of the mental health field, Dawn is licensed to provide in-person and telehealth services in both Kentucky and Indiana. Feel free to fill out an inquiry form with any additional questions, call (502) 377-1690, or visit her website to book an appointment.