What If I Am Struggling & My Therapist Is Not Available?

Community Support

 

At Evolution Mental Health Services, we pride ourselves on our ability to offer quality outpatient therapy services. We excel in treating a number of issues, and we try to accommodate people’s schedules and needs the best we can. However, as an outpatient provider, we are not available to our clients 24/7. Our therapists see people throughout the day and may not be able to return a call or message until hours later or even until the next day sometimes. Unfortunately, sometimes therapy clients need support outside of their scheduled session times.

 

A strong support system is crucial to recovery. Relying solely on your therapist for support is a bad game plan. Not only is your therapist not available 24/7, but you also will not see your therapist forever. Eventually, you will make enough progress to no longer need therapy or need it much less often. A good support system will help you now and for as long as you maintain it.

 

Community support groups can be a great component of a strong support system. There are many support groups out there that meet a variety of needs. The Mental Health Association of Oklahoma has free support groups for people struggling with a number of mental health concerns including depression, anxiety, bipolar, and PTSD. Visit their site, https://mhaok.org/support-groups/, for a list of support groups and more information.

 

There are also many community support group options for people struggling with addiction issues as well as their family and friends. Here is a list.

 

Alcohol and Drug Addiction
Alcoholics Anonymous 12-Step https://aaneok.org/	Narcotics Anonymous 12-Step http://www.eascna.org
Celebrate Recovery Christian, 12-Step https://www.celebraterecovery.com	SMART Recovery Self-Empowering, Science-Based https://www.smartrecovery.org
Secular Organizations for Sobriety (SOS) Secular, No Recognition of Higher Power http://www.sossobriety.org	Refuge Recovery Buddhist Approach https://refugerecovery.org
Gambling Addiction	Sexual Addiction
Gamblers Anonymous 12-Step http://www.gamblersanonymous.org	Sex Addicts Anonymous 12-Step https://saa-recovery.org
Family and Friends of People with Addictions
Parents Helping Parents People with Addicted Children https://www.parentshelpingparents.info	SMART Recovery Family & Friends Cognitive Approach https://www.smartrecovery.org/family/
Al-Anon 12-Step for Family/Friends of Addicts http://tulsaiso.org	Co-Dependents Anonymous (CoDA) 12-Step for Co-Dependent Relationships https://coda.org

 

Joining one of these groups can go a long way toward building up a strong support system that can help you help you outside of the therapy session. Additionally, things like community groups, churches, athletic teams, meditation groups, professional organizations, and volunteer groups can all enhance your support system. No one should try to get through life all alone, and a therapist can’t always be there. Build your support system.

 

Evolve.