Mental health is a critical aspect of overall well-being. Unfortunately, many people struggle to access the care they need. Women often prioritize other factors in their life over their mental health. There is a lot left to be done to make mental health care more accessible to women.
An empathetic and considerate therapist or mental health professional can do a lot of things to make mental health care for women. We will discuss this through the perspective of various mental health professionals who may come into contact with a woman at different places in her journey of seeking mental wellness.
1. Implement a User-Friendly Digital Interface
A licensed therapist provides individual or group therapy to clients. They use a variety of evidence-based therapeutic approaches, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, to help clients address and overcome mental health concerns, such as anxiety, depression, and trauma.
Sometimes, women hesitate before taking the step to call and make a physical appointment at a therapist’s office. However, if the process of scheduling the first appointment and making the payment is digital, it somehow feels easier and less overwhelming, as sometimes we hesitate to vocalize our needs.
If you wish to start on your own as a therapist, you should ensure your systems and processes are perfect, so that you can concentrate on providing the best service to your patients. Choosing software customized for mental health billing services can be a great option as you start your practice.
2. Normalize the Discussion on Mental Disorders
Sometimes, it is difficult for women to communicate with their loved ones if they are diagnosed with a mental disorder. Anorexia, bulimia, and bipolar disorder are a few disorders affecting several American women today.
As a clinical psychologist, you need to normalize the discussion on mental disorders and help your patient feel better. As you grow in your career, you will get a detailed insight into how mental disorders affect women, and you should adjust your treatment methods to accommodate the same.
A therapist, on the other hand, tries to enhance the overall well-being of an individual client who may not be suffering from any disorder. As a clinical psychologist, your job is to convey to your patient what they should do to manage the symptoms of their disease.
You can make an average of $102,633 as a base salary as a clinical psychologist, according to January 2023 estimates by Glassdoor. As you get better at your job, this value can only go up. You can also choose to research to better understand mental health conditions and develop new treatments.
3. Sensitize Psychiatric Nurses About Women-centric Issues
There are only 26564 psychiatric nurses in the USA, as estimated by using a database of 30 million profiles and BLS statistics, according to Zippia.com. As more people join, it is important to conduct training to remove any conscious or unconscious biases regarding gender in them.
Some of the topics that should be covered include the ones mentioned below:
- Provide training and education on gender-specific mental health issues, such as postpartum depression and domestic violence.
- Provide resources for nurses to continue their education and stay up to date on the latest research and best practices for treating women’s mental health issues.
- Create a safe and inclusive environment for patients, including those from marginalized communities. Encourage nurses to be aware of their own biases and work to overcome them.
- Encourage nurses to advocate for women’s mental health within the healthcare system and in their communities.
4. Remove Gender Barriers in Rehabilitation Centers
There are around 44332 physical rehabilitation centers in the USA, estimates market research firm IBIS World. Although it is a challenging task to implement gender-inclusive policies across all these, following the below steps would be a great start:
- Provide gender-specific treatment options and services to meet the unique needs of individuals of different genders.
- Provide resources for patients to continue their education and stay up to date on the latest research and best practices for treating gender-specific health issues
- Encourage staff to advocate for the removal of gender barriers in the healthcare system and in their communities.
- Encourage patients to participate in the decision-making process, ask for their feedback, and listen to their concerns.
- Review and revise policies and procedures to ensure that they are inclusive and non-discriminatory.
5. Motivate Girls in Schools
A school counselor can impact girls studying in high schools positively by teaching them to respect themselves and their changing bodies. Some of the tasks that a school counselor might do include the ones mentioned below.
- Encourage open communication and active listening to help girls feel heard and understood.
- Teach girls coping skills and strategies for dealing with stress and negative thoughts. Help girls set realistic goals and work towards achieving them.
- Provide education and resources on positive body image and self-care.
- Encourage girls to participate in extracurricular activities and clubs that align with their interests and passions.
- Provide guidance and support for girls as they navigate relationships and social dynamics.
- Encourage girls to speak up for themselves and to advocate for their own needs.
- Promote positive role models, both in the school and in the community, who embody confidence and self-assurance.
If the right set of enablements and training interventions are staged at all touchpoints of a woman patient’s journey, it is indeed possible to make mental health more accessible to women. Having seamless virtual consultations, normalizing the narrative around mental health and hospitalizations, and training counselors at schools and rehabilitation centers can all work in cohesion to make it easier for women to get help.