7 Strategies For Navigating Therapy Waitlists

Being on a waiting list can feel frustrating and disheartening, especially when you're seeking support during a challenging time in your life. Whether you're dealing with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, or any other mental health concern, the waiting period can often exacerbate your distress. 

As a healthcare administrator overseeing a counseling office, I often encounter a significant challenge within our field: a shortage of mental health professionals and an overwhelming demand for mental health services. The combination of these two factors often leads to many potential clients waiting for extended periods. 

While there is not an immediate solution to this problem, I feel compelled to provide some sort of support to individuals while they wait. To help cope with this situation and make the most of the time spent waiting for counseling, I worked with colleagues to compile a proactive list of things to do while you’re stuck in the waiting period. 

Here's how to make the most of your wait:

• Educate yourself on what you believe is going on. 

Find credible and reliable sources, such as Mental Health America, Anxiety & Depression Association of America, and the National Institute of Mental Health,  that can assist in identifying behavioral patterns that align with what you are experiencing, and reflect on how it applies to your present circumstances. Search for strategies that target the improvement of your particular condition. 

• Develop personal goals. 

Create a list of goals you want to achieve that will help to benefit your mind and promote your wellbeing. Choose realistic and attainable goals. Write out ways to accomplish them, and work towards their attainment. For example, if you think that spending more time outside would be helpful to your mental wellbeing, instead of setting your goal as, “get outside more” consider making it, “get outside twice a week for fifteen minutes.” 

• Think about your expectations for therapy. 

What do you hope to get out of therapy? What type of therapist are you interested in seeing? What type of therapy methods do you feel would be beneficial to your mental health? Write down answers to these questions and research therapy methods to better prepare yourself. Shop around for therapists. Find therapists that align with your expectations. Once you are ready to see a therapist, you will know exactly what you want to get out of therapy, which will better equip your therapist in developing a treatment plan.

• Download mindfulness apps. 

Mindfulness is important to health and wellbeing, and it has been shown to reduce many mental health struggles. You can read more about why mindfulness matters in our blog here. Apps, such as Insight Timer and myStrength, offer free mindfulness techniques that can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, while also assisting in the development of habits that will lead to a more mindful and health-promoting lifestyle. 

• Connect with others. 

Having a support team is essential for mental health and wellbeing. Life often presents many challenges, and navigating it alone is not sustainable. Connecting with others can involve reaching out to family members and friends, or it can involve finding new individuals to connect with. Connect with people who share your interests. Whether it’s enjoying a cup of coffee at a local cafe, finding a workout buddy at the gym, joining online communities related to your hobbies (there is a Facebook group for virtually any interest) - the opportunities are endless. 

• Find things that YOU enjoy. 

Reconnect with yourself. Reflect on past interests and be open-minded to trying new things. Explore hobbies and passions that ignite your interest and make time to engage in these activities. Learn more about yourself in the process. Making time for yourself helps to disconnect from external distractions and stressors, fostering the ability to be fully present with your own thoughts and feelings, allowing for introspection of your body and mind. 

• Write in a journal. 

Keep notes on how you feel. Write about your emotions, experiences, and interactions with others. Record both your highs and lows. This can be beneficial in two ways. First, it can be therapeutic, aiding in self-reflection, emotional processing, and the recognition of behavioral patterns. Second, it offers your therapist valuable insight into your mental wellbeing, providing information that may otherwise be forgotten if not written down. As you might imagine, there is an app for that - Daylio offers free daily mood tracking and journaling!

Remaining proactive is key. Instead of passively waiting for your turn, take active steps to support your own wellbeing in the meantime. Until then, continue to educate yourself, develop personal goals, utilize the tools and resources available to you, and remember that you're not alone on this journey. Stay hopeful in knowing that the waiting period will not last forever! 

To find the right therapist near you, use a reliable site like Psychology Today or Lifeologie Counseling to explore individual counselor’s qualifications, specialties, and approaches, and connect with someone who can help you get the great mental health you deserve!