Treatment and care
Therapies, how to find a clinician, what insurance covers, and how to navigate a system that rarely explains itself.
Therapy and treatment
Explainer
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): what it is and what it is not
The American Psychological Association on the most-studied psychotherapy in the world, in plain language.
6 min read
Explainer
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT): the standard explainer
Behavioral Tech, the training organization founded by DBT's developer Marsha Linehan, on what DBT actually involves.
7 min read
Explainer
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
The Association for Contextual Behavioral Science on a therapy organized around values and psychological flexibility rather than symptom reduction.
7 min read
Explainer
Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy
The IFS Institute on a model that treats the mind as a system of parts, and the evidence base behind it.
7 min read
Explainer
EMDR: eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
EMDRIA's overview of a structured trauma therapy that the WHO and APA both list among first-line PTSD treatments.
7 min read
Explainer
Exposure and response prevention (ERP): the first-line OCD therapy
Why generic talk therapy can make OCD worse, and what the alternative actually involves.
6 min read
Explainer
Psychodynamic therapy: and the evidence often left out of the conversation
A clean overview of the modern psychodynamic tradition, and what randomized trials actually show.
7 min read
Explainer
Somatic experiencing and other body-based trauma therapies
The Somatic Experiencing International overview, plus honest caveats about an evidence base that is growing but uneven.
6 min read
Explainer
Group therapy: what it is good for, and what it isn't
The American Group Psychotherapy Association on a modality that is consistently undersold and often more effective than people expect.
6 min read
Explainer
Family and couples therapy
AAMFT on the systems-oriented therapies that treat the relationship as the patient.
6 min read
Explainer
Peer support: recovery alongside someone who's been there
SAMHSA on peer-support specialists and the evidence behind a recovery role that sits alongside, not under, clinical care.
6 min read
Explainer
What 'evidence-based therapy' actually means
Cochrane's plain-language explainers on systematic reviews: the tool that decides what 'works.'
8 min read
Getting care
Directory
SAMHSA National Helpline: treatment referral, not crisis
Free, confidential, 24/7 information and referral for mental health and substance use treatment.
3 min read
Directory
FindTreatment.gov: the federal treatment locator
Search by ZIP code for licensed mental health and substance use treatment providers.
3 min read
Directory
NAMI: Family Members and Caregivers
How to support someone in your life living with a mental health condition without losing yourself in the process.
10 min read
Directory
NAMI HelpLine: information, referrals, and emotional support
Free national helpline staffed by trained NAMI specialists, by phone, text, chat, and email.
3 min read
Directory
211: community resource line for the U.S. and Canada
Dial 2-1-1 to reach trained community resource specialists who can connect you to local services.
3 min read
Directory
Therapy for Black Girls: clinician directory and community
A searchable directory of licensed Black women therapists across the U.S., plus a popular podcast and community.
4 min read
Directory
Asian Mental Health Collective
A pan-Asian directory of therapists, support groups, and culturally specific mental health resources.
4 min read
Directory
Latinx Therapy: bilingual mental health directory and podcast
A directory of Latinx therapists, many bilingual in Spanish and English, plus an extensive Spanish-language podcast.
4 min read
Directory
Psychology Today: therapist directory
The largest mental health provider directory in the world, with verification of licensure.
4 min read
Directory
How to find a therapist (and decode the credentials)
APA's guidance on choosing a therapist, plus what the alphabet soup of LCSW, LMFT, LMHC, PsyD, PhD, and MD actually means.
8 min read
Directory
Sliding-scale and low-cost therapy networks
Open Path Collective and the other major networks that exist specifically to make therapy affordable.
6 min read
Directory
Identity-affirming therapist directories
Therapist directories built specifically for Black, brown, queer, trans, and disabled clients seeking culturally competent care.
5 min read
Directory
Mental health parity rights, and how to appeal an insurance denial
U.S. Department of Labor on the rights granted by federal parity law, and the steps an appeal actually takes.
9 min read
Directory
Telehealth therapy: what is good about it, and what to watch for
The American Telemedicine Association on how to evaluate a telehealth mental health provider.
6 min read
Directory
Psychiatric hospitalization: voluntary, involuntary, and your rights
Treatment Advocacy Center on the laws governing inpatient psychiatric care in the U.S., and what to expect on the ward.
10 min read
Directory
The Stanley-Brown Safety Plan
The evidence-based safety-planning template, free to download, that hospitals and crisis services use after a suicidal episode.
6 min read
Explainer
Collaborative Care Model: AIMS Center at the University of Washington
The most-studied way to deliver mental health treatment inside primary care, with 90+ randomized trials behind it.
7 min read
Explainer
USPSTF depression and anxiety screening recommendations
Why your primary-care visit now includes a short mental-health questionnaire, and what the score means.
5 min read
Explainer
Mental health care in family medicine
The American Academy of Family Physicians on making mental health part of everyday primary care.
6 min read
Explainer
Vet Centers: community-based readjustment counseling
Confidential counseling outside the main VA system for combat veterans, MST survivors, and their families.
4 min read
Explainer
Give an Hour: free counseling for veterans and military families
A national network of mental-health professionals providing free care outside the VA.
3 min read
Explainer
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs)
Federally designated clinics that must offer 24/7 crisis care, MAT, and care coordination to anyone who walks in.
6 min read
Explainer
Clubhouse International: peer-run community for serious mental illness
A 350+ site global network where members run the clubhouse alongside staff and rebuild work, school, and social life.
5 min read