S2: Mental Health Support
You may already know that therapy is something you require to stay completely healthy or you may be considering therapy for the first time this year. There are many ways to get mental health support and QVS is committed to covering the cost of therapy (up to $50 for weekly sessions or $100 for bimonthly sessions). It can be a daunting process to find a therapist but 1. YOU ARE WORTH IT and 2. We want to help you! We hope this document will be helpful; You can request help from the Operations and Admin Manager (Liz!) or your Coordinator.
Finding a Therapist
You can find a phone number on your insurance card or on the website of your insurance provider. Give them a call and ask for a list of therapists in your network area who are accepting new patients. You can specify a maximum distance from your home or site placement or ask for someone who does virtual sessions. You should also be able to ask specific questions about your therapist’s identities or specialties: Are there any queer therapists who have experience working with people with autism?
Your insurance company may email you a list or refer you to a database where you can search for therapists online with the specifications you have. We recommend calling several potential therapists. Taking the time to speak with different providers can give you a sense of what each therapist would be like in a session. Is this someone with whom you can share deeply about yourself?
If you’re working with at a network database, filter for “accepting new patients” and ”location.” There may be other filters to help you find the right therapist for you. Reach out to a few and see if you like them. It is okay if the first person you see doesn’t feel right for some reason!
Your Insurance May Be a Resource
If you are having trouble finding therapists near you that meet your needs Betterhelp is an online therapy service where you get paired with a therapist. It’s easy to switch therapists and you can access them by text or video call. They don’t take insurance but there is financial aid and QVS’s therapy budget can help cover the costs.
Online Therapy May Be a Resource
Friends Counseling Service offers psychological support to members of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, their families and regular attenders and staff. The Yearly Meeting offers sliding scale counseling. More information about the program can be found here. To inquire about counseling, please contact the Friends Counseling Service Coordinator, Janaki Spickard-Keeler 215-241-7019 or <jspickardkeeler@pym.org>.
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Talk therapy isn’t everything and there are many other ways to get mental health support like group therapy, EMDR, having a regular game night you can rely on, having a spiritual practice, making friends etc.
Talk to your insurance about what kinds of alternative therapies are covered by your insurance.
If you have found a modality that will support your mental health but is not covered by your insurance, reach out to the Director of Equity and Empowerment (Zenaida!) about reallocating the money for talk therapy to something else. We’ll need to talk it through to see if we can make something work!
Search for mindfulness communities in your city! Portland has a hiking group for Black people, many of the Quaker meetings have meditation groups. Boston has free yoga and exercise classes outside in the warmer months. Find outdoor gyms! Your local open mic spots! The libraries have tons of resources from craft supplies you can borrow to drumming classes.
Figure out what kind of therapies you are looking for and see what is possible!
Alternatives to Talk Therapy
As a general rule, QVS can pay up to $50 per week for therapy. This amount is flexible depending on your location, your needs, and at what point in the year you are seeking therapy. Please reach out to the Operations and Admin Manager if you are having trouble finding a sliding scale provider, or if you find a great therapy match, but they are more expensive than the guideline of $50 per week.
We know you have little disposable income during your year, so there are several options for paying for therapy. If your provider is willing to accept payment after services are provided, you can ask them to directly invoice QVS via the Admin Manager, and we can pay the bill for you. This is our preferred method of paying for therapy.
If your therapist requires payment at the time of your session, we can work with you to determine payment arrangements. One option is for us to send money to you in advance at the same time you receive your monthly personal stipend payment. In this case, you will need to make sure to send in the receipts for your appointments each month. Depending on your cash flow situation, you could also pay for your appointment up front and ask for reimbursement for QVS.
Ultimately, we want to provide mental health support in a way that works for you, and we encourage you to communicate with your Local Coordinator or the Admin Coordinator should you encounter difficulties in finding a provider.