My D is currently a junior at Pitt. She had some mental health issues sophomore year, went to the health center and had counseling and psychiatry services. While she continues to see the psychiatrist for medication, she stopped going to therapy when she used up all her visits (they only offer a limited number). In order to continue, she would have had to find an off campus therapist and since she was feeling better she didn’t bother.
Now, a year later, she is feeling like she needs therapy again. She went to the health center and was told that she probably can’t get an appointment this semester as they are completely booked with a big waiting list. They said they only bump the waiting list for people who are suicidal, which fortunately she is not. But she does feel that she is going down and wants to catch it before it gets worse. She called the main off campus place that the health center recommended and they are completely booked and are not accepting new patients. We tried going to our insurance website and pulling names. Despite the website indicating that these people are taking new patients, everyone she has called has told her that they are not. She is running out of ideas and is starting to panic.
Has anyone experienced such difficulty finding a therapist and what did you do? Despite being surrounded by hospitals, she is finding it impossible to get an appointment. I don’t know how much exaggeration is in this number, but she says she has called 20 people in addition to the off campus mental health center. Is there an on-line resource to find therapists that are accepting new patients? Is there some sort of on-line therapy out there?
She is asking me what to do and I can’t think of anything. Does anyone have any suggestions?
In my experience, a 4-6 week wait is not unusual for an intake appointment, so she needs to prepare herself for a wait even if she finds someone today.
Has she asked her psychiatrist, or the scheduling person in the psychiatrist's office, for a referral?
If you are somewhat local, have you asked her pediatrician / primary care doctor / gynecologist for a referral?
If you can afford it, you might have more luck as a cash patient.
Sorry I don’t have an answer for you, but you may want to look into some of the online options like talkspace.com or better help.com, both of which I’ve heard good things about.
Thanks. It looks like there are some good listings on the psychology today site. Hopefully she can find someone who is accepting new patients. I’ve emailed her the link for that plus the other two sites that have been mentioned above.
I’m sorry to hear this. I happen to think that the school should be able to recommend/refer to somewhere in the community- not just say no!
Suggestion: Call the United Way 211 number and ask for help. They work with many mental health non-profits and may be able to help.
I also think that in this situation, with her permission it is also ok for you to make some calls on her behalf just to seek places/therapists who would take new patients.
Call and talk with someone in Behavioral Health in your insurance company about this. Many therapists have contracts that require them to take a new client who is referred directly from the insurance company.
Agree that paying cash does make it easier. I accepted clientsand I did not do the insurance billing for the last 5 years of my practice. I would give client a “super bill” which they send in and the majority of companies reimbursed directly to the client.
I’m so sorry for the stress this must be causing your D and you. When our relative was a big “in the dumps,” her existing rheumatologist helped refer her to a therapist to help her through the tough spot (death of a beloved relative). Does she see any healthcare providers near her U who might be able to refer her to someone? Often a referral from another healthcare provider helps bump the patient to a sooner appointment than someone that just calls out of the blue.
I totally agree with Post #8, from @bajamm. Your or your husband’s companies probably sponsor an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). If you don’t know for sure, call your Benefits or HR people. Family members (all of you) can receive a certain number of counseling sessions at no charge. If your D needs more after that, she can continue seeing the same counselor but pay for it. (And your insurance might cover that person.)
Many EAP programs are 3 and sometimes up to 8 sessions. If she needs to see someone long term then this will not give that to her. Also, depending on the insurance company, they will require information and if satisfied will approve additional sessions. Worth a call.
If you pm me her city I will do a search for you. I have successfully found therapists for a couple of collage student near their colleges and universities.
Thanks for the EAP suggestions but we don’t have that. My husband is not working right now, and I work for a very small non-profit with minimal benefits.
She did find one person today who was taking new patients but the office is a long way from where she is. She’d have to do a long Uber ride back and forth. She’s still looking for something closer but at least she has one option even if it isn’t ideal.
Perhaps once she and the therapist establish a good rapport after a few visits, they may be able to do sessions via FaceTime or Skype and not require the long ride. She may wish to consider that as well.
After post 13, I realize this may not apply to the OP. but here goes anyway.
To be honest, when we needed to change therapists-- her old one moved to CA, and the office wasn’t great about getting her a replacement-- I started with our insurance. I went through the list of therapists who took our insurance, and visited each website till I found one I thought would be a good fit for our daughter.
As luck would have it, she’s a fabulous fit. And it’s a $25 weekly co-pay, as opposed to the $175 I had been paying.
Health plans sometimes shunt people into group therapy as a stop gap until an appointment with an individual therapist is available. It’s worth checking with the campus health center and private mental health facilities to find out if they have group therapy options. Therapist quality/fit is hit or miss, but sharing issues with peers experiencing similar challenges can be enlightening and helpful. The suggestion of Nami.org is excellent, though the peer group meetings are geared more to those with serious mental illness (bipolar/major depression/schizophrenia). Also, she should ask to be put on a waiting list at the places that claim they have no openings. Sometimes the receptionists run interference and say “no” without offering the option of the waiting list. Once on the waiting list, call every week or so to check status. Cancellations/no shows are common, so something may open up sooner than expected. Good luck, it’s great that she has reached out to you for guidance.