Have you noticed a change in your eating or sleeping habits, or do you no longer enjoy the activities you used to love? Have you recently been diagnosed with a mental health disorder? If so, you may be looking for a mental health care provider to support your healing journey.

Mental health is a vital part of your everyday life. Your mental health affects how you think, feel and act as you cope with the normal human stresses of life. Your mental health can also impact significant areas of your life, such as your work, school, relationships and physical health.

If you are struggling with your mental health, you may feel lost, helpless or hopeless. You do not deserve to suffer in silence. You can take the first step toward improving your mental health today by searching for mental health facilities near you.

7 tools that can help you find a compatible mental health facility

Once you have decided to pursue treatment at a mental health facility, there are many private and federal resources available to help you find a facility near you:

• Primary care provider — Your primary care provider can be an important resource in helping you find a compatible mental health facility near you. Your primary care provider may conduct an initial mental health screening and refer you to health care specialists in your area based on your support needs.
• Psychology Today — Psychology Today, an online mental health resource center, offers a “Find a Treatment Center” locator function. You can use their locator to search for a mental health facility near you and can even search for specific treatment programs, such as an intensive outpatient program or residential treatment. Once you have found a provider, be sure to contact your insurance company to verify coverage.
• The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) — HRSA is dedicated to providing health care to high-need communities. Their webpage contains resources to help you find affordable health care, including mental health facilities in your area.
• American Residential Treatment Association (ARTA) — If you’re an adult specifically looking for a residential treatment program, you may want to check out ARTA. You can use their “Find a Residential Mental Health Facility” locator to search through their 30 residential treatment facilities across the United States. However, these programs do tend to run at a higher cost than other mental health facilities.
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) — The CMS website contains information on the benefits of and your eligibility for mental health facilities near you, as well as how to enroll in a treatment program.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) — You can call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-622-HELP (4357) to learn general information on mental health and locate treatment facilities in your area. You can also use their mental health facility locator at FindTreatment.gov. This tool is a good option if you are looking for lower-cost treatment options or facilities that offer a sliding scale fee.
• The National Library of Medicine (NLM) MedlinePlus — NLM’s website contains directories and lists of organizations that can help connect you with a health provider in your area.

What to consider when choosing a mental health facility

Once you find a potential mental health facility, it may be helpful to prepare a series of questions to make sure that they are the right provider for you. Some questions you may consider asking the provider are:

• What experience do you have treating someone with my mental health concern or diagnosis?
• How long do you usually treat someone with my concern or diagnosis?
• Do you accept my insurance?
• What are your fees for your treatment programs?

Mental health treatment works best when you feel safe and comfortable with your mental health care provider. If you’re feeling like the treatment is not helping, consider talking with your provider or finding a different treatment facility.

Lightfully Behavioral Health can help you find the right mental health facility

Finding the right mental health care provider can be an intimidating process. Lightfully Behavioral Health is here to help you take the first step in your healing journey. Our licensed, clinical experts see each client as a complex and layered human — not just a diagnosis. Check out one of our California-based mental health facilities to see if there is one near you.

Not near one of our locations? Our Virtual Intensive Outpatient Program might be an option for you.

Change is possible. When you’re ready to take the first step, reach out to our Admissions Concierge Team. We’ll take the next steps together, toward the fullest, brightest version of you.