Understanding what’s available, what’s possible, and what healing can look like.
When someone is struggling with their mental health, knowing where to begin can feel like standing at the bottom of a mountain with no trail in sight. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution—and honestly, that can be a good thing. Because just like people, healing takes many different forms.
Charissa and I (Ariel) have both gone through our own winding paths with treatment. Some options helped. Some didn’t. But having choices gave us the ability to keep going until something felt right. This post is about offering that hope. That possibility. That clarity.
We want to help break down the different treatment paths available for mental illness—because everyone deserves to understand their options without shame, fear, or confusion.
1. Psychotherapy (Talk Therapy)
What it is: Talk therapy involves working with a licensed therapist to explore thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and patterns that impact your life. Therapy can be short- or long-term, and it can focus on specific issues or provide general emotional support.
Why it’s beneficial:
Therapy can help people build self-awareness, regulate emotions, learn coping skills, unpack trauma, and feel less alone in their struggles.
Types include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors. It’s often used for depression, anxiety, and trauma.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Builds skills for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and healthy interpersonal relationships. Especially helpful for intense emotions and self-harming behaviors.
- Trauma-Informed Therapy: Prioritizes safety and trust, recognizing how trauma impacts the brain and body. Helps survivors feel empowered and understood.
- EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): Uses guided eye movements to help people reprocess distressing memories and reduce their emotional impact.
💬 Our experience: Therapy helped both of us in different ways. Sometimes we talked. Sometimes we sat in silence. But over time, it gave us language and tools to understand what we had been carrying—and permission to put some of it down.
2. Psychiatric Medications
What it is: Medications prescribed by a psychiatrist or medical provider to help manage the symptoms of mental illness. They’re often used alongside therapy or other forms of support.
Why it’s beneficial:
For some people, medication provides enough relief from symptoms to function more fully, regulate mood, or engage in therapy more effectively.
Common categories include:
- Antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs, etc.): Often used for depression, anxiety, PTSD, and OCD. They can help regulate mood, improve sleep, and reduce intrusive thoughts.
- Mood Stabilizers: Used to treat mood swings, especially in bipolar disorder. They can help even out emotional highs and lows.
- Anti-Anxiety Medications: Often used short-term to manage acute anxiety or panic attacks.
- Antipsychotics: Can reduce or eliminate hallucinations, delusions, and severe mood disturbances. Also used in combination with other treatments.
💬 Our experience: Medication isn’t a cure-all, but it can be a game-changer. We both went through trial and error to find what helped. When something started working, it felt like we could finally take a breath again.
3. Peer Support & Support Groups
What it is: Support from people who’ve been through similar experiences—either one-on-one or in group settings. Peer support specialists are often trained and certified, but not clinical professionals.
Why it’s beneficial:
There’s deep power in being seen and heard by someone who gets it. Peer spaces offer validation, shared resources, and the reassurance that you’re not alone.
💬 Our experience: We found each other in a peer support space, and it changed everything. We didn’t have the support we needed growing up—but we found it in each other, and we know just how healing that kind of understanding can be.
4. Holistic & Integrative Approaches
What it is: Healing that takes the whole person into account—mind, body, and spirit. Often used alongside other treatments to support emotional and physical well-being.
Why it’s beneficial:
These approaches can help regulate the nervous system, reconnect with the body, and support healing in ways that feel gentle and affirming.
Examples include:
- Mindfulness & Meditation: Increases present-moment awareness and decreases anxiety.
- Breathwork & Somatic Practices: Helps release stress stored in the body.
- Art Therapy & Music Therapy: Provides expressive, creative outlets for emotions.
- Yoga & Movement: Supports nervous system regulation and connection to the body.
- Energy Healing (Reiki, sound therapy, etc.): Helps some people feel grounded and spiritually aligned.
💬 Our experience: As neurodivergent, highly sensitive folks, we’ve found that healing often looks different for us. Tarot, grounding tools, movement, and energy work have all helped us feel more like ourselves again.
5. Lifestyle & Routine Adjustments
What it is: Daily life matters—what you eat, how you sleep, how you move your body, and the environment you create can all support (or strain) your mental health.
Why it’s beneficial:
These changes can help create consistency, reduce stress, and support long-term emotional well-being.
Key areas to consider:
- Rest and sleep hygiene
- Nutrition that supports energy and mood
- Movement (in ways that feel good, not forced)
- Reducing sensory or emotional overload
- Creating routines that fit your brain and body
💬 Our experience: Once we embraced that our routines didn’t have to look “normal” to be valid, we found what truly supported us. There’s no shame in needing more rest, or building routines that center your needs.
6. Inpatient or Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP/PHP)
What it is: Structured programs that offer a higher level of support, often for people in crisis or struggling with severe symptoms.
Why it’s beneficial:
These programs offer stability, safety, and multiple layers of support—including therapy, medication management, and group sessions.
Levels of care include:
- Inpatient hospitalization: Short-term crisis care for immediate stabilization.
- Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP): Day programs that provide intensive care but allow people to return home each night.
- Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP): Several hours of structured treatment per week, often used as a step-down from inpatient or as a more intensive option than traditional therapy.
💬 Our reflection: These options are often misunderstood and stigmatized. But they can be life-saving. Asking for this kind of support is incredibly brave—and it deserves more compassion and less fear.
7. Community-Based Resources
What it is: Local and national services that offer support for little or no cost. These might include peer networks, free therapy, warm lines, nonprofit-run programs, and more.
Why it’s beneficial:
Accessibility matters. Not everyone can afford therapy or medication—and these resources can offer vital lifelines, connection, and crisis support.
Examples include:
- Sliding scale clinics
- Warm lines (emotional support, not emergency crisis)
- Community mental health centers
- Nonprofits with support programs or financial aid
💬 Our hope: We’ve seen how life-changing these resources can be—especially for people who’ve been overlooked or underserved by traditional systems. You deserve support that meets you where you are.
Final Reflections: Healing Isn’t Linear
There’s no single path to healing. There’s no “right” way to get better. Some of us will try medication. Others won’t. Some will love therapy. Others might find healing in movement, ritual, or community.
And that’s okay.
You are not behind. You are not broken. You’re navigating your own map.
There have been moments when both of us questioned whether healing was even possible. We still have hard days. But what changed everything was having options, being believed, and being supported as our whole selves.
💬 Let’s Keep the Conversation Going
Have you tried any of these treatment options—or are you still figuring out what works for you? What’s helped you feel seen, safe, or supported?
We’d love to hear your reflections. You never know who might find hope in your story. Let’s keep talking. Let’s keep healing. Together.