RESOURCES FOR JOURNALISTS SEEKING THERAPY

Other Resources for U.S.-Based Journalists Seeking Therapy

Funding for Journalist Mental Health Services

• U.S. based journalists, regardless of gender, can apply for financial assistance for their mental health services through The International Women’s Media Foundation’s U.S. Journalism Emergency Fund, or through the Black Journalists Therapy Relief Fund. Click here for more information.

• To apply for financial assistance through the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) Journalist Therapy Relief Fund, click here.

• Freelancer journalists who have been actively working freelance for the past 12 months may be eligible for the Rory Peck Trust‘s Trauma Therapy Fund (Click here to apply).

• The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also provides grants for journalism-related mental health and trauma support. For more information, and to apply for a grant, contact CPJ Emergencies at Emergencies@CPJ.org.

Finding a Therapist if you Have Insurance or Can Pay Out-of-Pocket

Before connecting with a therapist, you may want to contact your insurance company to learn about any mental health benefits you might have. Your insurer may recommend certain therapists who are considered “in network” with your insurance. Or, you may have benefits that cover “out of network” therapists.

Keep in mind, your therapist must be licensed in the state where you are located when you are receiving services, even if you see them by “telehealth.”

To locate a therapist near you, explore the links below:

ISTSS and SIDRAN have referral services on trauma-specific services.

The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies also has a therapist referral service with the capacity to search for specialists in trauma treatment.

The American Psychological Association has an extensive collection of clinical psychologists searchable by geographic area.

Psychology Today has a database of psychologists and other mental health professionals that can be searched by specialty, insurance accepted, and zip code.

Additional suggestions:

Contact your local (city or state) psychological association and ask for a therapist with specific expertise (trauma, stress, substance use problems, etc.)

If there is a local Veterans Affairs Hospital or Clinic in your area, determine if any of the therapists who know about post-traumatic stress disorder and deployment have a private practice where they might be able to see you.

If your agency has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), they may be able to make a referral to a therapist in the community.

Finding a Low-Cost or Free Therapist

If you don’t have mental health benefits and you cannot afford to pay out-of-pocket, try searching for the following places in your community that likely offer free or low-cost virtual therapy.

Keep in mind, your therapist must be licensed in the state where you are located when will be receiving services, even if you see them by “telehealth.”

• The Therapy Aid Coalition connects essential workers with low-fee therapy. (They explicitly include news and media professionals in their list of essential workers.)

• The Open Path Collective is a nonprofit nationwide network of mental health professionals dedicated to providing mental health care—at a steeply reduced rate—to clients in need.

• Community mental health centers

• Local universities or colleges that house training programs for therapists

• National hotlines can often connect you to free local clinics

• State or county behavioral health services

• Refugee and torture treatment clinics will often accept other patients who have emotional or physical injuries from work related to defense of democracy (such as journalism). To see if there is such a clinic near you, check the National Consortium of Torture Treatment Centers member centers page.

• Federally funded health centers can also be a good resource for those without health insurance or with a limited budget. Many of these centers include mental health services. Find a federally funded health center near you.

Queer & Trans-Affirmative Therapist Search Engines

• Gaylesta: The Psychotherapist Association for Gender and Sexual Diversity

• LGBTQ Psychotherapists of Color

• National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network

• The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Member Directory

A note on therapy and therapy resources

Many people find therapy helpful for coping with a difficult period in their life. Asking for help takes courage—which journalists have a lot of! We encourage you to use it now in the service of your own wellbeing.

A few tips if you’re looking for therapy:

• It can take time to find the right therapist. This can be frustrating, but try to be persistent. It’s usually well worth it. (JTSN is working to make this process easier in the future!)

• Ask the therapist what kinds of issues they specialize in, and what their approach is.

• “Evidence-based practice” is effective for anxiety, traumatic stress, and depression.

• Many mental health providers are now offering remote video or telephone sessions, so people can participate in therapy from their own homes.

• However, most therapists are not legally permitted to work with you when you are physically outside the state they are licensed in.

• Read the Dart Center guidance on choosing a therapist.

Self-Help Resources

Finally, here are a few additional tools to help manage stress and anxiety:

Webinar:
Making the World Hurt Less: Enhancing Wellbeing During a Time of Stress
IWMF self-care webinar by Dr. Katherine Porterfield

Apps:
PTSD Coach

CBT-i Coach for insomnia

COVID Coach

The Safe Place App (App designed for Black community to increase awareness, provide education, and a space for discussion.)

Websites:
Self-Care Toolkit for BIPOC folx and aspiring allies

Tara Brach Guided Meditations

Liberate meditations “A safe space for the Black community to develop a daily meditation habit”

Trauma-sensitive Yoga Sequences

Online harassment self-defense:
Freedom of the Press Foundation digital safety guide

PEN America online harassment field guide

Selected Dart Center tip sheets (more available here):

Handling Traumatic Imagery: Developing Your Own Standard Operating Procedure

Online Abuse: A Self-Defense Guide

Maintaining Boundaries with Sources, Colleagues and Supervisors

Let’s Talk: Personal Boundaries, Safety, and Women in Journalism (video)

Reporting on Sexual Violence

Reporting on Sexual Violence in Conflict

Dart Center Style Guide on Trauma-informed Reporting

Interviewing Survivors of Sexual Violence

Occupational Stress in Factual TV

Tragedies and Journalists Handbook

Selected Articles:

Lessons Learned from Journalists Covering Global Pandemics Tip sheet from the International Women’s Media Foundation

“Our calm is contagious: how to use mindfulness in a pandemic”
An interview with clinical psychologist and meditation teacher Tara Brach, PhD

“How to Find a Meditation App for You"  Review article on Mindfulness Apps

“Coping with Coronavirus: An upside of anxiety, the curse of panic”
An opinion piece by psychologist and UCSF professor Elissa Epel, PhD

“That discomfort you’re feeling is grief”
An interview with psychologist and leading grief researcher David Kessler

Association of Black Psychologists Self-Care Tool Kit: This 26-page tool kit, written in English and Spanish, contains information about how stress and trauma affect the body and mind, and self-care strategies for dealing with the effects of racism.

Psychological First Aid Summary of strategies for supporting friends and colleagues