Four Ways to Find A Therapist or Counselor in Nashville

Finding a counselor, therapist, or life coach can be difficult. You may be new to a Nashville and do not know where to start. You may have suspicion about these professionals and are not sure you want to open up to a stranger. Or you may be struggling to find the courage to schedule an appointment for the first time. Making the decision to sharing the hard parts of your life is a vulnerable act.

Whatever your reason, it’s okay if you have struggled to make this call. But when you are ready to do the brave work of self-reflection and move towards health, then you want to make sure you have the right clinician to walk alongside you in that courageous journey.  

1. Ask A Helping Professional for a Referral:  Check in with your doctor, chiropractor, nurse practitioner, or pastor for who they would recommend. You can give them as much or as little information you are comfortable sharing about what you want or need.

2. PsychologyToday.com:  This website has an abundance of therapist, counselors, life coaches, and psychiatrists that practice in Nashville. This site is helpful because you can sort professionals by insurance, age, language, and various counseling issues. These filters can help you find a good fit and this website allows you to read about each person or counseling center. 

3. Google it:  Google is one quick way to check out most of the Nashville counseling offerings by reading websites, FAQ's, and blogs. Hopefully, their websites will be able to give you a good sense of what kind of work they do and if he or she would be a good fit for you. 

4. University Counseling Centers: Nashville is full of university counseling centers. If you are an alumni or are new to Nashville each of these university counseling centers can help you find names of clinicians to help you reach your goals. Here are a few options: Trevecca Counseling Center, Lipscomb Family Therapy Center, and Vanderbilt Psychological and Counseling Center. 

Bonus Tip: Once you narrow down to a few possible candidates, ask for a short 15-minute phone consultation before you schedule your first appointment. This call will allow you to ask questions and find the counselor that seems to be the best fit for you.

In next week's blog I will discuss how to know you have found the best fit for a Nashville therapist. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, if you have checked out my website and think that I might be a good fit for your journey towards health, then feel free to contact me at Jessica@JessicaMcCoyCounseling.com.

A New Nightly Routine: Three Tools to Sleep Better

How are you sleeping at night? This is one of the first questions I ask when working with an individual. Quality of sleep is often a great revealer of the level of stress or sadness in a person’s life. Stress, fear, and sadness all impact our sleep cycles so it’s important to pay attention to this area of our lives. Your quality and length of sleep at night will impact your health and ability to navigate stressful situations during the day.

Here are three ideas about how to create a new nightly routine to help your sleep become deeper so that your stress and sadness can become smaller.

Yoga with Adrienne - Yoga for Bedtime

1. Try bedtime yoga. -  A good bedtime yoga routine can help you slow down . This change will not happen overnight, but in time this regular practice will begin to signal to your mind and body that it is time to rest. Yoga with Adrienne has a great free option if you are looking for a place to start. (Always remember to check with your doctor before making major changes to your physical routines). 

2. Create a gratitude journal. -  Before you turn off the lights write down a few things that happened during your day for which you are grateful. Taking note of both small things (like receiving a funny text from a co-worker) and larger moments (like booking your dream vacation) can help develop a sense of gratitude. Ending your day with a moment of gratitude can help you enter into more peaceful rest.

3. Schedule your worry. -  Instead of worrying right before you go to bed (because it may wake you up in the middle of the night) try before you go to bed pull out your planner or calendar app and schedule 5 to 10 minutes of worry for tomorrow. When that time arrives the next day then give yourself permission to lean into the worry, the “what ifs,” and the stress. Feel free to write out your worries during that brief period of time. When the timer goes off then make sure you move on to the next item on your schedule for the day. Saving time for worry until tomorrow will help you sleep tonight.  

These are just a few tips of how your might improve your nightly routine. If these ideas are helpful or if you would like to talk more about your stress and sadness with a counselor, then please contact Jessica to schedule a free 15-minute consultation to help you create a new routine for success. 

Jessica McCoy Counseling: Now Open Mondays in Nashville

As my practice grows, I have been able to add another day of availability to work with women and families in Nashville. As of May 2016, I am available Monday, Tuesday, and Thursdays.

If you are looking for counseling services due to family issues, relationship stress, work stress, or trying to move forward in a new direction, please call (615-979-4168) or email and we can schedule a free 15-minute consultation.