No Cookie Cutter Approaches to Mental Health - with Dr. Tara Miller

A significant portion of the U.S. population lives in areas lacking mental-health workers. Residents of underserved areas have roughly a quarter of the providers they need, in aggregate, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation says. Additionally, more than 150 million people live in federally designated mental health professional shortage areas. The global pandemic has exacerbated this shortage by accelerating the departure of tenured therapists, combined with the lack of entrants into the field, particularly in rural communities and communities of color. Dr. Tara Miller, Ph.D., is a Licensed Counselor, National Certified Counselor, Master Addictions Counselor, Certified Professional Counseling Supervisor, Board Certified Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Clinician, and Certified Anger Management Specialist in her hometown, a city with a population of 5,000. She is also a business owner, the leader of a non-profit, and a member of the city council. Dr. Miller believes that approaches to mental health should be customized based on the person. Dr. Miller believes cookie-cutter approaches are ineffective and can signal potential “compassion fatigue” or burnout for the clinician. To avoid this challenge, her non-profit “Choose You 365” focuses on encouraging each person to put themselves first and attend to the “self-fullness” necessary to be effective in helping professions. https://chooseu365.org/