The Importance of Addressing Women's Mental Health

In a world that often seems chaotic, health and wellness are popular but ultimately difficult goals that most people seek to attain. Mental health in particular feels like a challenge, as mounting stress levels lead to a rise in mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.

While many women can seem to navigate life transitions, change, and relational challenges with a sense of balance, often they are masking their struggle to protect their loved ones. That's why women's mental health is an important topic to explore, and a women's therapist is a valuable resource to promote.

On This Page:

Unique Mental Health Challenges That Women Navigate

What Makes Women's Mental Health Treatment Different?

Why Choose A Women's Therapist For Women's Issues?

Finding A Women-focused Licensed Therapist in Austin, TX

Women Therapists in Austin, TX: Williamsburg Therapy Group

Unique Mental Health Challenges That Women Navigate

Women are generally spoken of as people who are unafraid of their feelings and in touch with the idea of growth in their personal lives. However, women face a number of unique mental health challenges. According to a recent report by SAMHSA, 23% of the female population has experienced a mental health disorder in the past year, and experts estimate that millions of additional cases remain unreported and untreated.

Women experience mental health symptoms differently than men. They are more likely to have physical symptoms like fatigue, difficulty sleeping, and changes in appetite. Women with depression are also more prone to alcohol addiction than their male counterparts. In addition:

• Women are twice as likely to experience depression than men
• They are twice as likely to experience PTSD after trauma
• Women are two times more likely to have generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and specific phobias
• Women experience eating disorders at much higher rates, accounting for more than 85% of anorexia and bulimia cases, as well as 65% of binge eating disorder cases

What Makes Women's Mental Health Treatment Different?

Experts believe that the differences in women's mental health may be attributed to one or more of the following:

• Cultural Influences. Despite many changes in the world regarding equality, women are still primary caregivers for children and geriatric family members, as well as facing disparities in status, position, and socio-economic power, which are high markers for stress and burnout. Girls are at higher risk of developing dissatisfaction with their bodies during adolescence, which is a contributing factor to depression. On top of all that, one in five women experiences sexual assault or attempted sexual assault during their lifetime, trauma that can lead to PTSD, anxiety, or panic disorder.
• Biological factors. Women typically produce less serotonin than men and synthesize it more slowly. Serotonin is a mood-stabilizing neurotransmitter that promotes good feelings and plays a role in sleep regulation. Female hormones also fluctuate and can also contribute to anxiety and depression.
• Behavioral differences. Women can approach therapy differently than their male counterparts. On the positive side, women have a tendency to share with medical professionals when they feel changes in their energy, focus, or relationships and are more likely to report symptoms of potential mental health issues. On the negative side, women may be afraid to report cases of physical violence and other types of abuse.

Why Choose A Women's Therapist For Women's Issues?

Therapy with a licensed professional is only as effective as the bond of trust between therapist and patient. A family therapist or women's therapist who is well-versed in women's issues can more easily create that bond because a woman tends to connect better with a person who can understand what she deals with on a day-to-day basis. A woman therapist can also better understand what another woman deals with in her relationships with others and her approach to life in general.

Another important thing to remember: in cases of trauma, especially sexual trauma, a woman may not be comfortable speaking to a man about her experience. A session with a therapist should feel like a space of peace and safety, so counseling with a woman who is informed about working with victims of abuse can be ideal for healing and recovery.

Finding A Women-Focused Licensed Therapist in Austin, TX

If possible, the best way to find a therapist is to get a recommendation from someone you trust. Ask around to friends and family about their experiences with therapy if you are comfortable doing so. Next, take some time to think about what you are looking for in therapy.

Are in-person counseling sessions important to you, or do you feel like you'd be more comfortable working with a therapist online? What goal or goals do you want to work on--would it make more sense to see a family therapist, a psychotherapist, or a licensed marriage counselor?

Next, take your search online. There are a number of online therapy platforms to choose from if that's what you're looking for. Compare prices and benefits for each, and read the reviews to see what clients are saying about the therapists.

Online therapy also offers the option of choosing your therapist by sharing your needs (for example, "I want to meet with a woman who is LGBTQ friendly and specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy). Not all of these platforms work with insurance, but some do work on a sliding-scale pay basis that can be affordable.

If you want to participate in in-person therapy, look at your insurance to see what therapists are covered in your area. Then, you can take those names and look up their practice online. Most will have a short description of their specializations and an idea of what to expect from their services.

Time to Get to Work

Once you've found a therapist, the journey toward healing can begin. Therapists are trained to partner with their clients to share lifestyle strategies, self-care practices, and coping skills to help with stress management and shift thinking and behavior patterns in more positive directions.

No matter how hopeless, lost, or exhausted you feel, therapy can help you deal with the root cause of your worry, offer hope and healing, and help you reclaim the joy in your life.

Women Therapists in Austin, TX: Williamsburg Therapy Group

At Williamsburg Therapy Group, we are proud to offer licensed, doctoral-level therapists of all genders and races in order to provide a comfortable experience for everyone. We staff many doctoral-level women therapists in Austin and maintain a high level of availability so that you can get the quality of help you deserve as soon as you need it.