Mental health challenges have risen greatly over the past few years. In 2020, one in five adults disclosed that they suffer from anxiety, PTSD, or depression. In 2021, these stats increased to one in four.
Here to talk about the need for mental health treatment is one of Milton’s own registered psychotherapists.
CHM Therapy Services is a Milton-owned, private therapy practice that provides one-on-one and group mental health sessions. Candice Hamilton-Miller is a Milton local and the owner of the independent practice.
Candice prides herself on her passion for working with others and helping people find support in their mental health struggles.
“I think that the biggest stigma that people have when they come to counselling or therapy is that they feel like “‘I must be completely broken to do this,’” which Candice argues isn’t true. She believes everyone is entitled to having a safe space for them to talk about life’s daily struggles.
CHM is a team of eight mental health workers, including psychotherapists and qualifying psychotherapists. They also have one child life therapist and a family consultant for individuals with autism.
Candice aims to offer high-quality service to as many people as possible. Eventually, she hopes to ensure CHM has a specialist for every area and every budget. Having interns is one of the ways they can offer therapy to those with a lower budget.
She advises those who don’t have coverage or are on a tight budget to reach out regardless of whether or not they think they can afford therapy.
“It’s always worth a call. Typically, each of us [psychotherapists] carry one or two spaces for pro bono work,” says Candice.
If they can’t, they will find you some options for someone who can help. They aid people in finding free resources, such as family doctor teams with counsellors.
Candice, a registered psychotherapist, is focused on mental health or what she refers to as deeper-level counselling.
“A psychotherapist would look at, why are you feeling like this? What has happened in your world that’s making you feel this way?” Candice continues, “A psychotherapist helps to look at your personality, history, and how that all contributes to what’s happening now so that you can move past it and not just repeat the pattern in a couple of years.”
Candice explains that being a business owner and a psychotherapist is a paradox because on one hand, if they are doing their job well, they’re putting themselves out of work because people won’t need their help anymore.
“I think as a business owner, especially with something like psychotherapy, we have a weird profession, because if I’m really doing my job well then I’m putting myself out of work. People don’t need me anymore when I’m good at what I do.”
She identifies the challenges she faces running her business; juggling all the pieces from advertising to growing and meeting the needs of the community, accessing what’s going on in the community, and how your services have to shift.
CHM is soon offering a new therapy, called Geek Therapy where they’ll use things like Dungeons and Dragons, anime, and video gaming as part of therapeutic components for their clients.
They also host group sessions for high school students heading off to university in the fall, called Laundry, College-Life, and Grades, Oh My!
She believes that mental health is tied to everything we experience in life, and it’s important to work through struggles for better overall health.
“We know that there is such a strong link between mental and physical health. Cancer patients, for example, have a much better chance of survival through their treatment if they have mental support and can stay in a more positive frame of mind.”
Candice believes that in the world that we live in now, there are so many moving pieces at all times, that everyone should have a therapist and a non-judgemental space where they can process and talk things through.
“It’s just as simple as life is not feeling good and I’m just feeling a bit lost in where I’m going,” says Candice.
You can locate Candice and her team at one of her two offices in Milton.
Want to check them out from the comfort of your home first? You can find them on their website, www.chmtherapy.com, which will have a fresh new look by the end of April, and on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
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