Mental Health Counseling and Medical Marijuana | DocMJ Telemedicine Counseling Service
Mental wellness is just as important as physical wellness. A patient’s mental health will determine how well they can cope with their daily life and stresses. Medical marijuana has positively impacted patients with a wide variety of conditions. There are several mental health conditions which are approved for treatment using medical marijuana including anxiety, PTSD, and more. At DocMJ, we view patients holistically and recognize that a patient’s treatment may require more than just medical marijuana to reach optimal wellness. Counseling combined with medical marijuana has been shown to provide lasting relief for many patients.
Counseling and Medical Marijuana
· Medical marijuana alleviates symptoms while counseling addresses the mental and emotional struggles—When a patient struggles with a mental illness, alleviating the symptoms is only part of the treatment. There are generally underlying stressors which are exacerbating a patient’s mental health, which the patient will benefit from discussing with a professional. For example, a patient with PTSD could minimize the debilitating side effects connected with PTSD through medical marijuana, but they still need coping strategies for when panic attacks or episodes occur. A trained counselor can work with the patient to modify their behavior and develop the tools they need to cope through the difficult days.
· Medical marijuana use may need to be modified—There are a variety of strains to choose from with medical marijuana. Each strain offers different benefits which could prove one strain to be more effective than another. A counselor familiar with medical marijuana usage will be beneficial for tracking how the medical marijuana strain is working and documenting any side effects from the strain. An informed and unbiased source will be incredibly helpful for tracking the success of your treatment and recommending a change if needed.
How DocMJ can Help
As we have witnessed the success of combining mental health counseling and medical marijuana, we wanted to make this combined treatment more accessible for our patients. DocMJ Cares online mental health counseling service was developed to help our patients connect with a licensed, professional mental health counselor with a strong understanding of medical marijuana. Although some patients can find a mental health counselor on their own, finding one with a background in medical marijuana can prove to be more challenging. Ideally, your counselor needs to be informed to track your progress using medical marijuana. If you are interested in scheduling a visit with one of our therapists, you can reserve an appointment online or via phone at (888) 686-3949.