How to Take Care of Your Mental Health on a GLP-1

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helps you identify negative or harmful thoughts and change the way you react to them. This can be especially useful for someone whose body is changing fast and who turned to a GLP-1 because of body image issues. This type of therapy can help you change how you think about your body and build more positive associations and attitudes.

Brightside Health is an online therapy platform specializing in CBT. We found Brightside Health’s therapists highly skilled, and we appreciated the coping skills program included in the monthly plan. We were also impressed with its affordability. You won’t pay more than $349 a month for weekly therapy sessions, unlimited messaging with your mental healthcare professional, and psychiatry services if you need medication in addition to therapy.

If you’re using a GLP-1 for an ongoing illness that prevents you from losing weight naturally, getting therapy with a professional who specializes in chronic illnesses can be invaluable. Talkspace offers access to therapists with experience supporting people living with long-term conditions, making it an excellent option for this type of care.

Life on a GLP-1 can feel very different. Changing eating habits can affect your social life, as you may go out to meals with loved ones less often. You could be in situations where you simply aren’t hungry, and others might make comments about your lack of appetite.

Your relationship with your partner may be most impacted. If one partner has changes in appetite and energy, it can affect the relationship dynamic. Your partner may feel left behind or may wonder how best to support you on your journey.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time using OurRitual’s couples counseling services. The company has a subscription model with live sessions and self-guided tools. OurRitual uses an approach called the Gottman method and emotionally focused therapy. The goal is to boost communication, connection, intimacy, and conflict-resolution skills.

“For people who used food to manage stress, anxiety, or difficult emotions, the reduction in appetite can actually surface feelings they haven’t had to sit with in years,” says Dr. McClanahan. Trauma therapy can be immensely helpful in getting to the root of those painful emotions and difficult experiences, and it can teach you new ways to cope with stressors that don’t involve eating. Grassetti says it’s important to notice when you’re experiencing emotional triggers and question whether they’re linked to your eating habits.

Your self-worth isn’t based on your weight, but that knowledge alone may not be enough to stop self-judgment. “Self-judgment tends to spike when progress stalls, when weight comes back, or when someone compares their experience to what they expected or what someone else reported,” says McClanahan.

It can be difficult to maintain perspective when any of these things happen, so opting for regular therapy sessions can keep you on track. We like that Grow Therapy features a wide range of therapists throughout the country who accept insurance. And many of them specialize in body image and eating disorders.

If you’re looking for a telehealth option that takes your insurance, check out PlushCare. It accepts most major insurers, including UnitedHealthcare, Anthem BlueCross, Cigna, Aetna, and Humana. PlushCare is one of the few platforms that offers physician-guided weight loss medication as well as mental health therapy and medication. It can also serve as your online urgent care provider, making it a true one-stop healthcare shop.

We had a good experience testing therapy with PlushCare. We believe it would work well for someone who needs guidance on a specific situation, such as GLP-1 use. Appointments may be available as soon as the same day, depending on the service. Membership is around $20 a month, plus your copay if using insurance or $129 per visit without insurance.

Care without insurance may not be synonymous with affordability, but Sesame is trying to change that. The company’s online weight loss program starts at $59 per month (payable in a lump sum of $708 for a 12-month, nonrefundable commitment). Therapy appointments may be as little as $94 with a Sesame Plus membership, which costs $10.99 per month or $99 per year, no insurance required. Mental health medication is also available, as is online urgent care and prescription refills. You may also be able to access in-person appointments with the service. It’s a great model for those seeking convenient, affordable care without insurance.

For those seeking psychiatric care and medication management, as well as therapy, we highly recommend trying Rula. We had a great experience with the service. Its therapists were experienced, thoughtful, attentive, and easy to connect with. We love that you can choose your own therapist from a list of recommended matches and that the portal makes it easy to communicate with your mental health professional between appointments.

The service is in-network with most insurance. Therapy and psychiatry appointments may be available as soon as the next day. For psychiatry, the service matches you with healthcare professionals covered by your insurance.

For a psychiatry service that’s exclusively available via insurance, we like Talkiatry. Its healthcare professionals can prescribe a variety of medications, including those for anxiety and depression. These two conditions can easily surface as your body changes and your brain struggles to keep up. Talkiatry excels at connecting you with a telehealth psychiatrist who can help you understand your symptoms and guide you as you work together to find the best medication for your situation.

Special diets, dietary needs, medications, and coexisting conditions need knowledgeable nutrition experts. Fay Nutrition’s dietitians offer specialized nutrition counseling for a wide array of situations. Have a chronic illness? Vegetarian or vegan? Have a history of disordered eating? Food sensitivities or allergies? These dietitians can help plan meals around such needs, and many more. Plus, Fay Nutrition takes most insurance.

You may also find yourself exercising more, but with a reduced appetite on a GLP-1, it can be a struggle to get enough to eat to power your workouts. Dietitians can help you optimize and balance your nutrition.