What Kind of Help Am I Looking For?
Start with the question you want answered, not a treatment label you think you should already know. More than one kind of support may be useful.
For: People seeking help or planning their own support · 2 PDF pages
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An assessment can help a professional understand your needs and develop an individual treatment plan. Questions about your health, circumstances and goals belong in that conversation. This map does not choose a level of care.
Sources: [1]
Choose a starting conversation
Scroll the table sideways on a small screen to compare all columns.
| What I need today | Who I could ask | A useful first question |
|---|---|---|
| Understand what is happening | A healthcare professional or treatment program | Can you arrange an assessment for substance-use concerns? |
| Understand a treatment option | The clinician or program providing it | How would you decide whether this service fits my needs? |
| Get to an appointment | A trusted person or the program’s support staff | Who can help me work through transport, access or cost questions? |
| Talk with people with related experiences | A peer-support group organizer | Who is this meeting for, and what happens at a first meeting? |
| Be heard before making a decision | Someone I trust | Could you listen while I explain what has been difficult? |
SAMHSA encourages a specific request and allows starting with a smaller conversation. Support can include help finding a professional, making an appointment, or simply having someone listen.
Sources: [2]
My first connection
- The question I want answered
- Choose one row or write a different need.
- Person or service and next action
- Name/contact; what I will ask; another contact if this one cannot help.