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You're Doing Mental Health All Wrong: Three Easy Steps to Doing It Right!

  • Writer: Deric Hollings
    Deric Hollings
  • 2 hours ago
  • 4 min read

Photo credit, Designed by Freepik, fair use

 

I began the informal practice of life coaching in 1991, when I was in junior high school. Back then, I knew very little about how to properly approach the treatment and management of symptoms for mental, emotional, and behavioral health (collectively “mental health”).

 

Then, in 2011, I began the formal practice of psychotherapy after earning a Master of Arts in Counseling degree. Adding to my education, training, and personal and professional experience with mental health, I earned a Master of Science in Social Work degree in 2014.

 

The main psychotherapeutic modality on which I focused in both graduate programs was Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). In 2021, I received formal training on this method of showing people how to get better rather than to merely feel better.

 

I’ve since attained Texas state licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Clinical Social Worker, established my own clinical practice (Hollings Therapy, LLC), and have become the world’s foremost hip hop and electronic dance music-influenced REBT practitioner.

 

In all, I have three and a half decades of experience by which I’ve tried to assist people with improving their mental health. I say “tried,” because there are no guarantees in this regard, and I encourage use of personal responsibility and accountability (collectively “ownership”).

 

Each person with whom I’ve worked since my youth is offered to take personal ownership of one’s own outcomes in life. To date, I believe that my efforts have been a net positive regarding the life coaching and mental health strategies I’ve employed—which are virtually synonymous.

 

Given my relatively extensive experience with serving people, I’ve seen trends come and go. Different therapy models have gained and lost favor. Numerous marketing strategies have also appeared and disappeared. Concerning the latter, I’ve noticed a subjectively vapid trend.

 

It goes something like this: (1) Inform audience members that they’re doing something improperly (e.g., you’ve been eating with a fork all wrong). (2) Use a BuzzFeed-esque listicle format to remedy the perceived wrongdoing (e.g., five easy steps).

 

I don’t know what type of undiscerning individual is persuaded by this form of insipid advertising, though I’m guessing some people favor it. Therefore, I imagine someone may appreciate: You’re doing mental health all wrong: Three easy steps to doing it right!

 

However, considering my experience with the provision of informal and formal mental health services, there’s one obvious problem with this type of marketing strategy. There’s no “right” way to approach mental health, as I’m in no position to say who is and isn’t doing it “wrong.”

 

The hubris it takes to make a claim otherwise is foreign to me. Thus, if you’ve come across the blogpost looking for “easy steps” to get better, then I invite you to let go of nonsensical claims which (1) propose to know right or wrong, (2) use listicles, and (3) advocate “easy steps.”

 

You’re a complex system in a complicated world. Ergo, the process of getting better is challenging, takes time, and isn’t reduced to uninteresting listicles. People who tell you otherwise may not have your interests and goals in mind, though likely have their own at hand.

 

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

 

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

 

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

 

 

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

 

References:

 

Hollings, D. (2026, March 3). Blowback and knock-on effects: Subjectivity of beliefs. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/blowback-and-knock-on-effects-subjectivity-of-beliefs

Hollings, D. (2026, April 15). Complex systems vs. complicated systems. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/complex-systems-vs-complicated-systems

Hollings, D. (2022, March 15). Disclaimer. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/disclaimer

Hollings, D. (2023, September 8). Fair use. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/fair-use

Hollings, D. (2024, May 17). Feeling better vs. getting better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/feeling-better-vs-getting-better-1

Hollings, D. (2023, October 12). Get better. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/get-better

Hollings, D. (n.d.). Hollings Therapy, LLC [Official website]. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/

Hollings, D. (2025, September 22). Hubris. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/hubris

Hollings, D. (2024, January 2). Interests and goals. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/interests-and-goals

Hollings, D. (2026, February 15). Let go without attachment. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/let-go-without-attachment

Hollings, D. (2023, September 19). Life coaching. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/life-coaching

Hollings, D. (2024, August 8). Managing and treating symptoms. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/managing-and-treating-symptoms

Hollings, D. (2024, March 4). Mental, emotional, and behavioral health. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/mental-emotional-and-behavioral-health

Hollings, D. (2025, November 16). Mental health, mental illness, and mental disorder. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/mental-health-mental-illness-and-mental-disorder

Hollings, D. (2022, November 7). Personal ownership. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/personal-ownership

Hollings, D. (2025, September 9). Personal responsibility and accountability. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/personal-responsibility-and-accountability

Hollings, D. (2026, March 18). Prejudice vs. discernment: Bias. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/prejudice-vs-discernment-bias

Hollings, D. (2023, September 15). Psychotherapeutic modalities. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapeutic-modalities

Hollings, D. (2024, May 5). Psychotherapist. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/psychotherapist

Hollings, D. (2022, March 24). Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/rational-emotive-behavior-therapy-rebt

Hollings, D. (2025, December 24). Some people advocate walking. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/some-people-advocate-walking

Hollings, D. (2025, October 22). The construct. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/the-construct

Hollings, D. (2026, April 23). The three traditionally identified components of the mind: Affect, cognition, and conation. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/ the-three-traditionally-identified-components-of-the-mind-affect-cognition-and-conation

Hollings, D. (2025, February 28). To try is my goal. Hollings Therapy, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.hollingstherapy.com/post/to-try-is-my-goal

Wikipedia. (n.d.). BuzzFeed. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BuzzFeed

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Listicle. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listicle

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