Honolulu, Hawaii Therapists

Guide to Finding Mental Health Professionals in Honolulu, Hawaii

Honolulu is a scenically beautifully but also a bustling city in Hawaii. It’s the largest city in Hawaii, and it’s the capital of the state, located on the island of Oahu. There is a significant amount of business and national defense activity that occurs in Honolulu, as well as tourism. Some of the many tourist attractions in and around the city include Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay, ‘Iolani Palace, Waikiki Beach, and the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

While Honolulu and the entire island of Oahu may be one of the most beautiful places in the world, it’s not a city without problems. Many of the problems faced by people who live in Honolulu are related to mental health and substance abuse. It’s also a very expensive place to live, creating problems such as homelessness.

An Overview of Mental Health in Honolulu

Many states throughout the U.S. are grappling with high substance abuse rates. Opioids including prescription pain medications and heroin, are hitting states and communities hard. Hawaii is no exception. For example, according to recent reports, heroin addiction is on the rise throughout Hawaii. One reason that heroin use is going up in cities like Honolulu is that there are stricter guidelines regarding the prescribing and use of drugs like Oxycodone. Heroin is a cheaper alternative that’s also easier to obtain.

Meth is also a frequently abused drug in Oahu. Meth is highly addictive, and the stimulant can lead to serious mental and physical deterioration, as well as an increased likelihood of erratic or criminal behavior.

Along with substance abuse, Honolulu has a pervasively high homelessness rate, and two factors that seem to contribute to this are untreated mental illness and the very high cost of living in the city. Many people who live on Oahu feel that homelessness problem is continuing to get worse.

At the end of 2017, it was reported that Hawaii is the number one state in the U.S. for per capita homelessness, according to HUD statistics. HUD reports a rate of 51 homeless people for every 10,000 individuals in the state. There are more than 7,220 homeless people reported on all the Hawaiian Islands. A study from the Institute for Human Services said that in a recent survey on the homeless people of the North Shore of Oahu, 60 percent have some form of mental illness.

The cost of living in Honolulu is extremely high as well, which can create social problems, and worsen the quality of life for people who may be all but priced out of the general marketplace. For example, the monthly rent for a 900 square foot apartment in an expensive area of the city is around $2,278 on average. The monthly rent in a normal area is on average $2,082. The median home value in Honolulu is $786,871 according to Zillow.

Based on research from the federal government, in 2013 to 2014, around 4.1 percent of all adults in Hawaii reported having serious thoughts of suicide during the year before they were surveyed. Based on the same research, only 31.8 percent of Hawaii adults with any mental illness received treatment or counseling, while more than 68 percent said they didn’t.

Mental Health Resources in Honolulu

There are mental health resources available in Honolulu. The state of Hawaii operates the Adult Mental Health Division and the Behavioral Health Services Administration. Hawaii Behavioral Health works with children and families and has a location on Oahu. CARE Hawaii is an organization that provides mental health services on an outpatient basis to children, adolescents, and adults. Hawaii Pacific Health offers mental and behavioral health services for the treatment of mood disorders, anxiety and panic disorders, phobias and serious mental illness.

Samaritan Counseling Center Hawaii works to provide what they describe as accessible mental health counseling to individuals, families, and communities on Oahu and throughout Hawaii. Samaritan and similar care providers charge based on a sliding scale. Along with these mental health care centers and services, there are hundreds of psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists and counselors in the area.

Finding a Honolulu Therapist

Getting the mental health care you need can be overwhelming. There are so many therapists and counselors available that it’s difficult to narrow them down and find someone that’s going to offer you caring and compassionate treatment, but also a sense of expertise. The difficulty of connecting with the right therapist is one reason we put together the above guide to treatment providers in Honolulu.

We wanted to help people connect with therapists who are top-quality providers and make it easier to find providers who specialize in certain areas of treatment.