In the evolving world of mental and behavioral health, the winds of change are blowing towards a more individualized, process-focused approach. Let’s explore together what a mental health landscape might look like if we shift our focus from categorizing people based on DSM disorders to understanding and modeling the "processes of change" that empower or interfere with our life journeys.

Traditionally, mental health practitioners have often focused on so-called “disorders” like “major depression” often becoming inattentive to more specific, changeable, and interconnected issues such as loneliness or the lack of human connection. Loneliness is not just a “sign” of something – it is something! It’s shocking how many problems have been minimized and given far less attention than they deserve, because of the horse blinders our mental health system forces on us all in its futile search for hidden mental diseases.

By adopting a process-focused approach, practitioners can address a wider range of problems in a coherent way. Core processes that contribute to one problem often relate to others, which means that a more holistic understanding of mental and behavioral health gives people actual tools they can use over and over again. If a practitioner is helping a client with, say, anxiety struggles, why not also help with their distress from tinnitus, or the impact of back pain, or habits like biting nails until their fingers hurt, or problems in communication with loved ones?!

Often the same processes of change apply to all of these areas, and it’s not like there are scores of other professionals out there ready to step in problem by problem. Technology and apps will play a crucial role in this transformation, enabling practitioners to extend their reach and efficiently address a broader spectrum of issues. Go ahead and........

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