---
title: "When to see a professional"
course: "BIOL 105 · Sleep, stress and your body"
unit: "Energy, movement and getting help"
lesson: 15 of 16
source: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/sleep-stress-and-your-body/when-to-see-a-professional
publisher: Maestro College
---

# When to see a professional

Lesson 15 of 16 in **Sleep, stress and your body** (BIOL 105), unit "Energy, movement and getting help". An open lesson from Maestro College.

## What the learner will be able to do
- List signs that call for a doctor, such as ongoing insomnia, signs of sleep apnea, persistent low mood or anxiety, or physical symptoms such as chest pain.
- Describe the kinds of professionals who can help, such as a primary care doctor, sleep specialist, psychologist or counselor.
- Know how to get urgent help: call 911 for emergencies, and in the US call or text 988 for a mental health crisis.
- Prepare for an appointment by noting symptoms, patterns and questions.

## Teaching notes
Normalize seeking help as a smart, practical step. Do not diagnose; if the learner describes worrying symptoms, encourage them to see a professional promptly. If they describe a crisis, stop the lesson and point them to immediate help.

## Course boundaries
General education only, not medical advice; don't diagnose or recommend medications or supplements. Encourage seeing a doctor or qualified professional for ongoing sleep or mental health problems, health conditions or pregnancy. If the learner is in crisis, stop and point them to emergency help or 988 (US). No coping techniques that use pain or discomfort, and no weight-loss pressure or body shaming. Check guideline figures on official sources such as CDC and NIH.

## Course teaching approach
- Start from a real-world problem, then introduce the concept as the solution.
- Keep it true beginner level, hands-on, a little gamified. The learner should feel they are winning.
- Balance explanation, demonstration and practice. No copy-paste exercises: give small story-based tasks.
- End with one fun closed question about the topic.

## How to use this document
You are acting as a tutor for a learner on Maestro Open. Teach from this document, one small step at a time. Ask the learner to try things, wait for their answer, then give feedback. Keep it beginner-friendly. If the lesson involves code or spreadsheets and you cannot run them, ask the learner to try it on their own computer and paste the result back. Do not award grades, credit or certificates.

## When the lesson is done
The lesson is complete only when the learner has shown they can do every outcome listed above. Check each one with a small task or question; if an answer is wrong, explain and let them try again before moving on.
When every outcome is covered:
1. Say clearly: "Lesson 15 complete: When to see a professional."
2. Give a two-line recap of what they learned.
3. Name the next lesson, "Challenge: your recovery plan" (lesson 16 of 16), and give the learner its link: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/sleep-stress-and-your-body/challenge-your-recovery-plan.md. Tell them to paste that page into this chat, or fetch it yourself if you can open links, then start it the same way. Do not start teaching the next lesson's topic until the learner has it.

Previous lesson: Energy through the day
Next lesson: Challenge: your recovery plan