May is Mental Health Month, which obviously has a special meaning for those of us in the mental health field. In fact, at Highland Rivers Behavioral Health, every month is observed as Mental Health Month, and we work every day to reach out to those in need in our community.
This year’s theme for Mental Health Month is “Where to Start: Mental Health in a Changing World” and the Mental Health America website, which founded Mental Health Month in 1949, has great resources on where to start if you want to strengthen your personal mental health and what anyone can do to raise awareness of mental health issues in their community.
“We think this year’s theme is particularly meaningful. Many people suffering from mental health issues often hesitate to ask for help because they don’t know where to start. But in a changing world, it’s all about innovative ways to make mental health services more accessible to communities, removing barriers and giving people a place to start without having to ask. We do this by increasing access points in our communities and bringing services to people where they are.
A prime example is joint response, where uniformed law enforcement officers are paired with licensed mental health clinicians to respond to individuals in the community who are in a behavioral health crisis. In times of crisis, having a therapist in the community, in the individual’s home, allows for immediate access to mental health counseling. If a referral to a Crisis Stabilization Unit is needed, it can be made efficiently and quickly, benefiting both the individual and the community. Highland Rivers works with law enforcement agencies in several jurisdictions on joint response programs, including Cobb County, City of Marietta, Cherokee County, Catoosa County and Pickens County, and is working to develop other programs.
Another example of increasing access points in the community is our APEX school-based program, where licensed mental health counselors partner with schools to identify children who need extra support. APEX is often so effective because therapists can provide counseling to children at school (usually in a private office provided by the school). If families also need services, they can meet with therapists at school. APEX allows children and families easy access to mental health services without having to travel to a clinic. Highland Rivers provides APEX services in over 50 elementary, middle and high schools in our service area.
Another example of improving access to mental health services is our partnerships with local emergency departments. At several hospitals we partner with, Highland Rivers clinicians provide mental health assessments to individuals with behavioral health needs. Since we launched this program in 2016, almost 50% of the individuals we’ve assessed have been switched from costly emergency care to a more appropriate level of service with our agency. This is all because we’ve been able to provide an access point to mental health care at a time when people feel like they have nowhere else to turn.
Highland Rivers also partners with several county mental health and substance use courts, veterans courts and accountability courts to provide additional, efficient access points for services for individuals who become involved with the legal system due to behavioral health issues.
These are just a few examples of how we are working across our service area to increase and integrate access to mental health care. Of course, this wouldn’t be possible without the collaboration and support of our many community partners who recognize that the world is indeed changing, and who want to change it for the better by ensuring that people who need mental health care have many new starting points.
Melanie Dallas is a Licensed Professional Counselor and CEO of Highland Rivers Behavioral Health, which provides treatment and recovery services to people with mental illness, substance use disorder, and intellectual and developmental disabilities in a 13-county area in northwest Georgia, including Murray and Whitfield Counties.
