Beha­vio­ral Health Program

The Beha­vio­ral Health Program focuses on the assess­ment of mental health needs, the provision of coun­se­ling therapy, psychia­tric services, case mana­ge­ment resources, and edu­ca­tio­nal sessions.  Volunteer the­ra­pists, psychia­trists, social workers and interns work in close con­sul­ta­tion with providers from all of Shepherd’s Clinic programs to address the mental health needs for the com­prehen­sive care of clients. Nick Arbon, MSW, LGSW is the program’s Coordinator.

We currently have three the­ra­pists and three psychia­trists providing mental health care, in addition to two social work interns. In FY09, the program expe­rien­ced a 62% increase in mental health services over FY08. Shepherd’s Clinic patients seeking mental health services are asked to make a suggested donation of $9 for psychophar­ma­co­lo­gi­cal care and $3 for each psychothe­rapy session…basically, one hour’s wage for a month of weekly sessions. Case mana­ge­ment services are provided at no cost.

What Is Mental Health Care?

• Mental health care is inter­per­so­nal treatment for problems in living.
• It involves talking with a trained pro­fes­sio­nal about con­di­tions ranging from depres­sion and anxiety to rela­tionship conflicts and career frustrations.
• Mental health care provides ways to express feelings, unders­tand patterns of thinking, gain pers­pec­tive on past events and current rela­tionships, set goals, and clarify dreams for the future.
• Mental health care can both alleviate pain and suffering and add meaning and richness to life.
• Trained pro­fes­sio­nals employ a range of tech­ni­ques and methods, some suited to par­ti­cu­lar mental health issues and some that can be applied to clients dealing with a variety of issues.
• All trained pro­fes­sio­nals seek to increase their clients’ mental health and to act as a con­fi­den­tial and careful listener.

The Pro­fes­sio­nals at Shepherd’s Clinic

The mental health world is populated with many types of pro­fes­sio­nals, each with different training, different qua­li­fi­ca­tions, and a different approach. Good therapy is most often the result of a great client-therapist con­nec­tion. The following pro­fes­sio­nals offer clients their expertise in the Beha­vio­ral Health Program.

Psychia­trist

Psychia­trists are medical doctors who, after com­ple­ting medical school, receive an addi­tio­nal four years of spe­cia­li­zed mental-health training. Psychia­trists treat the full range of emotional and mental disorders, and are licensed to prescribe medi­ca­tion. Psychia­trists sometimes use psycho­tro­pic medi­ca­tion in con­junc­tion with therapy to treat patients.

Counselor/Therapist/Psychologist

Licensed the­ra­pists have a master’s or a doctoral degree in coun­se­ling or a related area and complete two years of super­vi­sed practice. They are licensed as inde­pen­dent providers of mental health services, including the diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional issues, and use a variety of the­ra­peu­tic techniques.

Clinical Social Work/Therapist

Clinical social workers commonly hold a master’s degree in social work (or the equi­va­lent) and have completed two years of super­vi­sed practice to obtain a clinical license. They may use a variety of the­ra­peu­tic tech­ni­ques, including psychody­na­mic therapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Pre-Licensed Pro­fes­sio­nal

A pre-licensed pro­fes­sio­nal is in the process of meeting the requi­re­ments to become a licensed prac­ti­tio­ner. They may be interns, trainees, students, or residents, and may treat patients under the super­vi­sion and guidance of a licensed professional.

(Source of Defi­ni­tions: Psycho­logy Today)

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