The holidays can bring about a wide variety of emotions, but this year has added another layer of stress. With cases still escalating during the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are making the tough decision to stay home for the holidays, forgoing big traditional gatherings. While...
PART ONE IN A SERIES The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as the ACA, expanded healthcare access and affordability. A portion of the ACA, known as the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), strives to ensure that mental health and...
Many mental healthcare workers start their careers with a clear sense of purpose in their work. There is a level of intrinsic value that comes with working in a profession that is focused on meeting the needs of others. Unfortunately, it can be easy for...
COVID-19 swept the United States in the spring of 2020. Seemingly overnight, businesses shuttered, schools closed, and everyone not deemed an “essential worker” began to shelter at home. While the economy is now reopening in an uneven state-by-state, and even city-by-city patchwork, the pandemic is...
Listen in on an incredible conversation with Hersch Wilson, a 30-year veteran volunteer firefighter/EMT, and author of "Firefighter Zen: A Field Guide to Thriving in Tough Times." Hersch offers insightful wisdom to help people thrive during stressful times. He shares his thoughts about how to...
Families benefit from the support and structure of their community. Sheltering in place during the coronavirus pandemic has thrown social networks into disarray, and anxiety associated with COVID-19 has magnified everyday stressors. Sudden loneliness and stress can increase susceptibility to substance misuse, addiction, and relapse....
Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, and the numbers have been increasing over the past few decades. Historically, attempts to predict and prevent suicide were based on self-reporting, which can be problematic because people may hide their suicidal thoughts....
A Home Within was founded in 1994 with a mission to heal the wounds of complex trauma and loss experienced by many foster youth. Local networks of volunteer clinicians provide individual, open-ended, relationship-based psychotherapy for young people who are, or previously were, in foster care....
Part Two in a Series The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as the ACA, was enacted a decade ago. It has expanded access to healthcare, and made it more affordable for tens of millions of United States citizens. The Mental Health Parity and...
Part One in a Series Enacted in 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has expanded healthcare access and affordability for tens of millions of people in the United States. Part of the ACA is the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA)....
A whirlwind of events over the past few months has added daily stressors to our lives, making it harder to cope, let alone thrive. A healthy approach to nutrition helps us manage external stressors and calibrate our mental health. A well nourished brain allows us...
The COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe in 2020, hitting the United States especially hard beginning in March. Seemingly overnight, massive shutdowns were implemented, upending family schedules as schools, daycare centers, workplaces, and recreational facilities closed one after another. The pandemic is still going strong...
The global coronavirus pandemic has had worldwide mental health repercussions. Long-term stress has exacerbated existing behavioral health conditions, and social isolation has increased feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and depression. Chronic stress and economic instability have created a breeding ground for psychological distress. When it comes...
Rural, isolated regions have historically lacked resources and infrastructure to adequately address the behavioral healthcare needs of its population. People living in remote areas have limited access to specialty services for mental health and substance use disorders, creating a rural-urban divide. Fortunately, technological innovation and...
COVID-19 changed everything we thought we knew about how to run our day to day lives, including the way we work. If you're a behavioral health therapist who was suddenly thrust into the world of teletherapy, you may be wondering whether you're as effective now...
If you have teenagers in your life, you’ve probably seen firsthand how COVID-19 has uprooted their lives and norms. But until recently, most research focused on how adults and younger children are coping. Now, a survey conducted in May by the National 4-H Council is...
Value based payments are here to stay. Figuring out how to measure your outcomes to get paid for your work is just one of the challenges behavioral health organizations face as they plan for the future. Not all that long ago, start up mental health programs...
Depression is prevalent among patients with chronic physical conditions. Because a client’s physical well-being significantly impacts behavioral health outcomes and vice-versa, it's important that they receive treatment with an integrated care approach. For clients with chronic illnesses, physical health goals can be an integral part...
COVID-19 upended life as we know it. Although some states have eased initial lockdown restrictions, indoor gatherings of unrelated people remain risky, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Some communities continue to prohibit them, and nearly all continue to recommend working...
All behavior is learned and displayed within the contexts of society. Each individual’s culture is a unique blend of ethnicity, demographics, socioeconomic status, language, and affiliations. If practitioners assess and evaluate behavior through a client’s frame of reference, human behavior becomes more evident in light...
For quite some time, insurers and healthcare providers have been moving towards a value-based healthcare model, and away from the traditional fee-for-service payment system. In value-based care, providers are incentivized based on the quality of care they provide and the meaningful treatment outcomes used to...
The financial impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on businesses can not be understated. No industry has been immune, but some, including behavioral health, have been hit harder than others. Stay at home orders have dramatically decreased the ability to conduct in-office visits for...
Too often, society treats substance misuse as a criminal or social problem rather than a health condition. Treatment and prevention services are traditionally separated from general healthcare. Such separation leaves limited options for addiction treatment. Failure to adequately address addiction has led to a crisis,...
With the outbreak of Coronavirus, everyday life has become difficult for millions of people across the globe. The disease, also known as COVID-19, is highly infectious and can have varying effects on different people. According to the World Health Organization, the virus primarily spreads through...
Psychiatric nurse practitioners are instrumental in providing treatment and helping patients cope with psychiatric disorders including ADHD, PTSD, mood disorders, and anxiety, as well as a whole host of other conditions. They work with individuals, families, groups, and communities, assessing their mental health needs before...
Access to behavioral health therapy is quite different now compared to the way clients accessed sessions a few years ago. Telehealth is becoming an important part of mental health treatment, but it’s not as simple as signing on to an online Skype session or Google...
Our country faces a crisis. Communities across the nation are stricken with substance abuse and mental illness. Data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association (SAMHSA) reveal nearly 58 million Americans have mental illnesses or substance use disorders, with 9 million adults having...
Smartphones were first introduced to the mass market in 2007. While there are both positives and negatives that have come from using this innovative technology, the change in culture and society — as it relates to physical and mental health — has been dramatic. Studies have...
Mental healthcare is a booming business. It is also unique because discussions about profit, using the word "sales", and the downsides of this industry are rarely, if ever, spoken about. It's time to start! Sit back, relax, and listen as co-hosts Dave Ballenberger, MSW, and Kristin...
Addiction is a complex but treatable disease that affects brain function and behavior. Drugs of abuse alter the brain’s structure and function, resulting in changes that persist long after drug use has ceased. This may explain why drug abusers are at risk for relapse even after...
Evidence-based collaborative care programs are patient-centered and provide integrated care for medical and mental health needs in primary care and other mental health settings. Over 30 studies have found such programs to be more effective than usual care of for mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Offering mental...