Behavioral Health
What is Behavioral Health?
Behavioral health refers to our overall mental and emotional well-being. In a clinical setting, it includes both mental health conditions and substance use disorders. While behavioral health and mental health are often used interchangeably, there are some key differences to note:
- Mental health is part of behavioral health. Think of behavioral health as the umbrella under which mental health falls. In addition to addressing the psychological and emotional aspects of well-being, behavioral health also focuses on lifestyle, choices and actions that impact the whole person.
- One particular aspect of behavioral health care is substance use disorders (SUDs). Behavioral health services address the SUDs often occur alongside existing mental illness diagnoses, called co-occurring disorders.
WellPower offers comprehensive behavioral health care, meaning that in addition to psychiatric and psychological services, we also provide housing, food, wellness classes, primary care and more.
Serving more than 20,000 people each year, WellPower is Colorado’s largest community mental health center, known locally and nationally as a model for innovative and effective mental and behavioral health care. Our nonprofit organization provides services for people across the lifespan – from infants to the elderly - at our 30+ sites and at nearly 200 locations throughout the community, from hospitals and assisted living facilities to schools and shelters.
How does behavioral health impact well-being?
Your well-being is determined by all aspects of your life. These different aspects are often called the Social Determinants of Health and can be grouped into five categories: financial stability, access to and quality of education, access to and quality of health care, your neighborhood and environment and the social and community context of where you live.
These five domains also impact behavioral health – when any or all of these parts of life are difficult, lacking or actively traumatic, they can create behavioral health challenges with our choices, mood, lifestyle and actions, all of which affect well-being.
Leading a balanced life can help keep your behavioral health and well-being in a good place, positively influencing your relationships, work, quality of life and more.
WellPower offers a wide range of behavioral health services to support all social determinants of health, including supportive housing, education and employment opportunities, financial health, access to nutritious food, other basic needs and much more.
What are some common behavioral health disorders and conditions?
Both behavioral health and mental health disorders tend to overlap, given that mental health is part of behavioral health.
We can help with all kinds of behavioral health disorders and diagnoses. The most common behavioral health concerns in Colorado are anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We also see people who experience mood and thought disorders, such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorders, other forms of psychosis and much more.
We know that roughly 1 in 4 Coloradans have a behavioral health challenge or have reported symptoms of mental illness. WellPower is proudly able to serve a wide range of behavioral health needs. Our services include a multitude of offerings, from therapy, psychiatry and case management to counseling, peer support, work and education training, classes, housing and so much more. We also partner with several other organizations locally and nationally to make sure you get the care you need, if we’re not able to offer the service ourselves.
When should I consider accessing behavioral health services?
The best way to assess whether you might benefit from behavioral health care is to ask yourself these questions:
- Am I experiencing significant changes or disturbances to my thoughts, feelings, emotions, behavior or relationships?
- Have these changes impacted my ability to complete daily activities?
- Have these thoughts or feelings lasted longer than typical emotions or reactions would be expected to?
If you’re experiencing major changes that impact your thinking, feeling and/or actions, it may be time to reach out for behavioral health help. You can contact WellPower’s access team Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. by calling (303) 504-7900 or learn more about our process by visiting wellpower.org/access.
Finding the right behavioral health provider: what to know and what to ask
The right provider for your behavioral health needs can make all the difference for your ability to reach your recovery goals. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when considering the right provider:
- Do I wish to see someone who may have similar lived experience to me?
- Are there specialties that I want to make sure my provider is licensed in, such as addiction services?
- Do I have additional behavioral health needs that extend beyond mental health support, such as housing, food insecurity or financial concerns?
We encourage you to ask our intake specialists any questions that feel important to you when working to find a behavioral health provider.
If you have any questions or concerns about insurance, ability to pay or financial assistance, we encourage you to visit our Insurance & Payments webpage for detailed information on insurance carriers we accept, financial support, self-pay rates and more.
Why should you choose WellPower for your behavioral health needs?
WellPower’s mission is to enrich lives and minds by focusing on strengths and well-being. We believe that people can and do recover from behavioral health challenges and that the evidence-based and research-backed treatment we provide works. We positively impact over 20,000 people – adults, children, families, teens, seniors and everyone in between – every year. We are constantly working to expand our innovative behavioral health services and most of all, we practice effective and compassionate treatment so that the people we serve can live full lives.
Additionally, we know that behavioral health treatment can be extremely difficult to access in the current healthcare landscape. We’ll work with you to find solutions that allow you to access treatment, because we care about every individual we serve.
Visit our Access webpage at wellpower.org/access or call us at (303) 504-7900 to get started.
The best way to assess whether you might benefit from behavioral health care is to ask yourself these questions:
- Am I experiencing significant changes or disturbances to my thoughts, feelings, emotions, behavior or relationships?
- Have these changes impacted my ability to complete daily activities?
- Have these thoughts or feelings lasted longer than typical emotions or reactions would be expected to?
If you’re experiencing major changes that impact your thinking, feeling and/or actions, it may be time to reach out for behavioral health help. You can contact WellPower’s access team Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. by calling (303) 504-7900 or learn more about our process by visiting wellpower.org/access.