The term “behavioral health” might be confusing to some, especially if, like me, you grew up with the term “mental health.” Behavioral Health *is* mental health plus many different expressions of emotional, spiritual, and general life struggles and suffering. The switch in terminology started to happen over the last few decades as services became more expansive, as different kinds of “problems” were redefined or as people began to think about them differently, and as professional territories of “mental health” shifted.  

This is not anything new. Throughout history, human beings have perpetually changed the way they thought about different kinds of “illnesses,” behaviors, or struggles. Did you know that different cultures think about mental health differently and not all cultures have the same illnesses? For example, many East Asian countries don’t have the phenomenon or words for what we call “depression.” So, it’s good to remember that human beings and cultures over space and time have defined and experienced “health” in different forms.  

In the US, the shift from “mental health” to “behavioral health” had somewhat to do with what or who gets blamed for those challenges. For example, throughout history, blame for illnesses has ranged from blaming the person (“their sins”) to a devil, a curse, bad luck, genetics, poverty, trauma, and adverse childhood experiences. It helps to look back at history and remember that medical trends keep changing the way we think about certain kinds of struggles, especially those of the emotions, mind, and spirit. Over time, we develop different terms to express the concepts of health or illness. Even the word “emotion” is a relatively new word in the English language (it was coined in the 1800s) which largely displaced the word “passions,” a term that was more closely tied to Christianity. Imagine that! Something we consider so fundamental such as emotion was not even a word at one time.  

But however, we tend to think about health, emotions, minds, and spirits, our division is here to support all kinds of struggles, whether it be general life stress, family stress, or a specific problem you’re working through.  Perhaps we should call it the Division of Wellbeing because health is always integrated: if your body doesn’t feel good, your mind, emotions and spirit won’t either. 

Our Behavioral Health division is quite active in the community and, chances are, you have seen our booth and green banners at community events like the Back to School Bash, health fairs, MMIR events, the annual Tribal Fair, skate park jams and other events. We are very active in helping to prevent and treat substance use and to support recovery—which is how many of you know about us – but we also want to make sure today that we send out a reminder about all the variety of services we offer at Behavioral Health.  

 

• Individual, couples, and family counseling for ALL AGES from general life stress to crisis situations.
• Culturally appropriate care using White Bison curricula such as Wellbriety, Warrior Down, Mending Broken Hearts, and other talking circles.
• Integrated visits with medical providers as needed to provide whole-person healthcare.
• Medication assisted treatment including craving management.
• Educational presentations and outreach in the community.
• Active prevention work in building opportunities and access to self-expression and actualization, employment, after school activities, and more.
• Consultations with other agencies, caregivers, and community members to ensure timely and appropriate continuity of care.
• Psychiatric evaluations and mental health assessments.
• Peer recovery coaching by Tribal members, helping support life changes, recovery, and aiding through crisis situations.
• Ongoing workshops / groups in managing distressing thoughts and emotions and/or bodily sensations.
• Assisting clients who need residential substance use or inpatient mental health treatment.
• Distribution of Narcan to prevent opioid-related deaths.

 

Please remember that everything we do at BH is to support your wellbeing, fulfillment, and flourishing. If there are services you would like to utilize that you don’t see above, please contact us and let us know how we can be of further help at 970-563-5700. 

Here’s to your good health! 

 

It’s okay not to feel okay 

 

If you or someone you know has been struggling with their emotions, behaviors, or substance use please reach out to us. We can help you find appropriate tools and services that could help you overcome obstacles in your life. We are here for you. Please contact the Southern Ute Behavioral Health Division at 970-563-5700 for more information or to set up an appointment to see a counselor or therapist.  

Reminder: If you need to talk to someone, please reach out 

And for those interested in opioid use education, harm reduction, and support, please contact us for quick Naloxone (Narcan) training and fentanyl test strips. We can schedule individual, family, or friends training times at our Southern Ute Behavioral Health Building, or we can come to you, and the training is around 30 minutes. Please call us at 970.563.5700 to set up a training appointment.