Behavioral Health Wellness Clinic accepting new clients
November 5, 2021
Behavioral health services can be difficult to access and ANTHC’s new Behavioral Health Wellness Clinic aims to make it easy to connect to compassionate care. In late July, ANTHC opened the Behavioral Health Wellness Clinic (BHWC). The BHWC serves Alaska Native and Native American individuals and families throughout Alaska. The BHWC provides individual and group counseling, mental health and substance use assessments, and referral support. All services are provided exclusively through telehealth, which can be done from the privacy of a patient’s home using a phone or computer to connect to their appointment. Those interested in receiving services are able to begin care quickly and with minimal paperwork. In many cases, people will be able to make same-day telehealth appointments.
“We are excited to begin offering this new service,” said Dr. Rebecca Robinson, BHWC Clinic Director. “Our goal is to promote Alaska Native wellness by offering immediate access to culturally attuned and evidence-based behavioral health care. With this telehealth clinic, we are specifically focused on serving people living in rural and remote areas of the state where access to behavioral health care is limited.”
In partnership with Tribal health organizations across the state, the BHWC will directly support communities needing additional behavioral health provider resources, extend resources needed by individuals and families, as well as provide support and encouragement for people waiting to access other treatment services. More behavioral health services will be added over the coming months to continue promoting Alaska Native and American Indian wellness through compassionate and easy-to-connect to behavioral health services.
Alaska Native and American Indian individuals and families can access services three ways:
- Fill out an intake form online at: www.anthc.org/bhwc
- Call 1-833-642-BHWC (2492) or (907)-729-BHWC (2492)
- Talk to your provider about a referral
Groups include:
- Balanced Living Group (offered daily)
- This group focuses on early recovery skills and relapse prevention skills such as skills for cravings, refusal skills, social skills, coping skills for co-occurring mental health concerns, strategies for engaging a meaningful life without alcohol and drugs, among others.
- Mindfulness Group (offered weekly)
- In this group participants engage in a mindfulness meditation exercise at each session. These mindfulness exercises include meditation, guided imagery, breathing methods and other practices to help relax the body and mind to reduce symptoms and stress. Participants learn how to focus on what they are sensing in the moment without judgment as well as techniques to bring relief to symptoms they are experiencing.
- Seeking Safety (offered weekly)
- This group helps participants work toward safety in their life, letting go of dangerous relationships, feeling control of their trauma and substance use symptoms and discontinuing their substance use. Participants are not required to recount specific traumas. The emphasis of this group is on teaching and practicing skills one can use right away to address symptoms of trauma and substance use.
- Anxiety, Depression and Stress Group (offered daily)
- This group provides practical skills and techniques for addressing symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress. Participants learn how to work on their thoughts and behaviors to find relief as well as to engage in meaningful ways in their life to increase their wellbeing.
- Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) (offered weekly)
- This group provides participants with skills to help motivate their loved ones to reduce their substance use and motivate their loved ones to enter treatment. Family members and friends can use this group to learn new skills to help their loved one, to have a place to share about the stressors their loved one’s substance use places on their life and to concentrate on their personal well-being.
- Healthy Relationship Skill Group (offered weekly)
- This group provides participants with skills to have a healthy romantic relationship. Clients work on exercises and skills related to: their values and responsibilities, social skills, decision making abilities, refusal skills, setting and attaining goals, hygiene, self-care and sexual health.
For more info on our services and group offerings visit our website: www.anthc.org/bhwc