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The holidays aren’t the happiest time of year for everyone, but luckily, there are people that can help — and no, it’s not Santa’s elves.
Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center helps mood, anxiety, and trauma-related conditions; and on Nov. 30, the center began welcoming patients 18 and up to its Fort Worth office.
Located at 4200 S. Hulen St., Ste. 436, Pathlight offers partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient (IOP) programs that were previously not offered in Texas.
Fort Worth Magazine talked with Dr. Allison Chase, regional clinical director for Pathlight, about how the holidays (and 2020 as a whole) have affected mental health — and what we can do to help.
FW: What effect do the holidays have on mental health?
AC: Oh goodness, in years other than 2020, the holidays provide a very challenging time for most. Because it’s a time filled with expectations and a lot of social and family interactions, these dynamics create distress for many. All of those pieces combined can be challenging. It’s also a time for financial stress, and it’s a tough time for people suffering from mood and anxiety. And, in 2020, there's a lot of isolation and loneliness, lots of despair, and lots of people without jobs and money worrying about their stability and mental health functions.
FW: In what ways have you seen the events of 2020 impact mental health?
AC: It’s probably the combination of the events like the election season being filled with different views and opinions, combined with COVID being a pandemic we’ve never seen before. It can be challenging everybody in several different ways. We’ve had a political shift and pandemic shift, and when one hasn’t had as much engagement or in-person interaction, and they look at social media, where information is constant ... some of it can be helpful, but too much of it can be overwhelming.
FW: Is there any effect on mental health brought on by social media in today's age?
AC: Most definitely, in so many ways. One of the things about social media is that it’s constant, and there’s so much of it. It’s too much, and everything out there isn’t always accurate or in everyone's best interest. And social media can be an edited version. So, while everyone else is experiencing a “perfect life,” it’s edited. And if you’re not stopping to look at it more critically, then most people believe their life isn’t good enough, so it’s important to limit exposure to that.
FW: What sets Pathlight apart from other mental health facilities?
AC: The fact that it’s a combination of clinical excellence when it comes to evidence-based treatments, as well as the fact that it's a seven-day, week program. It's extensive in terms of the offerings provided. It’s a sound multidisciplinary approach. We provide three sessions a week of a combination of individual and family therapy, and we prioritize incorporating caregivers and families in the process. Our founding principles are to always be in collaboration with community providers and anyone in our program. We like to make sure we have contact with their [patients] support system, so that we can work together to be on the same page.
FW: Can you explain the Partial Hospitalization (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient (IOP) programs offered at Pathlight? And what do they mean?
AC: PHP is a day program located on the facility. What makes Pathlight unique is that ours is a seven-day week program, and each day the patient comes in and tries different approaches of therapy, and this allows us to do continual and constant work, whether it be group-led or individual therapy. These opportunities can be experiential; it can be art or yoga or movement that we end up utilizing. It’s not a bedded unit; they don't stay overnight here unless patients are coming from out of town. Then we provide housing.
While IOP is three sessions a week, for three hours at a time. But because of COVID, we’ve done a virtual-based outpatient program to help provide space between us and them. These are group-based sessions, and the individual sessions are included as well. But the idea with intensive outpatient is that the severity of symptoms is more manageable when functioning in their day-to-day life. It’s kind of a step down from PHP, but also the patient is still looking for more support in addition to just weekly therapy.
FW: Can you go more in-depth about evidence-based treatments offered and what those entail?
AC: We follow a few of the different therapeutic techniques and acceptance treatment therapy. One of them being dialectical behavior therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. We also use cognitive behavioral therapy approaches, and this includes things like Exposure and Response therapy — it's a behavioral strategy we use to help challenge uncomfortable behavior, and we set up clear paths and plans to help patients with that.
FW: How are services and treatments being handled in the middle of a pandemic?
AC: We’re being very careful to make sure that masks are worn in the facility. All of the staff has them, and patients wear cloth masks and surgical masks. There are strict protocols enforced like temperature taking, monitoring symptoms, washing hands and surfaces. In the PHP program, we keep a six-foot distance. In our group room settings, we limit numbers and make sure everyone is using plexiglass barriers.
FW: How can we identify some noticeable symptoms to help friends and family who may be struggling?
AC: Look for any shift in mood or behavior. If they appear more withdrawn, nervous, anxious, or overly jubilant, take note of a change in behaviors and functioning. Are friends or family canceling? Are they not really in touch? Are they attributing to their daily living? How is their hygiene? Do they say negative things about themselves? All of those are important indications, and just be mindful.
FW: How can we help those around us who may be struggling?
AC: Check in on them. Ask how they’re doing, listen, and get them towards professional help. It's wonderful for them to check in; however, it's not their job to play mental health provider. There are resources and mental health care so that they can start this journey and be better functioning.
For more information on Pathlight, visit pathlightbh.com.
