Mental Health – Behavioral Health Treatment in Miami
Mental health and behavioral health treatment can be just as important as taking care of your physical health. Getting behavioral health treatment can help you manage stress, access counseling sessions for issues such as grief and substance abuse, navigate issues in relationships, receive family and couples therapy, and treat mental health issues such as depression, anxiety disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder PTSD. Many unions have begun incorporating behavioral healthcare as part of their benefit plans to help members live happier, less stressed lives.
Union members, public employees, and their families can access the best behavioral health clinics in Miami FL through Union First, an employee assistance program that helps union members get the right mental health and substance abuse treatment. Our caring, professional team will evaluate your case and place you with trusted, accredited behavioral health and wellness centers in Miami Florida, and throughout South Florida that are covered under your insurance plans.
Table of Contents
- What is Behavioral Health
- ADA Coverage for Mental Health Conditions & Behavioral Health
- PTSD
- Substance Abuse
- Alcoholism
- Drug Abuse and Addiction
- Dual Diagnosis
- Clinical Depression
- Prescription Drug Abuse and Addiction
- Mental Health Services Delivered via Telehealth
- Union First Helps Our Clients Keep Their Jobs While Undergoing Behavioral Health Treatment
- Why Choose Union First
What is Behavioral Health?
Behavioral health services focus on daily habits, behaviors, and actions that can impact an individual’s physical and/or mental health. It includes emotions and behaviors that affect your overall well-being. It is often used interchangeably with mental health but is actually much more than that. It can include a variety of areas including eating habits drinking and exercise habits and various mental health challenges. Behavioral health is extended to psychiatric conditions, family and marriage therapy, treatment for eating disorders, and addiction treatments. Having good behavioral health means you engage in behaviors that help you achieve ideal mental and physical health and wellness. Behavioral health may also have less of a stigma which encourages people to reach out and get help when they need it.
- Behavioral health services can include:
- Inpatient treatment
- Partial hospitalization
- Outpatient care
- Intensive Outpatient
- Psychological assessment
- Mental health treatment
- Cognitive behavioral health
- Dialectical behavioral health
ADA Coverage for Mental Health Conditions & Behavioral Health
The Americans with Disabilities Act covers many health conditions, including mental illness and mental health conditions. This law prohibits discrimination in the workplace against those with mental health conditions and says employees have the right to job accommodations. Substance abuse disorders are also covered under the ADA. The ADA gives employees the right to privacy, except when asking for accommodation, they can choose whether or not to tell their employer about their disability. This law also prohibits you from being fired, demoted, or not getting a promotion because you have a mental health condition or because you are receiving or have received mental health treatment. Some conditions covered by ADA include:
- Major Depression
- Anxiety Disorders
- Bipolar Disorder
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder PTSD
- Schizophrenia
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- PTSD
Often those who experience or witness a traumatic event may develop a psychiatric disorder referred to as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It is usually associated with combat veterans, however, an event does not need to be as severe as a war to cause PTSD. Post-traumatic stress disorder can occur from physical or sexual assault, a car accident, childhood or domestic abuse, serious health problems like being admitted to intensive care, weather events, the death of someone close, and torture. Symptoms of PTSD include:
- Inability to feel emotions or feeling “numb”
- Dissociation, which can include disconnecting from yourself or other people
- Intrusive thoughts, distressing dreams, or flashbacks
- Ongoing fear, anger, guilt, or shame
- Irritability or angry outbursts
- Loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed
- Insomnia
- Trouble concentrating
Treatment for PTSD may include behavioral therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), medication management, support groups, and family therapy.
Substance Abuse
Substance abuse involves the repeated harmful use of drugs and alcohol. Substance abuse often leads to tolerance and dependency and eventually addiction if it continues. Addiction and substance abuse require comprehensive treatment programs from a drug and alcohol rehab center to successfully overcome. Rehab centers in Miami Florida and South Florida may include dual diagnosis treatment to treat co-occurring disorders such as mental health disorders. Your treatment plan may consist of several levels of care, including detox and inpatient treatment.
Alcoholism
Alcohol use disorder, or alcoholism, is a complex chronic disorder that requires comprehensive treatment programs to recover from. When alcoholism is severe or prolonged, the individual may need a medical detox program to safely go through withdrawal symptoms. Alcohol rehabs in Miami Florida offer the best chance for anyone to stop drinking and continue a lifetime of sobriety. Alcohol use disorder may not always be so obvious, but signs to look out for that you need professional help include:
- Inability to cut down or stop drinking
- Strong cravings for alcohol
- Developing a tolerance to alcohol
- Spending a lot of time getting, drinking, and recovering from alcohol use
- Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when not drinking
Drug Addiction
Illicit drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines can often lead to addiction. Drug addiction can cause negative effects on all areas of a person’s life including social, health, and economic effects. Your best chance at addiction recovery is early intervention. Union First can help connect you with drug rehab centers in Miami Florida that offer several levels of care and can successfully treat drug addiction, no matter how severe your condition.
Dual Diagnosis
Often, substance use disorders and mental health disorders go hand in hand. Individuals with mental illness issues may use substance abuse as a way to cope with negative emotions and painful memories, which only make their health condition worse. Substance abuse and addiction can also exacerbate symptoms in those predisposed to mental illness. Dual diagnosis treatment aims to treat both health conditions simultaneously through cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, family and couples therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and other forms of addiction and mental health treatment.
Clinical Depression
Every person can feel down or blue once in a while, or even have episodes of depression. However, clinical depression is a more severe form of depression with symptoms that include:
- Anxiety
- Restlessness
- Sleep disturbances, either insomnia or sleeping too much
- Irritability, frustration, and angry outbursts
- Slowed thinking, body movements, and speaking
- Changes in appetite
- Feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and emptiness
- Feeling of worthlessness
Clinical depression can be successfully treated using a combination of individual therapy and medication management. Union First can place you in mental health treatment that offers these services and also treatment facilities with inpatient care for severe cases.
Prescription Drug Abuse and Addiction
Prescription medications can sometimes have a high abuse or addiction potential. Those who develop prescription drug addiction often are not aware until they try to stop using and end up with withdrawal symptoms. Some can cause just physical dependence, while others will also cause behavioral and psychological dependence. The most common prescription medications that cause addiction include:
- Stimulants, like Adderall
- Antidepressants, such as Lexapro and Zoloft
- Sedative-Hypnotics or sleep aids like Ambien
- Painkillers and opioids, which include morphine and Oxycodone
- Anti-anxiety medications, like benzodiazepines and barbiturates
Prescription drug addiction may require a medical detox to stop use safely. Union First works with several drug detox and drug rehab facilities in South Florida that provide comprehensive treatment plans, including dual diagnosis programs, to help clients successfully stop using their medications.
Mental Health Services Delivered via Telehealth – Online Behavioral Health Services
Since the start of the pandemic, many health care providers have switched to online or telehealth services, including mental health providers. Telehealth mental health sessions work by having therapy sessions, including psychiatric evaluation, cognitive behavioral therapy, family and couples counseling, and outpatient mental health programs via video or telephone with a certified secured provider. You can access mental health treatment anywhere in the world. Telehealth services have many benefits including allowing those with small children, social anxiety disorders or who live in rural communities to get health services more easily.
Union First Helps Our Clients Keep Their Jobs While Undergoing Behavioral Health Treatment
Union First employee assistance program not only helps you find mental health and behavioral health treatment, but we also help protect your job while you seek treatment. Many workers are apprehensive about taking time off work to get health care services. However, there are laws in places like the Family and Medical Leaves Act (FMLA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act that protect your job. Our experts at Union First know how to use these laws to protect your employment. We can help guide you on the proper steps to take before you let your employer know about your health condition and get treatment. We can also submit a “placement in treatment” letter to your employer once you have entered treatment as part of our services.
Why Choose Union First
Union First can help save you countless hours looking for the right behavioral health treatment. Through our assessment of your case, we can recommend several reputable and licensed treatment providers in South Florida and beyond. We also provide telehealth services which can connect you with a mental health counselor within 24 to 48 hours who fits your needs and takes your health insurance, instead of waiting weeks for an appointment.
If you or your family members are struggling with mental illness, please give us a call today. You can request an appointment with our telehealth providers or let us help you in finding the right treatment program.