Find Help - Lawrence

Thoughts from  "Why Do they Act that Way?" By David Walsh, Ph.d

Because the mental health system is so frustrating to navigate, it takes some active efforts to get good care and how to avoid some of its various pitfalls.  Here’s how.

1. Read your insurance policy carefully to find out exactly what your mental health and chemical dependency benefits are. They may be described in a separate section of your policy.

2. Read your insurance policy or member handbook to determine the procedures for accessing care. The procedures may be different from the benefits.  Fox example, your policy may state that you are entitled to thirty outpatient visits per year.  The procedures, however, may state that all visits much be authorized in advance or reauthorized after every three visits.

3. Find out which providers are covered by your plan and what the financial penalties are if you see a professional outside the plan’s network.

4. Find out the procedures for securing a second opinion and for getting a referral outside the plan in case one is needed.

5. Get recommendations for the best professionals you can use under your plan’s benefits and procedures. Educators, clergy, and health care professionals can be helpful.  Other parents can also be good sources for advice.

6. Once you begin to receive care don’t be afraid to ask questions about treatment approaches, medications, referral options, and second opinions.

7. If you think you are not getting adequate care, contact the patient representative at the health plan. Share your concerns and find out your options.

8. I hope you never have to resort to them, but many states now have offices for health care complaints in either the department of health or the attorney general’s office.

Support groups 

Support groups generally meet weekly (sometimes more) and are typically centered on a specific topic. Examples of support groups include Parenting, Alcoholics Anonymous, divorce support, bullying, etc. These groups are often open to new members at all times and can be considered less structured/more informal than other types of group therapy. 

• DBT Center of Lawrence: DBT Center of Lawrence provides full Dialectical Behavior Therapy from a team of experienced clinicians. We work with people in adolescence through adulthood to learn vital skills to promote inner wisdom, strong interpersonal connections, the ability to withstand strong emotions, and to create a valued life.

  • • P:  (785) 424-7770 | E: info@dbtlawrence.com | Locations: 1307 Massachusetts St., Lawrence, KS 66044

    • Adolescent DBT Group; Tuesdays and Thursdays 5-7:00 PM 

    • RO-DBT Group; Adolescents Wednesdays 4-6:00 PM

• Bert Nash Center: The Bert Nash Center (BNC) provides a comprehensive range of mental health and substance use disorders services that address the diverse needs of children, families, and adults. 

  • • P: (785) 843-9192 | E: talktobert@bertnash.org | Location: 200 Maine St., Ste. A, Lawrence, KS 66044

    • Psychosocial Groups: Organized each semester to address the need of current participants. Address topics like anger management, independent living skills, relationships, social skills, self-esteem, problem-solving skills, and leisure activities.

    • W.R.A.P - Wellness, Resources, Access and Prevention: Student must be referred to this group by the school's mental heath team (school must take part of this program). 

Psychological Testing/Evaluations:

• • • Bert Nash Center: The Bert Nash Center (BNC) provides a comprehensive range of mental health and substance use disorders services that address the diverse needs of children, families, and adults.  P: (913) 768-6606 x. 5 | E: talktobert@bertnash.org | Location: 200 Maine St., Ste. A, Lawrence, KS 66044

    • C&M Psychiatric Services: Specialize in depression, anxiety, ADHD/Autism, Mood/Bipolar Disorder, PTSD,/Trauma, OCD, Eating Disorders, and Personality Disorders.  P: (913) 308-8495 | E: Marliee McCleerey: MarileeMccleereyDNP@cmpsychservices.com  or Adrian Cade: adriancadeaprn@cmpsychservices.com | Location: 1201 Wakarusa Dr., Building E, Ste. E-1, Lawrence, KS 66409

    • Oasis @ KU

    • Dr. Maria Illardi 

Couples therapy: 

Couples therapy can be helpful in improving communication, parenting, conflict resolution, and overall relationship satisfaction. As with any type of treatment, there are varying approaches. Some deal with family histories and learned or passed-down relationship patterns, while others focus on interpersonal communication or increasing intimacy between partners. Therapists often work with couples to try something different, particularly if the couple feels they are in some sort of rut or cycle that cannot resolve itself. Reasons couples seek counseling are difficulty communicating, high amounts of conflict, lack of intimacy (physical and/or emotional), parenting difficulties, lack of trust or infidelity, and more.

• Restoration Counseling Center: At Restoration Counseling we approach people from a biological, psychological, social and spiritual perspective. We believe hope leads to healing and there is always hope.

  • • P: (785) 550-9983 | E: RestorationCounselingLawrence@gmail.com | Location: 1031 Vermont St., Ste. 150, Lawrence, KS 66044

Co-Parenting Therapy:  

Co-parenting means we are tied for years to someone we no longer want as a partner. Instead of being able to leave this person in our past, we now have to try to move on while still communicating with them on a regular basis. This can make our lives a nightmare and these conflicts can inadvertently start to affect children.

Co-parenting therapy is designed to help parents put their anger and hurt aside and move forward in a civil way for the well-being of their children. Rather than being controlled by the past, people can use co-parenting therapy to find balance in their lives while remaining the best parents they can be. Co-parenting therapy helps in three main ways – by reducing conflict, improving communication, and implementing helpful parenting strategies. 

• Restoration Counseling Center: At Restoration Counseling we approach people from a biological, psychological, social and spiritual perspective. We believe hope leads to healing and there is always hope.

  • • P: (785) 550-9983 | E: RestorationCounselingLawrence@gmail.com | Location: 1031 Vermont St., Ste. 150, Lawrence, KS 66044

Intensive Outpatient (IOP) groups

IOP is a good option to consider when individual therapy is not effective alone, but a residential treatment facility is not yet warranted. IOP groups are typically structured and are focused on psychoeducation and skills-based modalities, as well as emotional processing and peer support. Examples include an Anxiety IOP based in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) or a program specifically designed to treat eating disorders. While IOP programs can be extremely beneficial, they are not often sufficient alone long-term. It is also important to recognize that as life continues after intensive treatment, skills may become less easy to use or feel less effective if you are not practicing/reviewing them regularly. Therefore, it is recommended to continue with regular individual outpatient treatment, including talk-therapy and psychiatric medication management if applicable to ensure the best continuation of progress made during intensive treatment. Continuation of this sort means the client and their support system (family, providers, etc.) need to keep involved in reinforcing skills and concepts learned from IOP. Without this reinforcement, the individual has a greater chance of relapsing to the point of needing to return to IOP treatment.

• The Anxiety Center at Renew:  The Two Tents IOP: 

  1. • P: (913) 768-6606 x. 5 | E: info@anxietycenterkc.com | Location: 11695 S. Black Bob Road, Olathe, KS.

     • Adolescent IO Ages 12-18: Meets 4x/wk 2-5:00 PM

• Charlie Health: Our treatment programs, including our virtual Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), combine personalized care with peer connection to foster long-term healing.

  1. • Location: Virtual | P: (888) 830-9422 } | E: admissions@charliehealth.com

• Cottonwood Springs: Our Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) treat mental health and addiction concerns for those ages 18+ when symptoms require greater therapeutic support than can be achieved in the individual outpatient counseling setting.

  1. • Location: 13351 S Arapaho Dr. Olathe, KS 66062 | P: (913) 274-1460 | E: cottonwoodspringsinfo@spsh.com

• ED Care: EDCare is an eating disorder treatment center in Denver, Kansas City, and Omaha.

  1. • Location: 8300 College Blvd, Ste. 300, Overland Park, KS 66210 | P: (913) 703-5221

     • Kansas City Transitional IOP: schedules personalized to each patient's needs.

• KidsTLC: The Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), offered through the Lotus Clinics at KidsTLC, is group-based therapy built on the intention of developing important connections.

  1. • Location: 15940 College Blvd | P: (913) 324-3823

     • Lotus Clinic IOP: Ages 6-17. Meets 4x/wk 3:30-6:30 PM

• Lilac Center:  

  1. • P: (816) 221-0305 | Location: 4 different locations

     • Adolescent IOP: Meets 3x/wk for 6 wks. 

• McCallum ED: At our Kansas City location we treat adolescents ages 12-17 who have an eating disorder as their primary diagnosis. We can also provide care for young people who are struggling with certain co-occurring mental health conditions, such as anxiety disorders, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and non-suicidal self-harm.

  1. • Location: 12140 Nall Ave, Ste 315, Overland Park, KS 66209 | P: (913) 906-9091

• PsychPros of Kansas City:  

  1. • Location: 600 NW Murray Rd., Lee's Summit, MO 64081 | P: (816) 272-5656

     • Adolescent IOP ages 13-17: Meets 3x/week 6-9:00 PM

• Research Medical Center: When you are struggling with mental health, and individual therapy alone can’t bring you the relief you deserve, IOP creates a support system that allows for your life to continue with the additional help and balance that our team provides.

  1. • Location: 6675 Holmes Rd., Ste. 203, Kansas City, MO 64131 | P: (816) 444-8161 | E: info@thecrossroadsprogram.com 

     • Adolescent IOP: Ages 12-18. Meets 3x/wk 5:30-8:00 PM

• Saint Luke's Crittenton: Crittenton Clinic services can help reduce stress and conflict within families; improve parenting skills; help children and families deal with traumatic situations; and address behavioral and social difficulties.

  1. • Location: 10918 Elm Ave, Ste. 102, Kansas City, MO 64134 | P: (816) 767-4346

• The Crossroads Program:  

  1. • Location: KCMO Area 13860 Wyandotte St. Kansas City, MO 64145 | P: (816) 4941-4000

     • Drug Rehab IOP: Ages 13-25. 6-12 week program

Residential psychiatric facilities offer a home-like atmosphere and strong sense of community that help residents build self-esteem, develop relationships, and improve life skills. In clinical residential treatment programs, clinicians can view the full picture of a resident’s functioning and use that perspective and insight to fine-tune psychiatric therapy. Residential facilities are unique in this respect, being that they can assess people in a different atmosphere than other types of treatment. Residential care also offers structure, peer support and 24/7 care from trained professionals. Residential treatment is typically warranted after individual counseling and IOP treatments have been tried and deemed not enough, or if an individual has been hospitalized for safety reasons and cannot discharge safely to individual or IOP options. Residential treatment often involves group therapy in addition to structured activities, medication management, individual therapy and family services. 

Residential treatment:

• Starlite Recovery Center: PO Box 317, Center Point, TX 78010-0317. The Adolescent program serves male and female adolescents ages 13 to 17. This clinical 12-step program is 45-60 days in length; changes in the length of stay are considered on an individual basis and based on clinical needs according to the individual treatment plan.  All Adolescent clients are assigned a counselor for individual and family counseling as well as participate in group counseling as part of the recovery program. (866) 863-1164

• Rogers Behavioral Health: Several locations in Wisconsin: Appleton: 920-843-5660; Brown Deer: 414-865-2500; Kenosha: 262-942-4000; Madison: 608-238-4411; Oconomowoc: 262-646-4411; West Allis: 414-327-3000. Led by a board-certified psychiatrist, our multi-disciplinary team will work together with your son or daughter to address their OCD and anxiety through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), and behavioral activation. To address your child’s depression we’ll also incorporate dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) components throughout treatment in both individual and group settings. Additionally, family involvement and education is a key part of recovery that allows for more effective treatment and eases the transition after treatment. General phone line: (800) 767-4411, 

• House of Hope Residential Treatment Program:  Our residential, therapeutic program is intended for girls ages 13-17 who are having spiritual, relational, emotional or behavioral challenges. Our program is led by professional counselors and social workers who are Biblically-informed and clinically trained, and is designed to help girls who are struggling due to trauma, adoption, bullying or inappropriate motivations. Our desire is also to come alongside a family to help equip them in rebuilding relationships that can pave the way to family restoration for each girl in our care.  For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 913-262-8885 

• Embark Behavioral Health Embark Behavioral Health is a leading nationwide network of outpatient centers and residential programs offering premier mental health treatment for preteens, teens, and young adults. Our ever-growing locations are part of a continuum of care that provides a range of services built from over 25 years of specialization in serving youth. Embark Independence, MO: (816) 683-7846; Calo Programs (residential focused on adopted preteens and teens): (573) 745-5785

• Polaris Teen Center: Tarzana, CA 91356 | (844) 836-0222 | Info@polaristeen.com | Polaris was created by a team of mental health professionals whose life’s work is to help young people and their families. As a highly-focused teen treatment center, we identify the unique qualities of your child and adjust to their needs. At Polaris, our team believes in a different approach to recovery. We address teenage mental health disorders in a unique, mindful way; allowing adolescents to confidently begin the journey into the next chapter of their lives.

Wilderness treatment:

• Star Guides Wilderness:  377 E. Riverside Dr. Bldg. B, St. George, UT 84790.  A New Generation Of Therapy, Confronting The Next Generation Of Addictions. Life Changing Treatment For Teens That Actually Works.   Admissions department:  800.584.4629.  Robin Reeber is the admissions specialist.