Pathlight Behavioral Health Centers Brings Expertise in the Treatment of Mood, Anxiety and Trauma-Related Conditions to Colorado
DENVER, CO (December 2, 2019) — In response to the growing need for comprehensive, specialized mental health services in Colorado, Pathlight Behavioral Health Centers (Pathlight), a leading treatment provider for mood, anxiety and trauma-related conditions, announces the opening of three new treatment centers in Denver. Starting today, Pathlight is accepting patients into its adult Partial Hospitalization (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient programs (IOP). In January, it will begin accepting patients ages 12-17 into its child and adolescent PHP and IOP programs. In early 2020, Pathlight will open a 24-bed Residential program dedicated to children and teens in need of 24-hour care.
While Pathlight is new to Denver, it is a well-established program with more than 15 years of treatment excellence and 11 treatment centers in five states. Founded and led by nationally recognized expert psychologist Susan McClanahan, PhD, Pathlight offers comprehensive, evidence-based treatment for anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder, mood disorders such as depression and mania, and trauma-related conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder. Pathlight's programs are designed to interrupt the cycle of repeat emergency room visits and hospital stays by empowering patients and families with the skills to sustain recovery following treatment.
“Our patients can expect to find a treatment experience that enables the attainment of long-lasting recovery and emotional wellness,” explains Dr. McClanahan. “We offer a four-part journey: First, we help guide patients into the appropriate level of care. We then design personal recovery plans and empower their support system, providing patients and their networks with tools that form the foundation of their recovery. Finally, we’re dedicated to supporting our patients throughout their ongoing recovery, even after they’ve left our care.”
The expansion of Pathlight into Denver comes at a critical time in Colorado’s intensifying mental health crisis. According to Mental Health America, in 2018 Colorado had the third highest rate of mental illness prevalence in America. An estimated 20 percent of the state’s adults are touched by mental illness, and 54 percent of those sufferers do not receive treatment.[1] Individuals living with a serious mental illness face an increased risk of chronic medical conditions and fatal consequences, including suicide. Colorado continuously has one of the highest suicide rates in the country; in fact, Colorado’s teen suicide rate increased 58 percent from 2016 to 2019.[2] Despite climbing rates of mental illness, Coloradans have few options for intensive behavioral health treatment beyond acute inpatient stabilization or outpatient therapy. Read more about stopping the cycle of crisis here.
“Pathlight has an unmatched capability to treat complex patients with multiple diagnoses, including co-occurring conditions, as well as those with treatment-resistant depression and patients who don’t fit neatly into a diagnostic category,” continues Elizabeth Wassenaar, MD, Medical Director of Pathlight Denver. “Each patient’s expert care team includes a therapist, who will facilitate individual and family therapy, and a psychiatrist. They will work collaboratively to develop an individualized treatment plan for each patient.”
Patients at Pathlight engage in a robust curriculum of psychotherapy rooted in evidence-based treatment. Through this intensive treatment, patients learn and practice coping skills within a nurturing community setting, so they return home equipped to manage their day-to-day lives with confidence and resilience. Families and caregivers are also engaged, educated and empowered to support their loved one during treatment and throughout their recovery.
The PHP level of care offers comprehensive services eight hours per day during the week and six hours per day on weekends. The IOP level of care includes three hours of programming per day, three to six days a week depending on the patient’s needs. Pathlight also offers optional apartments for PHP patients who do not live in the area. These comfortable, fully furnished accommodations provide a tranquil, recovery-focused setting to minimize stress associated with a lengthy commute and/or challenges in the home environment.
As part of Eating Recovery Center (ERC), Pathlight will move into three ERC buildings in the Lowry neighborhood of Denver: 7900 East 1st Avenue; 100 Spruce Street; and 8140 East 5th Avenue. Together, ERC and Pathlight are committed to providing best-in-class treatment for eating disorders and mood, anxiety and trauma-related conditions in Colorado and in their combined 30 locations across the country.
About Pathlight Behavioral Health Centers and Eating Recovery Center
Pathlight Behavioral Health Centers offers specialized treatment for mood, anxiety and trauma-related disorders. Led by the world's leading experts in mental health, ERC and Pathlight provide a full spectrum of eating disorder and mood, anxiety and trauma-related recovery services through an unmatched network of multiple locations across seven states. For more information, please visit pathlightbh.com. To schedule a free expert consultation with a master’s level clinician, prospective patients can call 303-731-8900.
Eating Recovery Center is the only national, vertically integrated, health care system dedicated to the treatment of serious eating disorders and related mental health conditions at any stage of the illness. ERC offers best-in-class treatment programs for all patients struggling from anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder and related disorders. Both ERC and Pathlight treat adults, children and teens and offer multiple levels of care, including Residential, Partial Hospitalization Program, and Intensive Outpatient Program. For more information, please visit eatingrecoverycenter.com.
