Behavioral Health

Integrated Behavioral Health

Here at Sunset Health, we focus on providing for your whole health needs. Our Behavioral Health Department collaborates with your medical provider to help you manage and improve your health. We offer brief interventions, care coordination, and short-term counseling to help patients manage both medical and mental health concerns.

Integrated Behavioral Health is designed to work with patients who have been diagnosed with chronic medical conditions (Diabetes, Hypertension, High Cholesterol Levels, High Triglyceride Levels, and/or Obesity), as well as with patients diagnosed with general mental health concerns and substance use disorders with the overall goal of improving health. Our hope at Sunset is to provide you with whole-person care. Behavioral Health team members work together with each patient, their primary care provider, health educators, and specialists as necessary, to overcome barriers to improved health outcomes. Any patient needing a different level of services than we can provide at Sunset will be referred to an appropriate outside agency.

Recently, our program has expanded, and we have Behavioral Health Personnel available in both Yuma clinics, Somerton, and San Luis. Short-term counseling is available in our North Yuma and San Luis locations. Short-term counseling is currently only available for adult patients of Sunset. However, we hope to expand to serving our pediatrics population in the future. In the meantime, our Behavioral Health staff work to provide care coordination services and connect pediatric patients with community resources to meet their needs.

Our Services

Brief Interventions
When you see your medical provider at Sunset, you will often be asked screening questions to identify any other factors that may be impacting your health – things like stress, anxiety, substance use, interpersonal violence, and depression. Our Behavioral Health staff may meet with you to provide additional education, risk assessments, and/or brief coping strategies in response to concerns identified by your medical team.

Care Coordination
Our Behavioral Health staff members meet with patients with complex care needs or services outside of Sunset’s scope to ensure they have access to community resources to meet their needs. We collaborate with local schools, agencies, and other medical specialists to connect patients with the care they need.

Short-term Counseling
Counseling services are provided within 6-8 total sessions, addressing management of chronic conditions, motivation, coping skills for mental health concerns, and substance use treatment. If you are scheduled with our Behavioral Health clinicians, we ask that you show up 15 minutes prior to your appointment to check in before your counseling session. If you are late, we may have to reschedule your appointment. Your first counseling session will typically last around 50 minutes. During the first session, you will be asked several questions to complete an assessment.  This assessment will help us to identify any possible factors that are causing you stress or affecting your physical health.  We will discuss your physical and mental health, home environment and relationships among other relevant information.  At the end of the session and with your collaboration, we will set up goals and objectives in order to improve your quality of life and overall health. After your first visit, your follow-up sessions will last approximately 30 minutes.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call the crisis line immediately at (866) 495-6735.