Welcome to Mental Health Matters, a regular column in the Tallahassee Grapevine that features stories and tips on issues relating to mental health, from the staff of Apalachee Center. This week, I’m very excited to be using this space for something a little different. I want to let you know about a new place to get mental health treatment in Tallahassee: Capital Therapy.
First, a little background: late last year, the Leon County Health Department released the results of the biennial MAPP Survey, a comprehensive look at health care in this community. Among the many interesting findings was the discovery that a large number of insured, employed Leon County residents did not think there was an easy way for them to access mental health services. Despite the presence of several fine psychotherapy practices in the County, there just is not enough service to meet the demand.
While this finding was surprising, I also saw it as a positive sign – lots of folks who, in the past, would have been reluctant to seek help for mental health and behavioral issues are starting to realize that these medical conditions demand the same attention as high blood pressure, diabetes, and chronic muscle pain, just to name a few potentially dangerous medical conditions that, like psychiatric and emotional problems, can often be resolved with accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
The big problem in Leon County appears to be – where can folks without disabling psychiatric conditions, who do not qualify for public insurance like Medicaid, go for some help in a time of crisis?
I decided that Apalachee Center should take the lead in providing a solution in this community. My management team and I got together with some of the licensed clinicians connected with Apalachee Center to come up with some answers. We took a look at the current behavioral health options available in Leon County.
What we found were some excellent outpatient behavioral health providers and practices, but not enough practices where experienced, licensed clinicians worked together as a single team to deal with issues such as depression, anxiety, and anger.
This was especially true when we looked at the treatment available to the very people who responded to the MAPP survey – folks who did not often access behavioral health services, and sometimes didn’t know where to start looking. The clinicians concluded that there was room in this community for a new comprehensive, team approach. They got together with some of the folks at Apalachee who are good at setting up new systems, and came up with a plan for a new way for Leon County to access behavioral healthcare: Capital Therapy.
With little public fanfare, Capital Therapy services was launched earlier this month.
Capital Therapy is a comprehensive outpatient behavioral health practice where folks who need some help can get it – and get it rapidly.
The Capital Therapy staff is made up of experienced, licensed clinicians, including psychiatrists, psychiatric ARNPs, psychologists, and psychotherapists. What makes Capital Therapy special is the spectrum of care available under one roof – child and adult psychiatry, individual, family, and couples counseling, anger management, parenting skills, psychological testing and assessment, and child play therapy services, all in one practice. The Capital Therapy clinical team provides a full range of services, and they provide these services as a multi-disciplinary team, working together to ensure the highest quality behavioral healthcare for their clients.
With Help, There is Hope
Capital Therapy is conveniently located in its own new building on the Apalachee Center campus at 2634-B Capital Circle NE – minutes from I-10 and Thomasville Road.
Appointments are available Monday-Friday from noon until 8pm. Capital Therapy accepts most major insurance, as well as Medicare and private pay. Visa and MasterCard are welcome.
You can call 523-3303 for an appointment, or visit the Capital Therapy website at www.CapitalTherapy.org. As the clinical team at Capital Therapy says, whatever the problem: “We Can Help.”
Apalachee Center can be reached at 1-800-342-0774 for Detox, Crisis or inpatient treatment, and 1-866-472-3941 to schedule an outpatient appointment.
Jay Reeve, PhD, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Apalachee Center, Inc., a large community mental health center in Tallahassee, Florida, serving approximately 6,000 clients annually. Dr. Reeve holds degrees from Tufts, Harvard, and Adelphi Universities. He has been a licensed clinical psychologist since 1993. He has published on topics ranging from the psychotherapeutic treatment of HIV+ children to clinical supervision of interns, and has been a frequent commentator for the ABC News Medical News Group. He is currently on faculty at the FSU Department of Psychology.
For over half a century, Apalachee Center has been dedicated to helping the individuals and families of North Florida succeed in recovering from emotional, psychiatric, and substance abuse crises. These crises are often painful and frightening, and leave families and individuals feeling as if they are all alone and have nowhere to turn. The Apalachee team is here to help.
by Jay Reeve, PhD
CEO & President of Apalachee Center
