Texas Health Arlington Memorial expands mental health services

ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital is expanding its mental and behavioral health services just as the CDC released new data to show how desperately those services are needed.

The mom of a 16-year-old from Grand Prairie is vouching for the effectiveness of those programs, as both a mom and a behavioral health employee.

Her son Joel gave Cecilia Mora permission to talk about his story, the story of the day he called 911.

“His call to police was more like an outcry,” she said. “‘I’m at that point, I don’t want to commit suicide,'” she said of the conversation her son had with police on the phone several months ago. “‘But I need help.'”

He was in a new town, attending a new school, and his big brother had just left to join the Marines. And, he didn’t want to tell his parents how despondent he really was.

“He said he just didn’t know how to ask for help. He was ashamed,” Mora said of her son. “He didn’t know if it was something we were going to look at him like he was being weak. Because a lot of the time we don’t talk about mental health.”

Texas Health Behavioral Health Center Arlington offered Joel the counseling help he needed. The Behavioral Health Unit of Texas Health Arlington Memorial offers both inpatient and outpatient programs to treat adults and adolescents.

“If you broke a bone you would go to the doctor you would go to the hospital and get the treatment that is necessary,” said Aliza Hirani, Director of Clinical Services at Texas Health Behavioral Health Center. “We can do the exact same thing for mental health. I want them to know that we are here and that it’s time that we start treating mental health as a key component of our physical health.”

Texas Health Arlington is expanding its behavioral and mental health programs. Expanded services include partial hospitalization programs, where patients have access to a nurse, doctor and group therapy five to six hours every weekday but are not admitted overnight, and intensive outpatient care programs with three-hour group therapy sessions three days a week.

“This expansion was vital to provide even more individuals and families with the care and support that they so desperately need to improve their mental health and well-being,” said Hirani.

And they are expanding their programs just as the CDC reports an estimated 22 percent of high school students seriously considered attempting suicide in 2021. Its survey of high school students “indicate a need for urgent intervention” the CDC report stated.

The irony for Mora is that she works at Texas Health Behavioral Health Center Arlington. She is a nursing supervisor. But as a mom, she says the signs were difficult to see.

“I was in shock because I do this for a living. But when it hits close to home, it’s a different ballgame. You really don’t know what to do.”

But with an open house here scheduled for Thursday evening, mental health professionals would like to show you what they can do and how they helped 16-year-old Joel understand his emotions and get his life back on track.

“Now that I see him, he’s happy, he’s going out, he has an active social life,” his mom said. “He’s doing so much better!”

And “better” is what they’d like everyone to believe is possible too.

New services offered at Texas Health Behavioral Health Center Arlington include:

• Women’s Partial Hospitalization Program: In-person group therapy where women can address issues and challenges in a safe, therapeutic setting including postpartum depression, menopause, domestic violence and sexual abuse.
• Women’s Intensive Outpatient Program: In-person or virtual group therapy for women to address issues including postpartum depression, menopause, domestic violence and sexual abuse.
• Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Program: In-person group therapy offered from 4 to 7 p.m. to help adolescents ages 13 to 17 struggling with issues such as depression, anxiety, bullying, abuse, trauma or boundaries to balance school and their mental health without sacrificing one for the other.
• Adult Co-Occurring Disorders Program: In-person group therapy tailored for adults who struggle with both mental health and substance use issues.

The hospital continues to offer inpatient care, an adult mental health partial hospitalization program and adolescent mental health partial hospitalization program.

The public is invited to an open house from 5:45 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday Feb. 16, to learn more about the mental health programs and to meet the care team.

Attendees can park in the South Garage and enter the main entrance of Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital, 800 W. Randol Mill Road, where volunteers will direct them.