Mental health issues are unfortunately all too common. One in five adults in the U.S. is living with a mental illness. If one carries mental issues for too long, it can affect their quality of life. There are many resources to improve your mental health and make life easier. While traditional therapy and counseling are popular options, many people overlook behavioral health.
Behavioral health treatments differ from traditional counseling. These treatments may be better suited for certain patients.
What is behavioral health? Are behavioral health treatments right for you? Here’s your guide to behavioral health compared to traditional therapy and counseling.
What Is Behavioral Health?
Behavioral health focuses on an individual’s behaviors and how it affects their well-being. Some of these behaviors include substance use, eating habits, and physical activity.
Behavioral health didn’t always have a focus on mental well-being. Before, they would only focus on the individual’s behavior habits.
Behavioral health services focus on destructive habits and how it affects mental health. Those with substance use disorders often take advantage of behavioral health. Most behavioral health services can include intervention, prevention, recovery, and drug/alcohol treatment.
Behavioral health is often a treatment in therapy and counseling services. Common therapies that include behavioral health are marriage, counseling, family counseling, and psychiatry.
A variety of professionals offer behavioral health services. These include counselors, social workers, neurologists, psychiatrists, and even your physician.
Behavioral Health vs Mental Health Treatments
Behavioral health differs from other mental health treatments, such as psychotherapy and counseling. These three therapies are often lumped together. It’s important to know their differences to choose the treatment that works best for you. Let’s look at the differences between therapy and counseling, Behavioral health can fit into these treatments.
Therapy
Therapy is a mental health treatment that focuses on a wide range of issues. These issues vary from anxiety and depression to marriage and family.
The foundation of psychotherapy is how a person interacts with the world. Behavior is a massive aspect of psychotherapy. An individual can usually receive behavioral health treatments in their typical therapy sessions.
Most individuals go to therapy long-term. This is especially true if the individual is struggling with specific mental illnesses. These include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and specific depression and anxiety disorders.
Counseling
Counseling targets specific problems. The counselor will teach the patient techniques to ease the problem. Examples are improving problem-solving skills, avoiding problem areas, and coping with their problem.
Addiction is one of the most common examples. But those with depression and anxiety disorders can also use counseling. Behaviors such as addiction can improve with counseling. This treatment can intertwine with behavioral health services.
Do You Need Behavioral Health Help?
Do you need help with behavioral health? You can seek counseling services from our licensed therapists. We offer individual therapy and more in the Dublin, California area. Click here to learn more about our services.
Honor Your Emotions is a therapy practice in Dublin, CA serving the East Bay Area including Pleasanton, San Ramon, Livermore and Danville.
Call (925) 577-4732 today for a free consultation!
