Pathways to Wellness Offers Mental Health Services at Hacienda

By George Walsh, Hacienda Network Staff Writer

Service Provider Helps Children, Adolescents, and Adults Get the Help They Need

Mental health, like physical health, should not be ignored by anyone. Just as going to an internist to find out whether you are in need of physical treatment is important, the services of a mental health professional are also advantageous. In June of this year, Pathways to Wellness, at 5674 Stoneridge Drive, Suite 116, moved into its Hacienda location and now provides mental health assessment, counseling, individual and family therapy, support groups, employee assistance programs, medication management, prescription services, and urgent care appointments to those in need.

Pathways to Wellness, part of Becton Healthcare Resources, is designed to provide a link in the spectrum of services available to children, adolescents, and adults requiring mental health management. Staffed by board certified psychiatrists, registered nurses, and licensed clinicians, the firm's clinics provide services that are intended to afford relief from the symptoms of mental illness, to facilitate clients' ability to return or remain in the community, and to avoid treatment at higher levels of care. In addition to its Hacienda location, Pathways to Wellness has offices in Oakland, Union City, Long Beach, and Detroit and will be opening another facility in Concord in January 2005.

"We provide behavioral health management services that include psychiatric care for children and adults," says Neisha Becton, president and CEO of Pathways to Wellness. "Our contracts are primarily with hospitals, medical groups, and community mental health centers. We're a service provider, so if a hospital needs the services of a doctor, we can provide it. If they need nurses and clinicians, we can provide that as well."

"We provide services to a wide range of people, from those who are severely mentally ill to people who are going through depression, or those who need couples counseling," Becton says. "I would say that this particular facility focuses on people who are depressed, experiencing a divorce or death, and ADHD kids. We're trying to meet the needs of the Tri-Valley - especially the companies in the region and their employee assistance programs - while focusing on providing quality mental health programs for children and adults. There's a huge need for our services in this region. That's really our philosophy: to set up facilities where there's a need. Every facility we've put into place has been in response to a request from the community, whether it was a hospital, individuals, or a county."

Pathways to Wellness was founded in July of 1999 and now operates seven facilities. The firm has in the area of 100 employees, seven of whom work out of its Hacienda location. Pathways to Wellness has employees who work full-time, part-time, and on-call, and is not a registry. All of its employees are salaried and committed directly to the company.

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