Program Spotlight : Behavioral Health

In 2014, the Clearwater Free Clinic expanded its services to include mental health diagnostic care and counseling with the establishment of our Behavioral Health Program. This addition allowed the clinic to become a truly comprehensive medical facility with the ability to not only treat physical ailments but address the mental health concerns of our patients.

The Behavioral Health Program currently consists of 2 providers – Laurie Deer, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), and Jen Self psychiatric nurse practitioner (APRN) and licensed mental health counselor (LMHC). Through counseling and medication therapy, the Behavioral health providers work with patients to heal traumas which often lead to poor medical health. 

CFC patients can be seen in the Behavioral Health Clinic for a number of reasons including:

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Existential concerns (e.g., finding meaning and purpose, coping with loss)

• ADHD

• Empowerment and assertiveness

• Interpersonal functioning

“About 98 percent of patients in the Behavioral Health program have experienced some sort of trauma. Studies link past trauma to poor medical health.”

— Laurie Deer, LCSW

The CFC launched "Art Connection," a new group therapy session, earlier this year.
This class allows patients the opportunity to express themselves non-verbally and to be creative in a safe environment. The Clearwater Free Clinic is dedicated to the improvement of a patient’s health in its entirety as a part of its integrated healthcare approach.