The Guidance Center is a not-for-profit Community Mental Health Center with locations serving Flagstaff, Williams, and surrounding Northern Arizona communities. We provide a full range of services, which include everything from general mental health counseling for everyday stressors, to our inpatient psychiatric hospital for acute psychiatric emergencies. We provide care to all ages, from birth and up.
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Services Offered
ADULT MENTAL HEALTH The Guidance Center offers a variety of services to adults aged 18 and over. Our highly trained, caring team of therapists and case managers are available to help with your behavioral health needs. As an enrolled consumer, you have the opportunity to work with your team to develop a tailored plan to set and achieve your behavioral health goals.
GENERAL MENTAL HEALTH According to the World Health Organization, mental health is defined as "a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community."
Sometimes a person may need help getting back on track with coping skills, getting back to productive work, or being able to reach one's own potential. You might be going through a difficult patch in life, and just need a little extra support to get you to the other side. Or you may have been struggling with your mental health for a long time and just did not know where to go or who to talk to. Or maybe you were nervous about what people would say. Our general mental health team is here to support you. You can participate in individual sessions as well as any of a variety of therapy and skills groups.
We are equipped to help with a variety of mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, trauma, PTSD and more. By using evidence-based practices, we are able to effectively assist you to make progress toward your treatment goals. Some of the techniques and therapies used include: Relaxation training Mindfulness exercises EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)
SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS Serious Mental Illness (SMI) refers to an official diagnosis based on specific criteria. The basics of an SMI diagnosis require a person to be age 17.5 or older and have a diagnosed mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder that results in substantial impairment or limitation in major life activities. These activities include maintaining employment, interpersonal relationships, self-care, and activities of daily living, among others. The Guidance Center can help in the process of determining a diagnosis of Serious Mental Illness. We also provide specialized services to individuals who are SMI designated such as the assertive community treatment team and dialectical behavioral therapy groups.
ADULT GROUPS The SMI and the General Mental Health teams facilitate several groups that all TGC consumers are welcome to attend. Each group is facilitated by a team member who specializes in the purpose/topic of their specific group. You can view an updated group schedule on our campus.
Group topics include: WRAP (Wellness-Recovery-Action-Plan) Meditation Expressions (Art & Writing) groups Substance Abuse Co-Occurring groups DBT groups Exercise Skills groups The SMI Team has implemented a Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Program that includes the DBT Skills Groups and therapists utilizing the DBT approach.
OUTPATIENT PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES
Our team of psychiatric providers offers services to help meet a consumer's psychiatric needs. This involves regular appointments, medication management, and supporting other treatment plan goals. Providers work closely with other treatment team members, such as therapists and case managers, to ensure medication adherence, monitoring side effects, and communicating about other concerns a consumer might have.
SUBSTANCE USE TREATMENT
Treatment of substance use disorders occurs in either a residential or an outpatient setting, or both. Evidence-based programming is used to assist in the recovery process. Residential treatment is for ages 18 and over. Outpatient programs utilize the Matrix Model. Groups are available in evening hours.
Fees and Payment
The Guidance Center is a not-for-profit Community Mental Health Center.
The Guidance Center does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status.
Services Offered To: Adults Teens Children
Payment: Sliding Scale Medicare Medicaid
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Qualifying for assistance from Arizona's program usually depends on the severity of your condition and financial circumstance. Read our full guide to Arizona's program.
A community counseling agency is a group therapy practice that offers affordable mental health services. Most are independent non-profit agencies, state agencies, or publicly-funded agencies. A few may restrict who is eligible for services, so it is a good idea to check when you call.
Community counseling agencies are generally more affordable than other therapy providers, but how much more affordable they are will depend on whether you qualify for a discount or sliding scale fee (or if they accept your insurance). Many, but not all, have a policy that they won't turn away anyone due to inability to pay. You should ask about their fees when you first call.
Expect to talk to kind people who want to help you find the care you need. Most community agencies strive to connect you with a live person within 24 hours, if not immediately. If you're asked to hold or leave a message, don't give up; just leave a message and wait. You should hear back pretty quickly.
Most agencies try to set up an initial assessment appointment within a week (some do within 24 hours), though the waitlist to start therapy is usually longer—about a few weeks on average. If you're not eligible or if the agency is not right for you, it's usually still worth it to call or drop in, because staff are knowledgeable about local options and can often refer you to one.
