AVANZAR WELLNESS

Avanzar Wellness provides individual therapy to first responders and their family members in-person or via telehealth. Our therapists are skilled in a variety of treatment modalities to assist with trauma, stress and anxiety, grief and loss, marriage and relationship, retirement, substances and addictions, and work/life balance. Our services are private and confidential for the client, and we uphold the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics.

We accept most insurances and offer sliding scale billing.

NFPA 1500 standards on mental health programs advocate for peer support as the best practice standard of care.  Avanzar Wellness has extensive experience in training and overseeing peer support teams at multiple first responder agencies in Southern Arizona.  Our three day peer support training and clinical oversight meet Arizona Revised Statute 38- 1111 Critical Incident Stress Management team member; privilege exceptions.  Your team will learn how to use active listening to assist members in a variety of areas that are the most common cause of mental health injury for first responders.  Our clinical oversight ensures that team members have access to a clinician to get advice and guidance when working with a department member or their family.  Avanzar Wellness will conduct quarterly continuing education and team meetings to assess team and organizational needs.  Peer support teams have been shown to lower the stigma toward mental health by providing education and resources from people facing the same life struggles as the member.  Peer support provides the anonymity needed for your employees to be willing to ask for help.

Cost: $100 per hour, billed in 15-minute increments.

Initial training is a 3-day class, followed by quarterly or trimester training to address trends and keep team members competent in their knowledge, skills and abilities.

Our annual mental health screenings comply with NFPA 1500 recommendations as set forward in the working group summary report for behavioral health screenings in NFPA 1582 medical evaluations completed in October of 2022.  We utilize a private patient portal through an electronic health records system to have employees complete a PCL-5 for PTSD screening, PHQ-9 for depression screening, CSSR-S for suicidality, and DAST-10 for substance abuse screening.  Staff will schedule a one hour, in-person session with the employee to go over the scores on the screening tools and identify any areas of concern.  The clinician and employee will address any critical incidents the employee has been on since their last meeting and discuss any residual concerns from previous calls and assess the need for further treatment.  Our clinician will complete the session by discussing current coping skills utilized by the employee, as well as areas of work/life balance that would benefit from setting boundaries.  After the assessment, the employee will receive an individual wellness plan for the year.

Any concerns noted during the assessment will be addressed with the employee to refer them for further treatment, and our staff will assist in finding the appropriate resources in your area.  Any critical issues discovered will be addressed on an individual case following mandatory reporting laws, client confidentiality, and organizational protocols.  

Cost: $150 per employee