Highlands Behavioral Health System

Sports Day was the final themed spirit day for Employee Appreciation Week last week! We had Cardinals, Packers and Avs representing! #EmployeeAppreciation

"Dress Like Your Boss Day" was day two of last week's Employee Appreciation Spirit Week! These team members (aka "The Ashleys") looked fabulous impersonating their boss. A fashion trailblazer, no doubt! Thanks to those who graced us with their boss-like outfits and to our Milieu Manager, Ashley, herself for the inspiration. Tomorrow we'll share the final spirit theme, and it's very appropriate for a weekend. #EmployeeAppreciation

Last week was Employee Appreciation Week, and we started strong with Onesie Day! Tomorrow we'll spotlight a less cozy but equally fun spirit week theme, but for now, enjoy our staff impersonating adorable stuffed animals! #EmployeeAppreciation

Our Outpatient and Business Development teams represented Highlands at the inaugural Aurora Public Schools Behavioral Health Resource Fair! We were honored to connect with several hundred professionals from across the Aurora Public School System. We hope to be on the roster for next year's event!

Shae L. is our #EmployeeSpotlight for the end of 2024! Shae was one of the year's best additions to the nursing team. Not only does she ensure our hospital's compliance with infection control, but she is also on the floor daily to support the team. We are so proud to have you, Shae, and look forward to your continued success in the coming years!

At Highlands, we have a rotating art display outside our dining hall featuring inspiration and intention for our patients and staff. Right now, we have a vibrant board focused on the importance of mindset—"Fixed" (gray) vs. "Growth" (colorful). Reframing our mindsets from "Fixed" to "Growth" can bring us from "I'm not good enough" and "It's too hard" to "Mistakes help me learn" and "This may take some time and effort." Sometimes we need more help than inspiration, and we are here for that. If you or a loved one are struggling, give us a call for a no-cost level of care assessment at 720-348-2805.

The 50th Annual Psychological Association's Winter Symposium was a smash hit! We connected with community partners old and new. In between, we smashed some arrows on the Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) pad we had set up to blow off some energy and get our legs moving. We also smashed through our stash of Highlands Hippos, as Symposium attendees were "hungry-hungry" for them! Shout out to eight-year-old, Breck, for the DDR highest score! We're so grateful to have been sponsors of this fantastic event yet again. Until next year!

Holiday recap, with an outpatient focus! Highlands welcomed the community to our Branches Outpatient Open House in December, and we captured some fun footage of our outpatient leadership amidst the jingle bells! At Highlands Behavioral Health, we rebranded our outpatient programming as Branches to highlight our outpatient service lines distinctly from our inpatient programming. We offer Intensive Outpatient Programming (IOP) for adults and adolescents three times per week, three hours per day. Our Partial Hospitalization Programming (PHP) for adults and adolescents is five times per week, five hours per day. All programs can be hybrid — in-person and virtual! Give us a call at 720-348-2816 or schedule your no-cost level-of-care assessment at https://spklr.io/6046FPSQ.

We're about to find out how many of our mental health professionals can dance! ?? Stop by our booths (11 and 12) next week at the Psychotherapy Associates Winter Symposium, and challenge our team to some wholesome Dance Dance Revolution! We will dominate a spacious corner for both Centennial Peaks Hospital and Highlands Behavioral Health's booths. Even if you have two left feet, you'll know where to find us! Come say hey, learn about our programs and win a prize if you can beat our BD reps!

It is not surprising that society's collective recurring nightmare is being late for class, missing a test or unable to open our lockers. The challenges and emotions of being in the thick of exams and school projects, future planning, cliques, clubs and sport pressures live in our memories. Adolescents need support, and traditional individual therapy doesn't always cut it. Our outpatient programming is available for daytime and after school hours, and can be done in person, virtually or hybrid to fit your student's packed schedules. Our team strives to support adolescents seeking to balance and thrive. Call us for a no-cost level of care assessment at 720-348-2816 or schedule an appointment by visiting https://spklr.io/60410f83.