For teens, Denver Health’s STEP provides mental health and substance treatment — and hope

Santiago Bayley remembers a time when he wasn t sure if he would make it to adulthood a time when he wasn t sure if he longed to live that long The Denver Post Season To Share is the annual holiday fundraising campaign for The Denver Post and The Denver Post Public Foundation a c nonprofit organization Grants are awarded to local nonprofit agencies that provide life-changing programs to help low-income children families and individuals move out of poverty toward stabilization and self-sufficiency Visit seasontoshare com to learn more or to donate now Now years old Bayley is one of hundreds of metro Denver teenagers who benefit every year from Denver Fitness s Substance Abuse Medication Teaching and Prevention venture known as STEP STEP therapists and psychiatrists work with young people at the uniquely challenging intersection of mental medical and substance use struggles therapeutic director Mario Lintz reported Teens often come to STEP through school referrals or their parents seeking help or because they were seen in the emergency room or referred through a diversion scheme for juveniles in the court system Like a multitude of project graduates Bayley ascertained it during one of the lowest points of his life He attempted suicide by overdose when he was a sophomore in high school and was treated at Denver Medical where he connected with a expert who explained him about STEP The swirl of developmental changes that happen in adolescence already makes it a prime time for teens to develop anxiety and negative thinking Lintz mentioned Those changes added to teens inclination to take risks while they re trying to figure out who they are can be a volatile combination With kids who have a traumatic past substance use becomes something they use regularly to deal with those things Lintz stated And it might make them feel better at first until they start experiencing withdrawal responses and worsening side effects and are now struggling with a substance use disorder along with an untreated mental fitness disorder To make it even more challenging it s hard to find a provider who will treat both whether in Colorado or across the country Lintz added As much overlap as there is between substance use and mental strength disorders they re often viewed separately and there s not a lot of providers who feel calm treating both It can make the picture unclear from a mental physical condition standpoint of what s going on he noted STEP fills that need with ongoing therapy medication management and an intensive eight-week outpatient activity for teens and their families The activity also goes the extra mile to remove hindrances that often prevent people from accessing care Alaina Walker during a session with a STEP clinician at Denver Soundness on Friday Oct Denver Health's STEP campaign provides young people with free mental vitality and substance use rehabilitation Photo courtesy of Jeff Mosier Denver Wellness STEP isn t just in one location providers meet with their patients at the Bannock Street offices as well as at Denver-area high schools The activity pays for transportation for about young people to get to appointments every week And there are reliably plenty of snacks and beverages on hand for those who need them Five years after he first started STEP Bayley is now working toward an associate s degree in business with the goal of completing a bachelor s in marketing and becoming a marketing or brand director He plans to move to New York City this summer to further his career goals It s a dramatic difference from where he was Bayley declared from wanting to give up to loving himself and feeling content in his skin I was a -year-old who smoked weed all day and thought college was stupid Bayley mentioned Now I m going to college I care more about my life Before I was fine dying before and now I m and I want to live Denver Healthcare STEP plan Address Bannock St Denver CO In operation since Number of employees Number of helpers Annual budget Number of clients served total visits in Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter