“Freud was once asked what he thought a normal person should be able to do well. The questioner probably expected a complicated answer. But Freud, in the curt way of his old days, is reported to have said: “Lieben und arbeiten” (to love and to work). It pays to ponder on this simple formula; it gets deeper as you think about it.”... Erik Erikson

Hidalgo Medical Services provides selective mental health services within the context of existing networks of care in the two county region. Our services, available in Med Square and College St,  can be understood within three categories: Integrated Behavioral Health Care; Psychotherapy Services; and Preventive Care. All services are provided by licensed professionals within the mental health field (Social Workers, Counselors, Psychologists and Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners).

Integrated Behavioral Health Care

Mental Health Professionals are available to primary care providers to help them identify and appropriately respond to emotional, behavioral and mental factors that impact the medical care of our patients. This can take the form of mental health providers seeing patients in the exam room in order to make a quick assessment and provide a brief, supportive intervention.

In some cases this consultation can lead to a referral to counseling or psychotherapy services, either within HMS or to one of the other agencies providing a different level of care within the community. In others, the intervention delivered in the exam room will be sufficient. Qualified mental health providers (e.g. psychiatric nurse practitioners) may also consult with primary care providers on appropriate medications for the presenting concerns.

In any case, goals of the behavioral health care consult are both to ensure the proper, culturally competent strategy for health care is agreed upon between provider and patient, and to help the patient identify and change aspects of their life which may interfere with maintaining their health and quality of life.

Psychotherapy Services

HMS Mental Health professionals provide short- to medium-term individual and group counseling and psychotherapy services to HMS patients. Such services are principally designed for moderate to medium level difficulties in living encountered by our patients. Those dealing with severe or chronic mental health challenges would most likely be referred to other agencies in the region for a more appropriate level of care.

Research has made it abundantly clear that psychotherapy is an effective treatment for a wide range of mental, emotional, and behavioral problems faced by an individual or system. HMS employs strength-based psychotherapeutic strategies that are validated empirically for the populations we serve. We maintain an unyielding commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards in the delivery of these services.

Preventive Care

HMS Mental Health professionals recognize that mental health ‘problems’ are frequently symptoms of less than healthful standards of living within a given community. Thus we are committed to working with others dedicated to improving the conditions of life in our communities. This may take the form of participating in health fairs, conducting workshops and speaking to community groups on issues related to the mental and emotional well being of the community. Further, we are also committed to contributing to community response plans to events and conditions which are recognized as risk factors for emotional and mental well-being.