Behavioral Health Centers

Behavioral and mental health services are essential parts of today’s healthcare system. These services help people improve their emotional well-being, manage stress, recover from trauma, and lead healthier lives. While the terms behavioral health and mental health are often used together, they focus on different—yet closely connected—aspects of a person’s overall health.

What’s the Difference Between Behavioral and Mental Health?

Behavioral health looks at the ways a person’s habits, choices, and daily behaviors affect both their mental and physical well-being. This can include managing stress, substance use, eating patterns, and physical activity. Behavioral health treatment often addresses addiction, chronic illness management, and coping skills.

Mental health focuses more specifically on a person’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It involves treating conditions such as depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, and serious mental illnesses. Treatment may include individual or group therapy, medication, or a combination of approaches.

Both areas are often combined in treatment plans because they affect one another so deeply.

A Growing Field Focused on the Whole Person

Behavioral and mental health services are a key part of patient-centered care, meaning care that addresses all parts of a person’s life. These services don’t just treat illness—they work to prevent problems and help people build resilience and emotional strength.

This field is growing quickly as healthcare systems work to make services more accessible, community-based, and preventive, especially for populations that have historically faced barriers to care.

Where Are Services Provided?

Mental and behavioral health services can be delivered in many different settings, including:

Private offices or clinics – where licensed counselors, therapists, or psychiatrists provide individual or group care
Hospitals and healthcare centers – including behavioral health departments and specialized psychiatric units
Behavioral health hospitals – which offer inpatient care and long-term treatment for serious conditions
Outpatient programs – which allow patients to receive care while continuing to live at home
Residential treatment centers – where individuals live temporarily to receive intensive therapy and support
Community-based organizations – where services are connected to housing, nutrition, education, and social supports

Career Opportunities in Behavioral and Mental Health

There are many meaningful careers in this field—whether you want to work directly with people, connect them to services, or support care delivery behind the scenes. Careers include:

Direct Care Assistants
Provide hands-on support to individuals receiving behavioral or mental health treatment. (Free training may be available.)
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
Help clients cope with emotional problems, coordinate services, and manage long-term recovery.
Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs)
Assist with daily care in behavioral health facilities or psychiatric units.
Registered Nurses (RNs)
Monitor mental health symptoms, administer medications, and support treatment plans in both hospitals and outpatient programs.
Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors
Guide individuals through recovery from drug or alcohol addiction, using therapy and education to support lasting change.
Community Health Workers
Act as trusted connectors between healthcare providers and the communities they serve, offering education, support, and referrals to behavioral health resources.

Why This Field Matters

Behavioral and mental health professionals work with people of all ages and backgrounds, helping them live more balanced, stable, and fulfilling lives. These professionals often collaborate with other services—like housing assistance, food support, and educational programs—so patients receive care that addresses their whole life situation.

If you’re someone who wants to help others, has strong listening and communication skills, and believes in treating people with empathy and respect, a career in this field may be a great fit for you.