Demand for mental health services is plateauing

Copper Country Mental Health Services remains busy, but two months into the latest round of lockdowns it isn’t noticing a spike in demand. It is unclear if an elevated, but steady, rate is the first gradual step toward overall improvement.

CCMHS is part of a regional network covering the entire Upper Peninsula. If you feel you are in need of counseling, you have to complete a phone call with an access worker in Marquette. Once you are marked as eligible, then an intake assessment is scheduled.

Outpatient Program Director Leslie Griffith says that intakes for the summer quarter of 2020 were up nearly 50% compared with 2019.

Intakes are still averaging around 25 per month, or 75 per quarter. Griffith says that most of the increase has been driven by adolescents and young adults. They are broken up into two main categories. Outpatient services, such as therapy, is usually conducted in sessions every two weeks. Inpatient services, for the most severe cases, generally consist of those who are suicidal.