At TMC, behavioral health is part of your preventive care journey. You don’t have to navigate a separate system or wait until things feel unmanageable. Support can begin right in the room, alongside your provider. 

In mountain towns, especially during shoulder seasons, stress can take on its own rhythm. Routines change, familiar faces may not be as present, and the slower pace can create space for stress to surface. At the same time, broader “world stress” continues in the background. Together, these layers can leave people feeling stretched thin, disconnected, or overwhelmed. 

At Telluride Medical Center, we see how often mental health shows up in subtle ways first. It might look like trouble sleeping, low energy, irritability, or difficulty focusing. These are often early signals and addressing them as part of preventive care can help keep them from building into something more difficult to manage. 

We spoke with Behavioral Health Counselor Emma Christensen, MA, LPC, to better understand how these services support patients in real time: 

Q: How do you see “world stress” and “town stress” impacting patients, and how can people cope with both at once? 

A: Managing life stressors can feel overwhelming and helpless at times. You might notice an impact on your sleep, your relationships, or feeling drawn to distract or avoid certain feelings. Seeking support through TRMC can be a great start in identifying means to cope nad finding sources for support.  

Q: Many people feel stuck between disconnection and overwhelm. How do you help patients move back toward connection? 

A: We support our patients in understanding the impact of what they are navigating. We provide short-term or long-term support in helping patients connect with their internal experience through evidenced based therapeutic modalities.  

Q: What are some early flags or signs that stress is starting to impact someone’s mental health? 

A: Some early flags or signs that stress is starting to impact someone’s mental health would be noticing an impact on sleep or relationships, feeling drawn to avoid or distract (i.e. with substances or screen time), or noticing reduced interest in things you once enjoyed.  

Q: Can you explain how a “warm hand-off” works during a primary care visit, and what patients can expect in that moment? 

A: A warm hand-off is an optional component to any primary care appointment. You can expect to meet with one of our behavioral health counselors to discuss your needs. This could look like learning about counselor resources, short term behavior health support, or longer-term therapeutic support depending on need and provider availability.   

Q: What are bridge care appointments, and how do they support patients while waiting for longer-term therapy or during acute stress? 

A: Yeah, so here at TRMC our behavior health department can offer 3 types of visits. A brief assessment and referral to counselor or community resources, a bridge care follow up which would support a patient while they wait to connect with an on-going therapist or in an acute time of need, and the third appointment type is a psychotherapy appointment with one of our 2 providers, this is dependent on availability.  

Preventive care is not only about labs, screenings, and physical exams. It’s also about understanding how you’re doing as a whole person. Having access to behavioral health support during your visit can make it easier to address stress early, strengthen coping strategies, and stay connected to your health. 

If you’ve been feeling the weight of stress, whether it’s from daily life or the world around you, you’re not alone. Call (970) 728-3848 to schedule your annual exam or ask about behavioral health services at TMC.