Longmont, Colorado Therapists

An Overview of Mental Health in Longmont, Colorado

The city of Longmont, Colorado, has a population of 89,919. It is part of Boulder County and sits just a short distance north of Denver. The median household income is $60,661, very close to that of the state as a whole ($65,685). Residents are healthier than elsewhere in the state, partially because the average age of the adult population is 36.7 years. Longmont is also health-conscious and ranks second out of 101 counties in the United States on the percentage of the population who exercised in the past month.

Longmont has some strong positives that make it a pleasant place to live. For example, the crime rate of 247.5 per 100,000 residents is slightly lower than the average for the United States (254.2). The weather is pleasant most of the year, with highs in the high 80s in the hottest season and lows in the teens in the coldest months. The city gets less rainfall than the average for the United States, and it’s blessed with low humidity year-round. The unemployment rate is lower than the state average at 3.5%. Socially, Longmont has a thriving social scene with a busy downtown and plenty of opportunities to get outdoors.

Even with so many appealing traits, residents in Longmont, just like anywhere else, need access to qualified professionals in the field of mental health. In 2016, Longmont Community Hospital published an assessment of the community’s needs in the arena. Some of the findings were quite notable.

• Behavioral health was at the top of the priority list. Hospitals reported high traffic to the emergency rooms for mental health emergencies.
• Boulder County needed to train community members on a curriculum called Mental Health First Aid to educate first responders and the community at large about mental health issues and how to deal with them.
• Boulder County needed more psychiatrists and professional counselors available to decrease wait times for appointments.
• Approximately 13% of adults surveyed indicated that they had eight or more days of poor mental health in the previous month.
• Statewide, Colorado has the seventh-highest suicide rate in the nation.
• Access to care was the barrier that kept most people from seeking help when they felt they needed it. Some of the barriers to access were lack of insurance, an inability to pay the medical bills or buy medication, and a lack of appropriate providers in proximity.

Family Stressors in Longmont, Colorado

Research has long shown that family difficulties, such as divorce, addiction, or the death of a spouse or child, are the source of the highest stress levels many people experience in a lifetime. Families in Longmont are not immune to these pressures, unfortunately.

• As of 2016, only about half of the adult population in Longmont was married, and 14% of the population classified themselves as divorced.
• Between 2012 and 2015, 86 people in Boulder County overdosed on some form of opiate drug, primarily heroin.
• In 2016, just under 10% of the population of Longmont described themselves as having lost a spouse or partner to death. Twenty-two children and youth under the age of 19 died in Boulder County in 2015, leaving behind families in mourning and grieving.

Finding the Help You Need in Longmont, Colorado

For children who need mental health and behavioral health, the staff at the Longmont Children, Youth & Families offer individual and group counseling to youth and their families. These services are free and can be accessed through the St. Vrain School District as well as through the department directly. Bilingual counselors are available.

Parents can also access classes on positive parenting, conflict in the home, school issues, and more through this city agency. Children, Youth & Families can connect your family with other helpful resources as well, including assistance with legal matters, after-school programming, and other social services needs.