Caitlin Tesch, LCSW-S

Caitlin Tesch always knew she wanted to work in a helping profession. She considered careers in law and criminal justice. But ultimately, when it came time to choose a college major, she felt pulled toward sociology for undergrad and social work for her master’s. “Like most people, I’ve had my own struggles with mental health,” Caitlin said. “I wanted to be able to help others the way I was helped.”

Now, as executive director of a Connections Wellness Group location, she’s doing just that. “The beginning of the pandemic saw a marked increase in the need for mental health services,” she said. “We were already positioned to help clients who were dealing with something even adults were struggling with.”

Connections Wellness Group is a private practice for psychiatry and counseling focused on treating adults and adolescents offering mental health and dual diagnosis partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient (IOP). Their treatment options include:

• Psychiatric evaluation and medication management
• Group therapy
• Expressive therapies
• Family support
• Academic instruction and school support
• Case management
• Aftercare planning

Mental health has grown to be an increasingly serious issue in recent years. Even with increasing awareness and resources, many communities still lack the services to address mental health concerns. Because mental health forms the foundation on which every other aspect of life rests, Connections Wellness Group has locations in Frisco, Plano, Denton, Flower Mound, Arlington, Keller, Mansfield, McKinney, Plano, Prosper, Rockwall, Southlake, and Willow Park.

Sometimes a client needs more support than once-a-week therapy can provide, or they may experience a crisis in their lives requiring hospitalization. When they do, they can receive care in the hospital and then continue that care with Connections Wellness Group in Arlington in a PHP program that runs Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 1 PM or 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM and eventually transition back into weekly or biweekly therapy.

“We want people to know that we genuinely care about our patients and want to see them succeed,” Caitlin said. “We understand that coming to a facility like ours can be scary at first. Patients come to us during a vulnerable time in their lives. We want to make it the best experience we can. Our greatest desire is to see our patients better themselves, meet their mental-health goals, and succeed in life.”

As director, Caitlin loves that she’s able to divide her time between directly engaging with patients and working to support her staff, making sure they have the resources they need to be successful and to provide the best care to their patients. “But I love that I can jump in and help with patients, when I’m needed,” she said. When not on the job, Caitlin stays busy doing life with her two wonderful children ages four and one and a half. She loves attending professional sporting events. She’s an ardent Cubs fan and stays active in two different book clubs.