Published: Oct. 2025
Watch the interview on Fox31 Denver’s Colorado Conversations.
Steve Carleton, Chief Clinical Officer at Porch Light Health, joined host Andrea Henderson on Fox31 Denver’s Colorado Conversations to discuss Mental Illness Awareness Week and World Mental Health Day, the connection between mental health disorders and substance use (dual diagnosis), common conditions like depression and anxiety, evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy approaches, and how compassionate care helps individuals achieve lasting recovery in Colorado.
Andrea Henderson
Of course, it’s always important to talk about mental health, but Mental Illness Awareness Week as well as World Mental Health Day, both fall in October. So it’s especially important to talk about this now. Thanks for joining us for this episode of Colorado Conversations. I’m Andrea Henderson, and I’m joined here by Steve Carleton with Porch Light Health to talk about mental health. And as I mentioned, I mean, this is something year round, whether it’s a day, a month. This is something that’s always important to talk about.
Steve Carleton
That’s right. Absolutely. Yeah. Especially when you consider that at some point in all Americans lives, 50 % of us are going to experience some type of mental health disturbance in our lifetime.
Andrea Henderson
So talking about, I said you work with Porch light Health. Can you talk specifically about your position there, what you do with Porch light Health?
Steve Carleton
Yeah, sure. I’m the Chief Clinical Officer at Porch light, and I’m also a professor University of Denver. And I’ve been treating mental health for about two decades now. And I’m a licensed clinical social worker by trade, so I’m a therapist.
Andrea Henderson
And I know mental health, it’s something that maybe a lot of people sometimes feel not comfortable talking about. I think more in recent years, people have gotten more comfortable just talking about this, but it’s still important to bring it up. So why is it important to shed light on mental illness and mental illness, and maybe getting more people to speak Thinking about it?
Steve Carleton
Well, because your mental health is your health, right? And so thinking about it that way and thinking about it in those terms, hopefully opens it up for people and they feel more comfortable talking about it. The biggest thing people can do for their mental health is just having more awareness about what’s going on, right? If you can pay attention to what’s going on internally, what stories am I telling myself? What emotions am I feeling? What physiological states am I in? This goes a long way, just that awareness and figuring out what do I need to do to make this better.
Andrea Henderson
And I think sometimes just if one person is talking about it or you hear someone else talking about it, it just says a lot because maybe there’s something similar that you’re experiencing. And you might think like, oh, my gosh, what is wrong with me? What am I dealing with? And then you hear someone else speaking about maybe certain symptoms that they’re dealing with. And you’re like, oh, okay, so this is something normal that I’m dealing with, and there is treatment out there. So that’s where just being able to talk about it or having other people talk about it can be beneficial.
Steve Carleton
Oh, absolutely. I spent a decade at the Department of Veterans Affairs treating veterans, and that was always more powerful to have veterans talk to other veterans about mental health and making it okay for them. It was a lot easier to approach it that way than having professionals tell people that they should seek help and get help, and that that’s okay.
Andrea Henderson
Yeah. So you said you’re a therapist. Different types of mental health diagnosis that people might be dealing with. What are some of the different ones that I’m sure there’s all different kinds that people might be experienced or dealing with.
Steve Carleton
Depression is going to be the one that you see most often, right? This is somewhere between 5 and 8 % of the population at any given moment are suffering from a major depressive episode. So that’s really significant. Major depression, it can be broken down into three things, right? It’s your internal dialog, your thoughts, your cognitive state, right? What stories are you telling yourself about what’s happening around you. Based on the story you tell yourself, you’re going to feel certain emotions, and that even translates to feeling different physiological states. And so it’s cognitive, and then it’s emotional, just that hopeless feeling, that fatigue, these types of emotions that just really make it hard to operate and perform and meet your basic obligations, and then the physiological state. So with depression, And it shows up a lot of times in sleep. If you’ve heard stories about people that wake up at 3: 00 AM and they just can’t go back to sleep, that’s a really common depressed symptom. And the other is also true. You have people that are staying in bed 12, 14, 16 hours a day, right? And really can’t will themselves out of bed.
Steve Carleton
And so those types of physiological. Those are some of the signs and symptoms that depressive episodes are taking hold.
Andrea Henderson
And I know there’s depression, anxiety, also dealing with PTSD. Ocd is another one that people deal with. And I think it’s something that maybe people… It’s easy to be like, Oh, what’s wrong with me? You know what I mean? So what are some of those signs that people could look out for? Because that’s the first step, just recognizing, okay, something is… I’m dealing with something, but there is treatment out there, and there is hope out there to make this better, because I think some people just feel trapped once they get into that state.
Steve Carleton
That’s right. They do. Oftentimes, people They’ll feel like they’re always going to have that. They’re always going to experience, and there’s nothing they can do to change that. And it’s quite the opposite. There’s lots of different things you can do. And with anxiety, that’s the other really, really common one, depression and anxiety. That’s what we see Most often in mental health settings. And anxiety is really just about that excessive worry that just never goes away. It’s constantly there. It’s constantly a thorn in your side. You really can’t shake it, right? People are trying to fight with it, and the more they fight with it, the worse it seems to get. When people get into those states, that’s really when it’s helpful to seek help, start talking about it. Because even just a raising awareness and calling attention to what’s going on internally is a skill that’s doing something about it.
Andrea Henderson
And I think more and more, like I said, I guess less taboo around or whatever. So people are going and working on their mental health, even if they’re not not necessarily dealing with something specific. I think sometimes, and I don’t know, but maybe it’s harder for people who… It’s hard for some people to just get in the door and take that initial step and be like, okay, recognize that I’m dealing with something, and I just need to maybe get out there and talk to someone. I think it’s hard for some people to maybe admit that they’re going through something. And I’m sure that just makes it worse. It’s worse. It’s like a spiral because then you’re like, no, nothing’s wrong, nothing’s wrong. And then you try to deal with emotions. So I guess what would you tell people who maybe are dealing with some of these symptoms to encourage them to get and talk to someone?
Steve Carleton
That’s exactly right. When people are struggling with this, the tendency is to avoid it. It’s like you get that call from that aunt or uncle that you haven’t talked to in months and months. And the longer you let it stay in your voicemail box, the harder it is to go and check it, the harder it is to pick up the phone and call that person back. It’s similar with mental health. The longer it goes where you’re avoiding it, not dealing with it, the harder it can feel to pick up the phone and call for help. But once people do, they typically find relief. Like, oh, wait, just opening up, talking about this, I feel better. And that’s most common in trauma and PTSD in particular. So the two primary things that you’re trying to work on with PTSD are avoidance and stuck thinking. Because traumatic experiences, unfortunately, are really common. Lots of us are going to experience trauma in our life. And the people that develop PTSD, what we know is those are people that are more likely, and the coping skills that they’ve been taught, learned, deploying is avoidance, right? They’re kicking that can down the road.
Steve Carleton
They’re trying to shove it as deep down as possible. And sooner or later, it comes back up. And talking about it, leaning into that avoidance, identifying what stories Am I telling myself that are really unhelpful? That’s in a nutshell, how we approach these things.
Andrea Henderson
Yeah, because I know a lot of people who go to therapy and they just make it part of their weekly or monthly life, whatever it is. And it’s just an upkeep of your mental health, which, of course, is just as important as your physical health. But I see a lot of times people just getting that first step and getting in the door to talk to someone. Sometimes that’s the most difficult, especially Especially if you’re in that emotional or mental state where you’re trying to avoid it, like you just said. So is there a way if you’re a family, friend, because sometimes maybe it takes a little bit of outside help. But I think it’s something that’s pretty delicate, though, because especially if someone’s going through that, dealing with that, you can’t be too overbearing or pushy because I think that’ll just make them resist more.
Steve Carleton
People fall into camp. When you’re worried about a loved one or a friend, family member, whoever it is, there’s two camps that people typically fall in. They fall in the camp of like, I’m going to talk about this with this person every day, and I’m going to address it, ask them to get help. And not only am I going to voice it, but I’m going to do it all the time. And then the opposite end of the spectrum is also really common, where they’re really worried, but they don’t know what to say, and they’re terrified to say anything, so they never do. And so can you find the middle ground between those two things. And what I really encourage people to do, if you’re worried about somebody, have some intentionality behind how you’re approaching that person. Hey, can we go grab a coffee? Can I find you at some point in your day when it’s not going to be tense or high energy? And I’m going to have a focused conversation and say, Hey, I’m worried about this. This is what I’ve noticed has changed for you lately. Can I help you find somebody to talk to?
Steve Carleton
Can I can help you find somewhere you can turn to get some help?
Andrea Henderson
Yeah, definitely would be a delicate conversation because you want to talk to people in a sense that I care about you, but you don’t want to seem too pushy, because especially if someone’s going through something, I think that can make them just even more defensive because they’re like, I’m fine, I’m fine, when deep down, they’re not. So you think just finding a moment that’s… I guess, how would you go about that? Just finding a setting that’s not- Yes.
Steve Carleton
Set and setting are everything. Find a time when you’re going to be on even ground and it’s going to feel safe for you and that person. I think the other thing you brought up is this idea about being too pushy. So with PTSD in particular, it’s really important that we don’t push too hard on people to share those stories and what happened because that can retraumatize. When somebody has PTSD, that avoidance, that stuck thinking around it is really significant. And so it’s important to go at the pace that they’re comfortable with. Absolutely. I’m here to talk whenever you would like to talk, but you control what and when you tell me, whatever it is.
Andrea Henderson
That’s important. Do you think when you are with someone and maybe you realize that something is maybe wrong or that they’re dealing with something, do you think it’s important to encourage encourage people just to open up that door like, I’m here to talk to you? Or do you think it’s important to also encourage them to go see a professional like yourself, or it’s a delicate balance?
Steve Carleton
It’s whatever people are ready for. Not everybody needs to go to therapy to get better. I don’t believe that. There’s lots of different ways that you can approach your mental health. There’s lots of different tools, skills, things out there that people can find as resources to help them with this. And for a lot of people out there and in Colorado, going and talking to trusted friends, their significant other, their family, that is enough. There’s also peer support type of roles. For substance use disorders in particular. There’s AA, there’s other twelve-step programs. So finding what works for you. That’s what you want to do. We don’t want to think about it too narrowly. The important part is talking about it, Raising your awareness. So once you’re aware, finding some skills to help you.
Andrea Henderson
So basically, it’s not like a one size fits all approach, depending on what someone’s going through, what they’re dealing with. That treatment or what’s going to help them is different for some people. Have you seen more of this? You mentioned sometimes people just need to talk to someone and not necessarily a professional, just like a friend or family. Have you noticed more of this since the pandemic era? Because I just feel like more people isolated now than ever before. If you work at home, I have some neighbors who work at home and they’re like, I just have to go for a walk or just go to the grocery store just to get social interaction throughout the day. But after a while, I think that can wear on people.
Steve Carleton
Oh, yeah, for sure. I mean, and we live in funny times. I mean, we have social media, now we have AI and all sorts of different things at our disposal. I will say, I think in general, people I’m not going to like hearing this, but social media has been one of the more destructive forces in people’s lives in terms of their mental health. Like the studies coming out about short form video and things like this, it is worsening people’s depression. There was a recent study that’s having more detrimental effects than drinking, right? Watching short form videos and being sucked into that and spending hours and hours on that, especially for little kids. We have to protect ourselves and make sure that whatever we’re doing for our mental health is something that’s making it better, not worse.
Andrea Henderson
Because you’re just sitting there watching videos. One, then that means you’re not necessarily connecting with real life in the outside world if you’re just watching videos. And I think a lot of people just there’s this constant comparison. And we talk about this all the time. Social media is this highlight reel of people’s lives and not necessarily the everyday thing that people are actually going through. And a lot of people, some people might, but regularly you see like, oh, my gosh, this person’s life is just amazing.
Steve Carleton
They’re not showing the fight in the car on the way to the hike, right? They skip that part, usually in their story. But it’s common, whether it’s social media, whether it’s drinking, whether it’s drugs, we are designed to find relief, right? When we’re designed to find short relief, right? And so that’s why substance use is so common when people are dealing with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and people are just looking for relief. They’re looking for some short term distraction, right? And that’s normal. And that’s not inherently a negative thing, right? It’s just when your entire coping is surrounding on a guidance and trying to find that short term relief, that’s when people really start to struggle. You have to diversify.
Andrea Henderson
Absolutely. Okay, so you brought up something interesting, how drug and alcohol play a role in this. So I want to touch on that. We’ll take a quick break real quick, and then we’ll I know it’s called dual diagnosis, how it can play a role in maybe depression, anxiety. So we’ll talk about that after we come back. Welcome back here. We are joined by Steve Carlton with Porch Light Health. Talking about mental health, of course, always something important to talk about. I know in October, we have Mental Health, Illness Awareness Week, World Mental Health Day. But no matter what time of year it is, no No matter what day of the week, this is something that’s always important to talk about. I know before we went to break, we were talking about a dual diagnosis, and that’s really just how alcohol and drugs can play a role in mental health as well. So let’s talk a little bit about that.
Steve Carleton
Yeah, absolutely. So it’s really, really common, right? People with depression, anxiety, PTSD, whatever it is, turning to substances is as old as time. Humans have been using and trying find different ways to alter their consciousness for forever, as long as we’ve been here. So it’s really common. When we think about dual diagnosis, which is when you have a mental health, like a depression or anxiety, and a substance use issue, that’s that dual diagnosis realm. And the first thing you need to understand, and this is probably a good time to seek professional help, is what came first, the chicken or the egg? Did the depression, anxiety drive you to start using more? Or did using more drive drive more depression symptoms. So that’s the first thing you have to untangle. And that will really determine what’s next and what’s going to be helpful for you.
Andrea Henderson
Yeah, because it seems like those two are a crutch for one another, regardless of if you were dealing with mental health issues before and then went to drugs and alcohol to help cope, or if you’re using drugs and alcohol, and then I guess that’s the result of it. That’s right. So if you find yourself, I’m sure part of it is realizing that this is an issue, or maybe it’s a friend or family member that realizes it’s an issue. At some point, you suggest maybe you should go seek professional help.
Steve Carleton
Yeah, I think it’s a good idea, right? If you’re really dealing with two significant issues. The question that people should always ask themselves is, is this causing significant clinical distress? Is this really prohibiting me from engaging in a meaningful way with my family? Is this preventing Is this preventing me from doing a good job at work? Is this preventing me from going and doing those activities that I used to enjoy? When it gets to those points and all those things that are important start getting yanked away, that’s a time when people should really think about going in and getting some professional help.
Andrea Henderson
And we were talking about how friends or family can be the ones who maybe drive people to go seek additional help. And again, it’s just a delicate thing for someone, I think, to to deal with because, again, you don’t want to get someone upset or defensive, which I think is just the easy way for a lot of people to react sometimes to those situations. But I guess if you’re a family and friend, what would you suggest if you are noticing this spiral of depression, but also drug and alcohol use?
Steve Carleton
A good role for family and friends is to help find those resources. What treatment options are out there? Is this something that maybe we start with an individual therapist somewhere. Maybe we go look on psychology today, right? And we see what type of therapists are out there that take your insurance or whatever your circumstance is. When it’s become more of a significant issue, right? If you’re talking about more destructive behaviors, if you’re talking about self-harm or suicide is really common with depression, if people are starting to experience suicidal thoughts, things like that. I think at that point, you’re looking at higher levels of care. You’re looking for residential treatment. I need to really take a step back and go I do a 30-day residential program where I live and stabilize and get that care that you need before you return to family and work. And so that’s really a great role for family and friends is to help find those resources and present somebody with options. People like choices, right? And it’s good to start low. It’s good to start with individual therapy and then go up from there.
Andrea Henderson
Right. And see if there’s more that’s needed, you have that option out there. So So speaking on maybe a broader term, talking about specific therapy, you said most therapy is cognitive behavioral therapy. So just explain what that is and how that works.
Steve Carleton
Yeah. It’s cognitive behavioral therapy. It’s a bit of a mouthful, but it’s a really simple concept. And so you can break it down into A, B, C, an activating event. Something happens. That’s the A. Something always happens in life. Something happens. And the B stands for belief. I tell myself something about what just happened. Based on that belief, we have a C, we have a consequence, emotionally and behaviorally. And so understanding how your mind works, how does your mind respond to events, especially more adverse, difficult events, can really help us understand why you’re feeling the way you’re feeling and why you’re behaving the way you’re behaving. The only thing we can do in that ABC model is really start and address those beliefs. If we start to identify, our thoughts are really getting away from us. We all experience thoughts that are super unhelpful, that are super unrealistic.
Andrea Henderson
Your intrusive thoughts. Like, why are you thinking this?
Steve Carleton
Exactly. And we all can relate to like, that’s hard to shut down sometimes. And so therapy can really help develop an irreverence around your thoughts of like, I actually don’t have to take my mind that seriously. And sometimes my mind tells me some stuff that is just terrible and really unhelpful. And if I can get a handle on that and start to play around with that in lots of different ways, people feel better.
Andrea Henderson
All right. Good tips. Okay, we’re going to take one more quick break and we’ll come back. Just more information about where people can go to get those resources. Welcome back here. Thanks for joining us on Colorado Conversations. So we’re talking to Steve with Porch Lighthouse just about therapy, how people can deal with mental health yourself. And before we went to break, we were talking about cognitive behavioral therapy. So you’re talking to us about, I guess, what you would call… It’s the typical therapy. It’s well a lot of people… Okay.
Steve Carleton
That is the vast majority of therapy out there has a cognitive behavioral slant. What is the story that you’re telling yourself about what’s happening in a nutshell?
Andrea Henderson
So then just talking about if someone’s watching this and they’re like, okay, maybe I’m experiencing some of these things, what are some of the resources out there that people can turn to? Absolutely.
Steve Carleton
I think if you’re looking for a therapist, psychology Today is probably your best resource to go and find. You can search by issue, you can search by location, you can search by insurance type. You can put all those fields in and it’ll show you who you can work with. That’s a great resource. 988 is the crisis hotline. If people are really thinking about suicide or hurting themselves or really need someone to talk to, that’s a great resource in Colorado to use. And then lastly, porchlighthealth.com. We specialize mostly in substance use treatment and in medication for addiction treatment. And so if opiates or those are your type of problem, then we’re probably a good fit.
Andrea Henderson
Awesome. Well, thank you so much for being here and talking about this very important topic. And you also have a website, porcelighthealth.com. So if people want to visit there as well, a good resource. So thanks for being here. And thank you for joining us for this episode of Colorado Conversations.
Steve Carleton
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