37°F
weather icon Mostly Cloudy

Pyschologist opens practice in own building

With two nearly decades as a pyschologist in Boulder City — first with a hospital program and then private practice — Brent Dennis has finally put down roots in his own building at 555 California Ave.

“It was time for me to commit to the community and get more involved,” he said.

Dennis came to town in 1995, when he was hired as the director of Partial Hospitalization Program at Boulder City Hospital, which continues today treating patients able to remain in the community but requiring additional professional support.

As Partial Hospitalization Program director, Dennis’ first hire was Sue Berg as the program secretary. She continues to work with Dennis today. Berg’s health care career began at age 19; she’s helped doctors establish medical practices and various programs and played a considerable role in preparing Dennis’ new office.

After working together almost 20 years, Berg calls Dennis her “best buddy.”

Although Dennis no longer directs the hospital’s program, he continues to work there with patients in group settings twice a week. His private patient roster consists of children, families and adults of all ages.

Dennis also practices at the Nevada State Veterans Home twice a week. He said he “loves the staff and the facility” and “working with the guys.”

His work at the home will increase shortly, which is one reason why Dennis is looking to add at least one more psychologist and possibly up to three new mental health professionals . Making house calls is also a part of Dennis’ practice as well as providing services to residents at The Homestead of Boulder City and Lakeview Terrace.

Dennis credits the success of his early private practice to the referrals from doctors in Boulder City, especially Warren Smith and Joe Hardy. They saw good results in their patients treated by Dennis and continued to make referrals.

While Dennis knows from his practice the need for mental health services is real, he also relies on hard evidence stating that some published data states as much as 40 percent of medical visits are psychological in nature.

Dennis is enjoying making this commitment to the community, a step he had been somewhat hesitant about. He thought there would be a problem or uneasiness seeing patients in the community on a personal as well as a professional basis. No such setback has occurred. Patients are eager to greet him in the grocery story or anywhere in public where their paths might cross.

So Dennis has joined the Chamber of Commerce and will host a Chamber monthly mixer in the near future. He has worked with city employees while applying for redevelopment funds to help renovate his building.

While Dennis is comfortable with his practice today, the path he took did not begin with a childhood wish to become a psychologist.

He attended the University of Tulsa on a football scholarship and majored in business. Having come from a Christian family, he was drawn to a group called the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. This led him to take a position as a youth minister in Sand Springs, Okla., and enroll in a Master’s of Divinity program after graduation from college.

The missionary portion of the divinity program took Dennis to South America and Africa, experiences that changed his life. After seeing first-hand the poverty and need in other parts of the world, Dennis questioned whether he wanted to become a minister. He knew he “still wanted to help people” but maybe it would be in a different way.

Dennis spoke to a friend who was pursuing a degree in psychology, applied to the University of Tulsa’s combined master’s and doctoral program in psychology and has “never looked back since.”

Berg said she enjoys working with Dennis because he is “truly dedicated to helping people in the mental health field.”

For those who may be hesitant about seeking mental health service, Dennis suggests they look at their life and ask, “Am I living a fulfilled, satisfying, growing, expanding, vibrant life?” If not, then it’s not working. “Open your mind to new strategies, new thoughts,” he said.

MOST READ
THE LATEST
Season of giving at BCHS

If you live in Boulder City, you know the community is very busy during the holidays, especially winter holidays.

Taking a look at diabetes

Did you know that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises people with diabetes to get a flu vaccination to prevent flu and serious flu complications and recommends people with diabetes who have flu infection or suspect flu infection be promptly treated with antiviral treatment.

Building a growth mindset at King

Sometimes as adults we can spend too much time focusing on “wins” and “losses.” This is true in education as well.

Busy fall season at Garrett Junior High

As we wrap up the fall season at Garrett Junior High, there’s so much to celebrate.

Sometimes simple appliance DIY can spare you costly service calls

Wasn’t I embarrassed when I couldn’t figure out why my friend’s dishwasher wouldn’t start. I troubleshot as best as I could, given my limited time visiting her. It was getting power, the door was closed properly, yet when I pressed “start,” it just wouldn’t. I advised her to call a local appliance repair company. $85 later she was informed that it somehow went into its “locked function.” Simply holding down the Heat/Dry button for three seconds unlocks it. That’s all it needed. Boy did I feel dumb. I mean, I’m the Toolbelt Diva, after all.

A look into Día De Los Muertos at BCHS

For nearly a decade, Boulder City High School has created a tradition in their Spanish Honors classes to build ofrendas in honor of the Spanish holiday, Día De Los Muertos also known as Day of the Dead.

Calculating breast cancer risk

Absolute risk versus relative risk and what you need to know about calculating the risk of developing breast cancer. Let’s define both and gauge the risk.

Staff, students impress principal

Andrew J. Mitchell recently earned a spot on the Clark County School District Superintendent’s Honor Roll. It was a pleasure to accept this award on behalf of the staff, students, and families of Mitchell Elementary.

Country Store expects big crowd this weekend

Over the last seven-plus decades, Grace Community Church’s Country Store has gone from a simple bake sale to one of the largest yard sales in the area.