Axis Mental Health seeks physical clinic space in Burlington – The Burlington Record

Axis founders Chris and Liesl Perez are looking for a physical space where Dr. Thacker can see patients in Burlington.

Axis Integrated Mental Health, a clinic with locations in Westminster, Louisville and Aurora, hopes to open a physical clinic in Burlington.

While Axis services are already available in Burlington through telehealth from provider Dr. Bryce Thacker (DNP, CNS, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC), who is a Burlington resident, Axis co-founders Chris and Liesl Perez say they are looking for a physical space where Dr. Thacker can see patients.

Axis provides comprehensive psychiatric care for both adults and children, ages 5 and up. With FDA-approved services ranging from ketamine to talk therapy, Axis won the Best of Mile High Award in the Mental Wellness category and was named a Colorado Companies to Watch for 2024. Axis is one of the few privately owned mental health clinics in the state of Colorado, and Liesl, who also serves as the company’s Chief Marketing Officer, says their goal is to improve mental health not just in the Denver metro area, but across the state.

“We want to make mental health care accessible and affordable,” says Liesl.

Axis accepts most insurance plans, in addition to Medicaid and Tricare.

Liesl said many patients drive from Burlington to Aurora for services simply because they can’t find help nearby. She said Axis has even paid for some patients’ gas when the cost of gas became a barrier to getting the help they needed due to the long drive from Burlington to Aurora. They hope that by opening a clinic in Burlington, they can provide care not only to Burlington residents, but also to those in surrounding rural areas.

Audrey Gaston, a former patient of Dr. Thacker’s and a current patient at Axis, says she was suicidal before her appointments with Dr. Thacker.

“The service that Bryce provided to me changed my life in ways that words can’t express,” Gaston said. “Now that I’ve had the experience that I had with him, I can never go back to those words. I don’t know who that person is anymore.”

Gaston said she grew up in a home where mental health care was seen as a waste of money and something that wouldn’t solve any problems.

“The culture that I’m part of, we don’t talk about things,” Gaston said. “We refuse to talk about things. And I don’t want to live like that anymore.”

According to Gaston, this is where Axis comes in.

“Sometimes you don’t have all the resources to feel like yourself again,” she said. “That’s where Liesl and Chris come in…this is the place where I can go to pick myself up. The people there take away the stigma and the shame.”

According to Liesl, the reason Axis is eyeing Burlington for a rural clinic is simple.

“We’re trying to improve mental health care for everyone in Colorado, and when we look at who needs it most, it’s rural Colorado. And we couldn’t ignore that,” she said.

Chris, who is co-founder and CEO of Axis, adds: “It’s important to us to destigmatise mental health care in this area. Seeing other people who have struggled with this can help people understand what’s possible.”

Gaston is confident that the residents of Burlington will benefit from the services Axis provides.

“I have so many things that come my way in life, so not everyone is like me,” Gaston said. “But if they have one thing that they need help with, Axis can help them with that… They’re my family now and I don’t know what I would do without them.”

To schedule an appointment with an Axis Integrated Mental Health Provider, visit www.axismh.com.

See more at The Burlington Record