Author: Amanda Osborn, LICSW
As the mental health landscape evolves, traditional treatment methods, such as medication and talk therapy, remain essential but are often not enough for people to find lasting relief from mental health conditions. A more comprehensive model—functional mental health—is emerging as a game-changing approach. Functional mental health combines evidence-based mental health practices with integrative health services, healthy lifestyle habits. This new approach gives rise to a nervous system savvy perspective and a ****new dimension of care: sensory-affirming care for the growing neurodivergent community.
Functional Mental Health Care addresses the root causes of mental health challenges and integrates holistic methods that meet individual sensory and lifestyle needs. This approach not only supports mental well-being but also empowers individuals to thrive by reducing stress and improving symptoms in a sustainable way.
Functional mental health is inspired by functional medicine, which emphasizes addressing the root causes of health issues rather than merely treating symptoms. In the mental health field, this means integrating evidence-based therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), while incorporating lifestyle interventions such as nutrition, exercise, and mindfulness. A newer and increasingly important element of this model is sensory-affirming care, particularly beneficial for the neurodivergent population, for example, using DBT skills combined with nervous system state awareness skills and sensory triggers and soothers for an adult with autism spectrum disorder to have means to self-regulate when a meltdown hits.
This comprehensive approach creates a tailored, holistic mental health plan that prioritizes both the mind and body.
Licensed mental health professionals must adhere to established treatment methods to ensure insurance coverage and regulatory compliance. However, these conventional approaches often leave both practitioners and clients feeling frustrated, as they may not effectively resolve mental health conditions or alleviate life-altering symptoms. Traditional psychotherapy, such as CBT and DBT, remains a core component of functional mental health. However, this approach also incorporates skilled application of bottom-up therapeutic methods. These include Internal Family Systems, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Play Therapy, and Mindfulness-Based CBT therapies like MBSR and MBCT. These therapies are highly effective for treating conditions like anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A meta-analysis by Hofmann et al. (2012) demonstrated CBT's effectiveness for mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. Similarly, DBT has been shown to reduce emotional dysregulation in patients with borderline personality disorder (Linehan et al., 2015) . In therapeutic practice, functional mental health clinicians can receive specialized training in order to put these foundational treatment models into action, literally combining therapy with movement and body awareness. While most primary care doctors, and mental health experts will tell patients to eat healthy foods, exercise and sleep well, functional mental health practitioners actually help their clients and patients to practice these skills and develop a treatment plan that includes the most effective lifestyle habits and schedule for that person’s psycho-biological needs.
The combination of psychotherapy with lifestyle interventions such as exercise and mindfulness amplifies the positive outcomes. A study published in The Lancet Psychiatry found that individuals who exercise regularly report a 43% reduction in poor mental health days compared to those who do not exercise. This finding underscores the potential synergy between talk therapy and physical health practices, a cornerstone of the functional mental health model.
A unique and growing element within functional mental health is sensory-affirming care, particularly tailored for the neurodivergent community. This approach takes cues from occupational therapy and neuroscience by acknowledging and addressing different sensory processing styles. Sensory-affirming care involves assessing an individual's sensory needs and preferences, using techniques like sensory diets and environmental modifications to reduce stress and enhance well-being.
Neurodivergent individuals, such as those with autism, ADHD, or sensory processing disorder (SPD), often experience heightened sensitivity to stimuli like light, sound, touch, or movement. Overstimulation can lead to increased anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and even panic attacks. Sensory-affirming care assesses these sensory challenges and implements strategies to create environments and routines that minimize discomfort and support mental health.
For example, sensory diets—a concept from occupational therapy—offer tailored sensory activities to help regulate the nervous system. These activities might include deep pressure stimulation, tactile exploration, or calming auditory input, depending on the individual’s sensory preferences. Studies have shown that sensory interventions can reduce stress levels and improve emotional regulation, leading to better outcomes in mental health treatment (Miller et al., 2018) .
A holistic, sensory-aware approach can reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD in neurodivergent individuals by lowering sensory overload and allowing the individual to process emotions and stimuli more effectively. This represents a vital and forward-thinking addition to the functional mental health model, addressing both the neurotypical and neurodivergent populations.
The mind-body connection is at the core of functional mental health, and integrative health services such as yoga therapy, nutrition counseling, and mindfulness practices play a key role. These complementary therapies offer additional support to traditional mental health treatments. For instance, a study in Frontiers in Psychology found that yoga significantly reduces anxiety and depression by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing individuals to better manage stress .
Nutrition is another critical component of functional mental health. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats has been linked to a lower risk of depression, as evidenced by research published in The American Journal of Psychiatry. Nutritional psychiatry highlights how deficiencies in nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and magnesium can contribute to mood disorders and even trigger psychosis. Addressing these nutritional gaps can help improve mental health outcomes.