NORFOLK, Neb. -- Behavioral Health Services has been a beacon of hope, healing, and recovery for individuals in Columbus and Norfolk for 32 years.

News Channel Nebraska delves into the organization's commitment to providing quality professional care, offering an insider's perspective on how they help the broken rebuild their lives.

“The community doesn't understand quite the reach that our organization has,” said Subrena Garner, Norfolk Behavioral Health Public Relations. “We have been in service for over 30 years. We have over 90 employees. We serve 300 clients a month through our short term residential treatment programs, as well as our intensive outpatient treatment.

We have individualized therapy, we have community support, we have youth and family therapy as well. We average 55 foster youth we support through our foster care program. We're always looking for foster families, good foster parents. So if there's an interest in that, they can visit our website at www.4bhs.org."
In order to enter Behavioral Health and receive help, counselors make a decision after the individual has undergone an evaluation.

“The evaluation states you have a mental health diagnosis, or a substance use diagnosis,” said Brittany Dugger, Norfolk Behavioral Health Community support lead. "Then we'll put them on our waiting list which can be anywhere from 2-4 weeks.”

After a thorough evaluation and a client has been accepted, they will meet with a therapist to determine their struggles or what they may be experiencing.

“That therapist will make a treatment plan specifically for that client,” said Tessa Alexander, Columbus Behavioral Health residential therapist. “Then throughout the whole 30 to 45 days, they work on that with their therapist, and they do groups, and lectures with staff, and other peers. They learn how to come together as well to help support each other.”

Everyone plays an important role which is why Columbus Behavioral Health Facility Nurse & Residential Supervisor Rylee Jacobson spoke on the importance her role plays in the day-to-day operations at Columbus Behavioral Health.

“I help with their first five days because that's usually the hardest with coming off of substances," Jacobson said. "So, I make sure medically they're stable, their blood pressure, their vitals are okay, they're not having seizures. And if they are, we're treating them immediately.

Then on the back end of that, the therapists are working together with me and our director to develop a treatment plan for them. They have homework throughout the week and we're just our goal is to get them through that first 30 days, get them clean, sober for 30 days, and then they go into aftercare where they can go to a halfway house, three quarter way house per their therapist recommendation and continue their sober life.

Specialists say, the day can be challenging, and they see a lot of heart-breaking things, but it is still their duty to show up for them.

“Coming here gives me a sense of purpose, a way to give back to organizations that have so freely given to me and help me get my life back together, " Garner said. “If I can extend that to just one person, it makes it worth it every day.”