Behavioral Health Wind Horse offers services at new Durant location

Choctaw Nation opened the doors to its Behavioral Health Wind Horse location in Durant in July 2023. Therapists and support staff previously housed at the Choctaw Health Clinic in Durant relocated to the new location.

The Durant health clinic still maintains offices for psychiatry, RNC and integrated case management. Psychiatrists are also located in McAlester, Talihina, and Poteau. Clients in the Durant area are encouraged to contact the Evergreen Street office for therapy needs.

The new Wind Horse facility receives substance abuse and crisis response grants, and staff can potentially get individuals to services such as Chi Hullo Li, Men’s Recovery Center, etc.

There are therapists and case managers who can help through a tribal opioid response grant, which focuses on individuals who are misusing or have misused stimulants like methamphetamine or opioids.

Individual and family therapy, couples therapy, marriage therapy, work therapy, and patient support are available. Help is also available for substance abuse and mental health, and a therapist is on-site for associates of the Choctaw Nation.

The center provides play therapy for children with special needs, and they also work with parents.

Jessie Roberts, LPC and Senior Behavioral Health Manager at the Durant location said, “It’s very stressful anytime you are going through hard things in life or having to adjust to certain situations. The parents need that support as well.”

The center also works closely with veterans.

“We have peer support. It’s people with lived experience,” said Roberts. “They have the option to talk to somebody who has been through the very same thing they have.”

Though there is a waiting list for in-person therapy at the Durant location, Roberts wanted to remind readers not to let that stop them from reaching out. Clients can be connected to a case manager who will call and check on them weekly and offer services. Virtual therapy is available from another location right into the home while clients are on the waiting list if needed.

For those who need someone to talk to but might be afraid to reach out, Roberts gives reassurance. “First of all, their information is protected through our health records. We are completely confidential. No one has access to that. But if they are scared, they are going to be seen at the location or something like that, just let us know,” Roberts said. “If a tribal member has a need, reach out, and we will figure out a way to help.”

No medications are prescribed from Wind Horse facilities. Clients are referred to a Choctaw Nation Clinic Family Provider for medication or psychiatric needs. When asked what would happen if someone walked up to the door in an emergency crisis mode, Roberts confirmed, “We would help them. We do it pretty often.”

According to Roberts, therapists can even find placement and refer to in-patient care if that’s what is best for the individual. “It’s a hard decision, and it’s hard for the families, but sometimes it’s just necessary to help them to feel better,” Roberts said.

In cases of immediate crisis, particularly after hours, Roberts said clients can go to the emergency room at the Talihina hospital, where on-call therapists are available.

Individuals can also call 988 by phone and talk with someone immediately through a nationwide service. If the caller cannot leave their home, a mobile crisis response team will visit and get the caller help with placement or a safety plan. Then, the caller will be referred to Choctaw Nation so that we can help them and follow through. “It’s just really important that they let that person know through 988 that they are a tribal member because that’s the only way they get referred back to us,” Roberts stressed.

She said the Tribe partners heavily with the service. The service is not just for emergency crisis; but anyone can call or text anytime.

Roberts is proud of the staff at Behavioral Health Wind Horse Durant and in all Behavioral Health facilities of Choctaw Nation.

“Their hard work is appreciated, and their efforts do not go unnoticed,” she said. “Our staff and our teams are among the most dedicated and non-judgmental group of people I’ve ever encountered. They are dedicated to our tribal members. I am very proud to work for them and with them. They go above and beyond.”

Contact Information:
Behavioral Health Windhorse
816 W. Evergreen
Durant, OK 74701
tel:580-920-2100, extension 63351
Office hours are Monday-Friday, 8:a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

For emergency needs, dial 988.