Western Arkansas Csl and Guidance

About Western Arkansas Csl and Guidance

The Guidance Center, listed here as Western Arkansas Counseling and Guidance, is a nonprofit community mental health center based in Fort Smith, Arkansas, providing counseling, psychiatry, addiction treatment, and crisis care through nine clinics serving 16 western Arkansas counties. Operating since 1971 with a no-wrong-door philosophy, they serve adults, children, and families regardless of ability to pay, accepting Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance and offering an income-based sliding fee. In Fort Smith, a 24/7 walk-in mental health urgent care connects people to a Crisis Stabilization Unit, which provides short stays of up to 96 hours for psychiatric and substance use crises, including medical detox. For longer-term addiction care, they run Horizon Renewal Center, a 30- to 45-day residential program in Booneville, alongside outpatient counseling and telehealth across the region.

Horizon treats substance use disorders together with co-occurring mental health conditions, and each client works from an individualized plan with weekly one-on-one sessions with both a licensed therapist and an addiction counselor. Treatment draws on motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, trauma-informed care, mindfulness, and group counseling, while APRNs provide psychiatric evaluation and medication management, including medication-assisted treatment when clinically appropriate. A distinctive part of the program is ground-based equine group therapy, where clients work with horses (without riding) to practice emotional regulation, patience, and communication, and many staff members bring their own experience of long-term recovery. Discharge planning starts early, and clients can step down into outpatient services or Community Bridge, a structured transitional program for rebuilding daily routines with ongoing support.

About Western Arkansas Csl and Guidance

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