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Bootheel Counseling Services changes name to Bootheel Behavioral Health to better reflect the services it provides
SIKESTON — Bootheel Counseling Services, as of April 19, has officially changed its name to Bootheel Behavioral Health.
According to David Terrell, executive director of Bootheel Behavioral Health, the company’s services have expanded beyond counseling in the past few years, prompting the name change.
“Originally, in 1991, the name was Bootheel Mental Health Center and then it changed to Bootheel Counseling Services,” Terrell said. “So we had been at Bootheel Counseling Services for years. Over the years, we have just expanded so much.”
The rebranding will have no effect on service delivery, and Terrell said that one of the concerns raised by their staff members was how the name ‘Bootheel Counseling Services’ could be so misleading.
“It can be so misleading by thinking we are just a counseling agency,” Terrell said. “There are just so many different things that we do as a behavioral health center that people aren’t aware of and they don’t know that we can provide services to them.”
Terrell said the organization needed to significantly expand its services in order to become a Certified Community Behavioral Health Organization, or CCBHO.
By doing so, they have expanded a wide range of services, including substance abuse disorder counseling; community behavioral health liaisons, or CBHL; youth behavioral health liaisons, or YBHL; emergency room enhancement services, or ERE; and many others.
“For example, somebody doesn’t have to necessarily be a client of the center to receive some services,” Terrell said. “Through the ERE program, the idea is to reduce unnecessary visits to the emergency room. Somebody might be feeling really anxious and they don’t know that there are services available, so where do they go? They go to the emergency room.”
Terrell went on to explain that the ERE program is one of the many reasons they believe the name change was beneficial.
“We are more than just counseling services,” Terrell said.
Terrell noted when Bootheel Counseling Services changed its name to Bootheel Behavioral health, employees and board members wanted to preserve the significance of their name recognition and the history of their name change by including the word “Bootheel.”
“Many consumers and stakeholders simply say ‘Bootheel’ in reference to our services and organization and people recognize the reference to the services we provide,” Terrell said.
Terrell also mentioned Bootheel Behavioral Health will have housing built in the future. The Cheryl Jones Estates will be built on land at the southeast corner of West Murray Lane and Roth Street.
To know more about Bootheel Behavioral Health, contact them at 573-471-0800.