How We Help The Community

Douglas County Mental Health served over 500 people last year. Our services help ensure that persons with mental health issues receive the utmost care and support to help them realize their highest potential and sense of well-being. Often, our services help ensure that persons served maintain independent living and are able to participate fully in our community.

We collaborate with schools, the county jail, DCFS, and local health care officials, including the county health department. We offer information and referral services as well.

Our 24-hour crisis line provides people in a mental health emergency access to an on-call counselor to provide assessment, case management or counseling. Additionally, our counselors may provide assistance with hospitalization should that level of intervention be required. We are often called to assist law enforcement officials to assess situations in acute stages of mental illness and offer intervention.

We operate a children's camp each year to serve our child and adolescent population affected by mental health issues. This specially developed program teaches important skills such as making appropriate choices, anger management, responsibility, effective communication, hygiene and health, frustration tolerance, appropriate social skills, and manners.

We offer a variety of groups designed to address specific needs of our community. Douglas County Mental Health offers groups for divorcing parents, perpetrators of domestic violence, support for those with Bipolar Disorder and Depression, troubled adolescents and those dually diagnosed with mental illness and substance abuse.