Administration Office 2530 South Commerce Ardmore, OK 73401
(580)223-5070
Note from the Director
Thank you for visiting the MHSSO website! We hope you will find our site useful and the information, helpful to you in your daily life. Helping people is what we do best here at MHSSO so if you have any recommendations for improvement, please let us know. We really do want to know because we want to be your provider of choice when you consider assistance for a mental health or substance abuse problem. To earn your trust we strive to stay up to date on the latest research and information in the healthcare industry. Given the opportunity, we participate in any research projects that are available to us such as the current trauma research that is being conducted by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services through their Innovation Center. This project has involved MHSSO as a rural mental health center site to participate in providing specific treatment interventions designed to help those who have experienced a trauma.
Trauma comes in many forms and can have a lifelong negative impact if not addressed. Currently, the most widely recognized trauma is related to war and soldiers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan with “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder”. However, there are other traumas that are more hidden but just as damaging, such as domestic violence, child abuse/neglect or bullying at school. These events leave scars that sometimes cannot heal without help. In Ardmore OK, we have been working with a group of women who have such problems and asked for help. We offered them the opportunity to be part of our research project. It is their work and feedback that actually determines the results, so we asked them to share their thoughts and observations. Here are some comments: LM: “The Seeking Safety group has taught me valuable communication skills. I’ve learned the difference between intimacy and sex, and that knowledge has been incredibly helpful. People are responding to me differently now, since I’ve learned how to communicate better.” 12/7/11 HG: “I really can’t imagine dealing with the problems in my life if I hadn’t gone through the Seeking Safety and Trauma Empowerment classes – it’s really made my life manageable!” 12/8/11 JH: “Just taking the trauma class, I’ve learned how to do the grounding technique, which has really helped me focus and see what’s in front of me. This, in turn, has reduced my inner turmoil and increased my serenity.” 12/9/11 RW: “Being in the trauma program showed me that there are other people in the same situation as me. The relationships I’ve built with other trauma survivors have given me the strength to get through some tough situations, and has given me an extra support system of people who know what I’m going through.” 12/9/11 KB: “I’ve learned the warning signs of unsafe people, and now can tell the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships. We support each other while in group and even outside of group, as we’ve become friends. I know I have friends , whom I can count on now, and knowing that helps me.” 12/9/11 VR: “I feel very, very safe with the counselors leading the group, and with other group participants. The trauma class feels like a safe place to me. I see myself coming out of my shell and am able to participate, when at first I didn’t think I would talk or even go more than a few weeks. People say the right things to help me open up and talk.” 12/9/11 TC: “I came into the trauma program feeling victimized but learned that ‘no feeling is final.’ Just because I feel a certain way one day, doesn’t mean I’ll feel that way tomorrow. Now, I realize I don’t have to be a victim. I’ve been reminded that I am a survivor and that my life’s not over – it’s just beginning.” 12/9/11 MJB: “The trauma class has definitely taught me a lot of self defenses, and to be more aware of my surroundings. I’ve figured out how to control situations better and how to be more self-confident.” 12/9/11 KW: “What I’ve learned from the trauma group is that you have to love and believe in yourself every day, because there’s one higher who does. They’ve taught us to look in the mirror and say positive things to ourselves. I say, ‘I’m wonderfully made.’ I love my group; we’re a group of survivors who must have a purpose, since we’ve survived so long.” 12/9/11 SE: “It’s a wonderful group. I’m much less stressed than I used to be. Anyone who needs the group should use it, because it will help you.” 12/9/11 AM: “If someone’s committed to the trauma program, it can really help them. It takes that commitment to get the help. I’ve built up so many good coping skills and techniques from going to group. If I hadn’t committed to group, I’d still be lost.” 12/9/11 Comments such as these give real hope to others and support our belief that recovery from a mental illness is a real possibility. With help, and hope, along with a good dose of “will power” in accepting support from others, we can do it. We can achieve recovery. The future is there for us to grasp, with joy, hope and love. Let’s get on with it!
Regards,
Robert Lee, LCSW Executive Director MHSSO
Featured Topics
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Alzheimers Disease and other Cognitive Disorders. This topic center provides information on Alzheimer's Dementia, other forms of dementia, traumatic brain injuries, and other cognitive disorders such as Delirium, all of which cause problems with thinking, memory, attention, judgment and emotion regulation. More...
Anxiety Disorders. In this topic center you'll find information on the Anxiety Disorders, including phobia (social anxiety, agoraphobia, etc.), panic disorder, generalized anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder. More...
Depression: Major Depression & Unipolar Varieties. This topic center is a comprehensive overview of the unipolar mood disorders with an emphasis on the causes of and treatments for depression. More...
Divorce. Divorce refers to the often messy and painful end of a marriage. This topic center provide a comprehensive overview of the emotional and legal divorce and separation process. More...
Family & Relationship Issues. Family and personal relationships and friendships can be very difficult to handle. We've gathered resources to help you learn about and better manage relationship problems you may be experiencing. More...
Grief & Bereavement Issues. Grief is the painful process through which people adapt to loss. Learn about stages of the grieving and working through process, how to help yourself and others through grief, and about pathological grief (when grief won't end). More...
Oppositional Defiant Disorder. ODD is a developmental disorder diagnosed in children who display extreme disobedient behavior. More...
Sensitive Periods in Child Development In order to understand how children move between stages, it's important to understand how children take in stimuli from the environment and use it to grow. More...
Grandparents Raising Their Grandchildren Many grandparents are the primary caretakers of their grandchildren. Nearly six million children are being raised by their grandparents, according to a 2005 U.S. Census Bureau survey. This is a perplexing issue that places unbearable pressure on grandparents. Why is this phenomenon occurring? How does this affect the children? How does this dynamic affect the relationship between the grandparents and their children who are unable to raise their own kids? More...
Forgiving Dad: A Freedom Song Dad was an angry, hard-swearing, tattooed man's man. He'd been an Alaska bush pilot, but by the time I came along he was a California traveling salesman, drinking himself to death. When I was two he got drunk and threw my empty crib across the bedroom. When I was twelve, he challenged my brother to a fist fight. He routinely shouted at us in front of our friends. By the time I was 13, I wished he would die. And then he did. I thought I had killed him. For the longest time I couldn't forgive myself. I was scared to death that I would damage someone else. But four decades on, I've forgiven myself for hating him. More difficult, I've somehow forgiven myself for the Dad-like fury I inflicted on my own family. More...
PTSD, Veterans and Equine Therapy According to a recent article that appeared in a local newspaper horses provide similar kinds of benefits for veterans. This type of therapy is called Physical Therapeutic Horseback Riding. It brings together horses with those with disabilities, MS, Downs Syndrome, returning Veterans with PTSD and TBI (Traumatic Bran Injury), among many other disabilities.
More...
Fathers and Father's Day It is well established that the divorce rate in the United States and around the western world is extremely high. What this means is that children are being raised in either one parent families, one parent families in which the other parent has visitation rights, one parent families in which the other parent is missing, most often the father, and families that have joint custody which necessitates the children moving from one home to the other.
More...
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Iraqi Veterans During the fateful second tour of duty he witnessed many suicide car bombings and was injured with shrapnel because he was so near the explosions. Shrapnel was the lesser injury compared to the concussions and, ultimately, the brain damage he suffered. That damage wiped out the memories of everything he studied in graduate school. He was told by army physicians that the information is stored in his brain but is unavailable to him because the neurological pathways to the stored information are destroyed.
More...
Prescription Drug Abuse, Why So Few Responses? Early one morning, when I was walking my dog, a neighbor approached me, wanting to ask a question. She tearfully explained that her 22 year-old daughter was addicted to drugs. In her plea for help, she tearfully complained that no one in the neighborhood talks about it. She was aware that I am a therapist and that my wife and I had to deal with the same crisis... More...
Meet Dr. Baker Child and Adolsecent Psychiatry added to MHSSO array of services! More...
Good Nutrition Food provides energy and nutrients that your body needs to stay healthy. Nutrients include proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. More...
Exercise, Can It Reduce Angry Feelings? Most of us are now aware of the beneficial effects that exercise has on health and depression. Multiple studies demonstrate that daily exercise, especially a program that includes aerobics, can prevent or reduce feelings of depression. Now, there is new information available about the possible impact that exercise might have on feelings of anger.
More...
Many grandparents are the primary caretakers of their grandchildren. Nearly six million children are being raised by their grandparents, according to a 2005 U.S. Census Bureau survey. This is a perplexing issue that places unbearable pressure on grandparents. Why is this phenomenon occurring? How does this affect the children? How does this dynamic affect the relationship between the grandparents and their children who are unable to raise their own kids? 
Dad was an angry, hard-swearing, tattooed man's man. He'd been an Alaska bush pilot, but by the time I came along he was a California traveling salesman, drinking himself to death. When I was two he got drunk and threw my empty crib across the bedroom. When I was twelve, he challenged my brother to a fist fight. He routinely shouted at us in front of our friends. By the time I was 13, I wished he would die. And then he did. I thought I had killed him. For the longest time I couldn't forgive myself. I was scared to death that I would damage someone else. But four decades on, I've forgiven myself for hating him. More difficult, I've somehow forgiven myself for the Dad-like fury I inflicted on my own family. 
According to a recent article that appeared in a local newspaper horses provide similar kinds of benefits for veterans. This type of therapy is called Physical Therapeutic Horseback Riding. It brings together horses with those with disabilities, MS, Downs Syndrome, returning Veterans with PTSD and TBI (Traumatic Bran Injury), among many other disabilities.
It is well established that the divorce rate in the United States and around the western world is extremely high. What this means is that children are being raised in either one parent families, one parent families in which the other parent has visitation rights, one parent families in which the other parent is missing, most often the father, and families that have joint custody which necessitates the children moving from one home to the other.
During the fateful second tour of duty he witnessed many suicide car bombings and was injured with shrapnel because he was so near the explosions. Shrapnel was the lesser injury compared to the concussions and, ultimately, the brain damage he suffered. That damage wiped out the memories of everything he studied in graduate school. He was told by army physicians that the information is stored in his brain but is unavailable to him because the neurological pathways to the stored information are destroyed.
Early one morning, when I was walking my dog, a neighbor approached me, wanting to ask a question. She tearfully explained that her 22 year-old daughter was addicted to drugs. In her plea for help, she tearfully complained that no one in the neighborhood talks about it. She was aware that I am a therapist and that my wife and I had to deal with the same crisis... 
Child and Adolsecent Psychiatry added to MHSSO array of services! 
Most of us are now aware of the beneficial effects that exercise has on health and depression. Multiple studies demonstrate that daily exercise, especially a program that includes aerobics, can prevent or reduce feelings of depression. Now, there is new information available about the possible impact that exercise might have on feelings of anger.