It is preferred that a person experiencing difficult times be allowed to stay in their home or at least in the community and get services at our clinic.
However, there are times when the person's needs require more intensive care in an in-patient facility. In these cases, the Wellness Center can help make referrals to the appropriate program and assist with admission and any necessary follow-up communication with the placement agencies.
If a child needs psychiatric medication, Wellness Center staff will work with medical staff to get appropriate services with coordination with the San Carlos Hospital pediatrician or referrals to other agencies (such as PIMC Behavioral Health in Phoenix or Arizona Children's Association in Globe or SEABHS in Safford).
The San Carlos Apache Tribe Wellness Center is a highly acclaimed, nationally recognized program. The WC continually strives to improve its services and has successfully introduced innovative prevention and clinical programs that other clinics and tribal programs now utilize.
The Wellness Center has the distinction of being one of the most active tribally-run mental health clinics in the Southwest USA (in one fiscal year, we had 10,378 appointments made for 4,062 clients -- which was about 1/3 of the tribe's enrolled members!).
Additionally, the Wellness Center was one of the first tribally run programs in the Southwest to earn international accreditation for prevention, substance abuse, mental health, and psychosocial rehabilitation from CARF International which represents the highest standard of behavioral health clinical work.
The Wellness Center has also received regional, state, and national honors for our clinical and prevention work. In 2008, we received numerous awards including the IHS Phoenix-Area Office's "Director's Award for Excellence", the award of excellence from the Native American Suicide Prevention and Awareness Coalition, and SAMHSA's "National Behavioral Health Program of the Year" award. Many of our staff have been individually honored for their work and continue to present at national and international conferences.
The Wellness Center continues to be recognized as a leader in the prevention and treatment of substance abuse and mental health issues.
The San Carlos Apache Tribe Wellness Center offers a variety of groups throughout the week that address substance abuse, domestic violence and anger management, men's issues, women's issues, and skills of daily living.
Our groups focus on learning information about particular topics, promoting wellness through health relationships and choices, and processing unhealthy life patterns to allow people the freedom to grow. You must be an enrolled client before you can attend any of our therapeutic groups (our general support groups, like AA, are open to anyone).
A relationship has been established with several San Carlos Apache traditional healers, so that anyone who is utilizing services at the Wellness Center can ask to be referred to one of these traditional healers for additional blessings and healing ceremonies.
These services can be provided at the San Carlos Apache Tribe Wellness Center or, preferably, at the home of the medicine man or medicine woman.
