Trying to make it in the world today is difficult enough. One wrong decision or poor choice in a young life can leave a permanent mark or cause significant disadvantages in simply surviving, working, and providing for oneself or one’s family. The Siouxland Community is very fortunate to have Sky Ranch Behavioral Services as a tool to help in those situations. 

“We originally started as Sky Ranch for Boys. We’ve been around since 1960, and at that time, we were located in South Dakota,” shared Anna Bertrand, MSE, tLMHC, Executive Director.

Sky Ranch for Boys opened in 1960 as a way for trouble-prone boys in the juvenile justice system to be rehabilitated. Rev. Don Murray believed this rehabilitation could happen if they were removed from their negative environment and provided with proper care. The original organization was situated on 3,000 acres of land, approximately 100 miles north of Rapid City, South Dakota.

“They opened the treatment facility at that time for boys who were troubled and needed somewhere else to live. They were unsuccessful in their home life and within their community. They would then go to Sky Ranch for 9 to 12 months, learning different skills and how to be an independent and positive member of society,” stated Anna.

Some staggering statistics were gathered as the Ranch continued to help troubled male youths. Many of the Ranch’s clients were from the Sioux City area. Although the boys started to make more positive and healthy life choices while on the Ranch, once they returned to their homes, where no one had received any counseling or life-changing techniques, they would revert to their old behaviors and get into trouble again.

“In 1987, we took the opportunity to open an aftercare office here in Sioux City. In 2011, we rebranded as Sky Ranch Behavioral Services and also began working with girls. Our main focus remained on youth, particularly those who were troubled. These weren’t youths that were involved in the juvenile justice system yet. They were struggling with some things in their home or school lives,” explained Anna.

The Sky Ranch Behavioral Service’s Mission Statement: 

At SRBS, we inspire and motivate change within individuals and families along their recovery and healing journey toward a balanced W.H.O.L.E. health living; that’s Well-Being and Holistic Healing for Opportunistic Lifelong Living Experiences. They offer many services: Individual and Family Services, Substance Use Services, Juvenile Reentry Services, Mentoring and Violence Prevention, and SHIELD Prevention, Education, and Diversion Services.

Since 2019, SRBS has continued to expand as it assessed the needs of the ever-changing Siouxland community. They have added outpatient substance use counseling services, mental health therapy, prevention, diversion, and educational services to children, adults, families, couples, and groups.

“We use outpatient psychotherapy and mental health counseling. Many times, they’re co-occurring: using substances to cover up mental health issues people are dealing with in their lives. One thing I love about our program is that we try to look at the holistic self and other factors that may impact them. We have both male and female counselors here who are licensed to offer both services and tailor a program (dual diagnosis) to meet their needs,” shared Anna.

To access Sky Ranch Behavioral Services, please visit www.skyranchbehavioralservices.org. There is an application on the website for services to fill out. Once you’ve completed it and sent it to the site, a member of their office will contact you.

Alternatively, if you’d like to proceed directly, a link is available to our electronic health system. You can create your portal and request an appointment, and we’ll get back to you to discuss next steps. You can also call the office to schedule an appointment at (712) 277-2007. We’re located on the main floor of the Frances Building. It’s a beautiful, welcoming, safe feeling space. We care, and we want to help people as much as we can,” said Anna.

Sky Ranch Behavioral Services 

SRBS has three new services rolling out in April.

1. On April 7, 2025, through Woodbury County grant funding, they will offer open-access services for free walk-in substance use or mental health evaluations and assessments. There is no requirement for a reference to get the organization’s services. You can contact them by phone, website, or by walking in and inquiring about services. Hours will be posted, and 15-20 a week are available at different time frames. Some morning appointments will be available, as well as some nights and during lunch.
2. SRBS will also be rolling out its Access Navigational Services for clients on April 7. Suppose you need assistance filling out housing or Medicaid applications, or finding community resources such as housing. In that case, we’re happy to connect you with someone who can assist you with completing the paperwork and ensuring it is done correctly.
3. Later in April, we will also be launching our Peer Support Services. If you have a mental health diagnosis or substance use disorder, you may qualify for Peer Support Services. A Peer Support Specialist has real-life experiences with the issues that the clients will be dealing with, both in mental health and substance abuse. A Peer Support Specialist offers a different kind of trust because they’ve stood in your shoes. It doesn’t have as clinical of a feel to it, and it helps diminish the fear or feeling of being judged. It provides an opportunity to learn from the Peer Support Specialist and relate to them.

“We find a lot of times maybe someone is already in different outpatient programs, and they are already seeking and having a lot of success in substance use or mental health counseling, but they need a peer to walk alongside them as an additional support. Maybe they’re scared to participate in that first AA or NA meeting. It can be difficult to open that door the first time. We’ll have male and female peers ready to accompany you and walk alongside you on your journey to offer support. This peer will have gone through this themselves, so they can understand how you are feeling and can help you set aside your nerves, sharing with you how they got through it. Peer Support will be available for both adults and adolescents,” stated Anna.

By Amy Buster