Grand Lake Mental Health to Hold Bartlesville Groundbreaking December 7th for its State-of-the-Art Brief Stay Therapeutic Home

Press Contacts

Brad Gibson: GMH Director PR/Marketing • 918-231-1250 • bgibson@glmhc.net

Jennifer Harrington: Director of Operations -Resolute PR • 918-346-7714 • jennifer@resolutepr.com

Grand Lake Mental Health Center, Inc. (GLMHC) today announced it will conduct a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, December 7th at 2:30pm for its first Brief Stay Therapeutic Home in Oklahoma to be built near downtown Bartlesville.

The ceremony will take place at 709 South Penn Avenue, directly across the street from the GLMHC Washington County Clinic.

The Brief Stay Therapeutic Home (BSTH) is a concept to more effectively address challenging generational issues between families and their children. Families will be brought together for a short period of time – usually less than a week – to receive intensive treatment together as a family unit. 

The Brief Stay Therapeutic Home (BSTH) is a concept to more effectively address challenging generational issues between families and their children. Families will be brought together for a short period of time – usually less than a week – to receive intensive treatment together as a family unit. 

Currently in Oklahoma, children with extreme behavioral challenges undergo inpatient treatment at a facility or are removed from the home by the Department of Human Services and entered into foster care. Due to the entire family not receiving adequate treatment, the chances of positive change becomes limited and the cost of treatment is exceedingly high to Oklahoma taxpayers. 

The goal of the BSTH is to bring the family together to focus on their real problems as a group. GLMHC professionals will be on site around the clock to provide a therapeutic environment where everyone works to improve family interactions and communication. 

The Bartlesville BSTH is expected to open in the spring of 2022. The single-family, 2,100 square foot home includes four bedrooms, and two bathrooms. It will be fully furnished with all the comforts of a typical home including living areas, kitchen, and dining area. 

“The goal of the Brief Stay Therapeutic Home is to strengthen families and keep children in an environment where the focus is on recovery,” said Larry Smith, Chief Executive Officer at GLMHC. “We’re confident this is a more effective solution and we’re excited to bring this concept first to Bartlesville.”

“Working with kids and families in a natural setting is a much more preferred answer to solving issues,” commented Josh Cantwell, GLMHC Chief Operating Officer. “The Brief Stay Therapeutic Home will bring the whole family together as a unit and treat the issues that are truly resulting in children being removed from their homes. We’re confident we can deliver better outcomes and show this concept is a gamechanger when it comes to keeping children with their families.”

GLMHC plans on opening additional BSTH locations in the coming years across northeastern and northcentral Oklahoma.