SALEM, Missouri — Southeast Missouri Behavioral Health (SEMOBH) marked 50 years of service to seven Missouri counties with a celebration May 9, at SEMOBH’s Salem Center clinic.
Southeast Missouri Behavioral Health offers psychiatric evaluation, medication management, co-occurring counseling, family therapy, trauma therapy, care coordination, peer support, group counseling and group education.
In the summer of 2023, SEMOBH became part of Brightli, Inc., a parent company with a portfolio that also includes Burrell Behavioral Health and Preferred Family Healthcare, among other subsidiaries. SEMOBH has operated a clinic in Salem for 39 of its 50 years of service to southeast Missouri.
“This agency has always felt that it’s an honor to be able to serve those we take care of,” Brightli Southeast Region President Cathy Schroer said. “It has been an honor for 50 years, and hopefully it will be another 50.”
He started as a painter, now he helps people get clean
Steve Richmond has worked for Southeast Missouri Behavioral Health for 39 years and has worked as SEMOBH’s drug court counselor since 2006. His first task did not involve counseling clients. A fresh-out-of-college Richmond picked up a brush and a roller and painted the walls of what is now the Salem Treatment Center. He was working in behavioral health in a brand new treatment center in his hometown, where people tend to know each other.
“Back in the beginning, it was a little bit awkward with some of the clients coming in, because I was in school with them,” Richmond said.
Drug court clients are referred for treatment through a prosecuting attorney, a judge, and a probation and parole officer. Clients undergo close supervision throughout their time in the drug court program, which sometimes impacts Richmond’s likability around Salem.
“Some people come up and hug you and pat you on the back, and the others will growl at you and cuss you,” Richmond said with a laugh. “I’m a little bit larger than your average guy, so I stick out, but sometimes a guy will come out of nowhere and give me a thumbs up in the middle of Walmart and say he’s still sober, and so it’s a little bit awkward.”
While his clients have a judge’s help finding him, Richmond still helps them get results.
“We’re proud in our drug court that we’ve never had one person overdose the whole time. That’s five counties, and Dent County was No. 2 in the state per capita in overdoses, so drug court has an impact, but the bad things stick out more than the good,” Richmond said.
Client-turned-counselor shares her story
Courtney Thompson is a counselor at Salem Treatment Center who was once a client. She described her days of drinking and using drugs as she grew out of childhood trauma.
“I thought it was just what you do,” Thompson said. “I didn’t realize at a young age that that’s what I was doing to cope. I started using all kinds of different drugs, started drinking, the whole thing.”
Thompson, sometimes with referrals rom judges in the court system, sought treatment at Southeast Missouri Behavioral Health several times before she was able to maintain sobriety. Treatment works, she says, but only if the person seeking treatment is willing to work through their treatment plan. She is honest with her clients about her failed attempts at sobriety.
“I didn’t take it seriously; I didn’t believe in triggers or coping skills — none of this,” Thompson said. “I came into treatment because I didn’t want to go to jail. I didn’t respect myself.”
Today, Thompson is proud of herself and is taking care of her children. She no longer entertains destructive thoughts of giving up. She loves the work she does in counseling others through their own recovery plans.
“I was struggling so bad with my mental health, and I finally came to the conclusion that if I don’t get up and do something about this addiction or this will be the end of me,” Thompson said. “As much as I wanted to give up — and I was to that point — after really thinking about it, I decided, ‘I’m going to give this an honest chance, I’m going to give myself a chance and give my children the opportunity to have a mother.’”
Counseling for substance use disorder
Missouri government crime data shows the Salem Police Department made 26 drug arrests in 2024, and that about 75 percent of those arrests involved stimulants or narcotics. In the same year, Dent County sheriff’s deputies also made 26 drug arrests, and 86 percent of those investigations involved stimulants or narcotics. Not all arrested persons end up in drug court or in treatment centers, but the counselors at SEMOBH are available when it’s time to seek help.
Individuals who are eligible for the drug court program must meet a rigid set of standards that includes regular drug testing and counseling, which can lead to their charges being reduced to lesser charges.
“If we can just get them away from the drugs for a short period of time, they start sorting things out,” Richmond said.
In almost 40 years of serving the Salem community, Richmond believes all 4,600 of the city’s residents have some connection to Southeast Missouri Behavioral Health. That, he said, helps reduce a negative stigma sometimes associated with accessing behavioral health services.
“I’d say we’ve had a very positive effect on the community, and I don’t know if there’s anybody in town who hasn’t had some relative or some kind of a contact with SEMOBH anymore,” Richmond said. “I don’t even know that the people in trouble anymore are upset when they have to go to treatment.”
About Southeast Missouri Behavioral Health: For more than 50 years, Southeast Missouri Behavioral Health’s team members have provided treatment to people suffering from substance use disorders, emotional problems, psychiatric disorders and other crises. Southeast Missouri Behavioral Health offers a variety of services, including medication assisted treatment, in eight counties in southeast Missouri. Learn more at semobh.org.
About Brightli: Brightli, Inc.’s subsidiaries include Burrell Behavioral Health, Preferred Family Healthcare, Places for People, Southeast Missouri Behavioral Health, Adult & Child Health, Firefly Supported Living & Employment Services, Comprehensive Mental Health Services, and Clarity Healthcare. While these organizations operate independently and are governed by separate boards of directors, Brightli’s parent-company model allows them to collaborate and meet the growing demand for behavioral and addiction recovery care. Learn more at livebrightli.org