Which Oscoda this is
Michigan has both, and they get confused constantly, including by search engines. The village of Oscoda is on the shore in Iosco County, about 39 road miles and 45 minutes from the office in Hale. Oscoda County is inland to the northwest; its county seat, Mio, is 34 miles from the office and about 50 minutes away, and it is in the same community mental health area but a different county entirely.
Both are within this practice's service area. They are simply not the same place, and if you are trying to work out whether a service is near you, that distinction is worth three seconds.
The drive
About 45 minutes from Oscoda to Hale, inland and away from the shore. It is the longest regular drive most of this practice's clients make, and it is worth being honest about what that means: weekly counseling at that distance works for some people and not for others, and the way to find out is to say so on the phone before anything is booked.
Veterans
Oscoda is the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base community and has a substantial veteran population. If that is you, or your husband, or your father, two things are worth knowing.
The Veterans Crisis Line answers 24 hours a day: call 988 and press 1, or text 838255. And this is an ordinary counseling practice rather than a VA service, so if what you need is care through the VA, we will say so rather than take the appointment.
What people from Oscoda come to Hale for
- Anxiety counseling and depression counseling, which between them account for most first phone calls from this stretch of the shore.
- Trauma therapy with a Certified Trauma Practitioner, at a pace the client sets.
- ADHD counseling, and counseling for children from age three, which is unusual in this area.
- Counseling alongside serious illness, including the long treatment drives that anybody living this far up the shore knows about.
- Couples and family work in the same place a child or a parent is already being seen.
Community mental health
Wellvance, formerly AuSable Valley Community Mental Health Authority, has an Oscoda office on 989-739-1469 and covers Iosco, Ogemaw and Oscoda counties. Its Mio office, for anyone reading this from Oscoda County rather than from Oscoda, is 989-826-3208.
Crisis numbers on this stretch of the shore
Call or text 988 any time. The Wellvance crisis line is 1-844-865-5569, 24 hours a day. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. More numbers.
Booking from Oscoda
Call (989) 728-2364, or leave your name and number, and say the drive you are making. Longer appointments spaced further apart sometimes suit a 45 minute drive better than a weekly hour, and that is a conversation worth having before you book rather than after three months of it. What to expect at a first appointment is set out in full.