Western Arkansas Csl and Guidance – Fort Smith (3113 South 70th Street)

The therapist I saw was nice, but the medication management side is ruined by a NP that won't accept education if they're wrong, wasted my time which led to me ending up in another mental health hospital and finally got… the Zyprexa I need, I spent more time arguing than getting treatment.

It’s a wonderful place. Everyone is very polite. And the people here are amazing

The staff has and been going above and beyond for me. They have people in the right place.

I've never really had a good appointment here, the front desk ladies are fine but the primary mental health doctor I see never takes me seriously and has on several occasions laughed at me when I bring up concerns in my… mental health. Eventually I will be swapping companies when my main therapist swaps over but I've been dealing with this horrible treatment from my doctor for a few years now. I've been tolerant of this treatment only for my therapist who has actually gotten me through a lot for a really long time now.

I’ve worked in juvenile treatment/mental health services for over 20 years in Arkansas and Texas. . I chose the Guidance center for my own family’s mental health needs. I’ve worked at the acute mental health hospital in… Fort Smith, numerous DHS facilities in Arkansas, I’ve been a parole officer, and I’ve worked collaboratively with patients that were also attending the Guidance center. When the need for mental health services came up in my personal life, The Guidance Center was the only place I was taking my child to. Provider S. Posey has been and is amazing with youth. Everyone, from the two very nice ladies at the front desk to therapist and providers I’ve engaged with, have all been amazing. Thank you all for making a difference.

They are very unprofessional! My children had an appointment at 8:30 they called at 8:25 to inform me that the therapist was not in that day their office opens at 8:00am you are telling me you couldn't have called me… earlier seeing as I have to drive from the whole other side of fort smith to get there then I canceled my week to make sure I was available to get them to the appointment only for them to tell me we can see one of them at 10am their appointment is at 8:30 you expect us to sit in the lobby and wait until 10am to be seen while the people in the lobby stair like they've never seen people of color before smh then they had to nerves to be surprised and have an attitude when I say okay just cancel everything we will find some serious and professional to work with because obviously this ain't it! 0 out of 10 would not ever recommend! Also I know for a fact I am not the only person they have done this to! (While venting i was told "oh they tried to do that same thing to me!") Just unprofessional!!! And wasted my gas for nothing smh!!!

They really care about clients and work to figure out the best way to be helpful. I also like that its a nonprofit. They'll work with you to get insurance set up if you dont have it and they have a sliding scale if you… cant get insurance.

I love this place, very well taken care of every time I step through the doors. Especially the front desk ladies they are always polite and know my name.

The Guidance center is a hot mess. Scheduling is hellish, I have yet to have a decent counselor here (I have had 6 different ones), and reception is often incredibly rude. Beyond this, getting a call back is nearly… impossible, which is very inconvenient because people who can actually schedule appointments or handle concerns are almost never at their desks to take calls. This results in me having to call multiple times a week when I need to make an appointment, which often leads to even ruder interactions with receptionists. As a mental health facility, being kind and professional should be the number one priority. Nine times out of ten, the service I receive is rude and rushed which results in heightened anxiety for me and issues with scheduling. I am told my appointment is on one date, and when I call about it I’m told “the system says a totally different date”. This has made getting my medication a horribly stressful ordeal. It seems to me as a patient that all the staff from receptionists to managers to the councilors themselves are poorly trained, and that the internal system is flawed. The nurse I see for my medication is nice, but that’s just about the only positive I can think of. In fact, she is the only reason I keep going to this place. I have already gotten a therapist elsewhere due to the scheduling issues and the rudeness I have been treated with just so I can deal with this place as little as possible. With that said, I really cannot recommend this place unless you have no other options. As a mentally ill person, the stress of dealing with this place outweighs the benefits of the service I receive. I myself only keep attending because switching to a new doctor for mental health medication could risk me being out of my medication for awhile.

They have a lot of support, good people, and the Genoa Pharmacy is really great!

This is probably the best office I have ever been to for my mental health issues. At first I didnt understand why I had to have so many appointments and assessments just to get started, but I completely get it now. I am… getting complete and thorough care, which requires a complete and thorough assessment. My med aprn is fantastic, and worked with me to get back on a proper dosage and has followed me closely ever since. My therapist is so easy to talk to and doesn't expect a breakthrough every session. Sometimes she just lets me ramble which is what I need to put my thoughts in order. Wish I could give yall more than 5 stars.

I came in under crisis at around midnight one night and there was this larger darker haired older lady who was working and I believe she was a counselor but as she was talking to me I was telling her how I wasn't… getting paid enough and work was hard and she sat there and belittled me saying that she's just been working overtime for 2 days straight and then I'm just a whiny entitled little girl, then shamed me for the choices of work that I made and completely belittled me and dehumanized me. I can't wait until one day someone who is crazy that has had enough gets pushed by this woman and she absolutely gets her jaw taken out

Whoever is answering the phone here needs to review some basic customer service etiquette and check their tone. They immediately sounded annoyed the two times I have called simply for information on how to get set up… with a therapist. It is off-putting as a new patient. If you rattle off info very quickly and I double check I heard it right, that's not a me problem. I appreciate the help but already have a bad impression.

Very unprofessional starting with the receptionist. I have been following up on a referral for two months. The receptionist keep transferring me to a voice and I would leave messages and never receive a call back. I was… told they will call me back to schedule an appointment and never receive a call.

I have really came a long way towards full recovery I could not have done it with out the staff members at wagcc always being there for me through my mental health journey thank you

This was a great place for me. To get the attention i needed. They were able to get me to sleep comfortably. And got my medications adjusted and helped me get into an insurance that i could afford. My only complaint is… I have had trouble with the following up. I was hoping to get a pcp in their network.

This place has some nice well intended people. However, they have committed medical malpractice against me. They gave me a med when I was out of my mind and didn’t know what was happening and they gave me a med on my… allergy list because it affects my heart condition and could kill me. My outpatient doctor says I get prolonged qt in those meds and they had it on mg allergy list but ignored it and gave me the med when I could t consent. They also REFUSE to put down my real diagnosis that my outpatient therapist and psychiatrist gave me diagnosis with that I’m getting treatment for. They refuse to document my autism or did which I have a diagnosis for both. They won’t acknowledge my ADHD either. They diagnosed me with a psychotic disorder I don’t have and push antipsychotics on me when it hurts my hard and two I have permanent akithesia and will take Parkinson’s meds the rest of my life due to hospitals forcing Antipsychotics on me sometimes by holding me down and giving me a shot when I have a severe dissociative disorder and ptsd not schizophrenia. They insist on mis diagnosing me and when other facilities get those recorders I’m treated poorly. I’ve asked for my diagnosis to be updated and they refused. I am permanently damaged by antipsychotics and I will be filing a lawsuit. They also threw away my marijuana even though I was there in an emergency and couldn’t remove it from my purse . I have a valid medical card and they didn’t even document that they had it to hide that they threw it away. Being misdiagnosed by so many disorders has damaged my care severely. All they want to do is judge me and never should have convinced myself it was safe

Miscommunication and a headache

They gave my daughter medicine that never worked before, but yet they kept her on it and expect it to be her cure. Her therapist was a nice person. But not enough work was put into her. I'm disappointed with medical… community and hospitals, they forgot to help her.

We brought my son here last year with a referral for counseling. He did an intake and we were told we would be contacted to schedule him to see a therapist. I do not know why it could not be done that day. They never… called. We called and were told we would be called back. We were not. We called again. They still didn’t have a therapist to schedule him with but we would be called. We never were. My son said to forget about it. We came here last week from the ER with another child. Everyone was so much nicer than the first time we came. We were scheduled for an intake the next day with a therapist we told was perfect for our situation. We came back the next day and waited half an hour and someone came out to tell us that we needed to reschedule. No explanation. We asked to get in today and they made it happen. We were grateful. We came in today and had the unfortunate experience of having to do telemedicine from a cubicle where we could hear other patients also talking but we carried on. We couldn’t make out conversation once we went in and closed the door so not a big deal. The therapist was sick and apologized but it the impersonal use of a webcam to talk about private and hard to talk about subjects made it awkward. Covid is done and medicine should be face to face. Just an opinion and I realize many may disagree. The appointment ended and we were told to go to the desk to schedule an appointment and get a note for school. After waiting for more than an hour, we went to the counter to find out if the note was ready. We were told that the lady we were waiting for was the manager and that she was doing a job interview. No one knew how long it would take so I asked to leave to go to work. I was told that she would call me. By 345. I was concerned about the time so I called. I was sent straight to voicemail. I drove down and had the very unpleasant Experience of dealing with her again. She was unable to give me the note that we needed and asked me if this note was OK. I said that I thought it would have to do. I’m not sure why the business manager would be running the front counter because her very business like manner is probably great for running the office, but is certainly lacking and compassion in dealing with family members who are in crisis. When I asked her why she left us sitting without communication she told us that it was because she was waiting to hear from the therapist and they were in another appointment. Rather than taking the time to let us know that and allowing us to leave so that she could catch us up later, she opted to go do a job interview and be gone for well over an hour. I don’t actually know when she came back because we had already left. When I told her what I thought of this and tried to express how much it appeared that we were not in any way a priority for her, the conversation disintegrated. I simply wanted some advice from her on how to proceed. After all, she is the manager and does this for a living while I am a parent, struggling to understand the process. I realize that my heightened emotion, my devastation for my son and his mental health and the fact That I have been given the runaround between the schools, the hospital and this clinic made me come off as rude. I was nearly in tears the entire time we were speaking because my son means the world to me. I realize that we mean nothing to her. After all, she doesn’t even know us. The sad fact is that she gets paid a lot of money to pretend that she cares but that she could not muster up that act today. If her own mental health is in crisis today, and I apologize for this review. I will not have to deal with her again because she was very clear that I was not to speak to her again. She tried to send me away without making an appointment for my son, but I insisted he get one because that is why we are here. She turned me over to someone named Matt and told me that in the future to deal with him. This is what we will do unless we can find another therapist. I do not recommend this clinic.

My main gripe is the fact that the weekend staff stole my iPhone charger. I happened looked over the station to the right and saw one that looked EXACTLY LIKE MINE. However I thought it might be coincidence, thought… when I unpacked my bag after being discharged it was gone. Staff should be ashamed and held accountable. This is not acceptable nor professional. Nothing about this facility is sanitary or professional. Find anywhere else to fine reprieve and rehabilitation.

As someone living with both mental health conditions and a rare disease (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome), I’ve had a wide range of experiences in the mental health care system. My journey has included moments of hope, healing,… and heartbreak—all of which came to a head during a recent experience with Western Arkansas Counseling and Guidance Center (WACGC). I want to begin by acknowledging the dedication of so many providers within the system. The therapists, nurses, and caseworkers I encountered at WACGC were doing their best under enormous pressure. Mental health professionals are often overworked and undercompensated, and it shows—not in a lack of care, but in a lack of capacity. This is not just a WACGC issue—it’s a systemic issue, and one we must collectively address. That said, my experience at WACGC also revealed some deeply painful gaps. I went from being perceived as a “least difficult” patient to suddenly being viewed as the “most difficult”—a shift that happened during a time of crisis when I needed the most compassion. I was discharged while tapering off psychiatric medications, despite expressing concerns about complex medical side effects from my rare disease. Unfortunately, those concerns were minimized, and my emotional distress was treated as a barrier to care rather than a signal for deeper support. I wasn’t just a patient—I was a person in pain, trying to communicate through trauma and neurodivergence. But in a system not equipped to receive that vulnerability, my voice felt silenced. What I needed—and what many others need—is a safe environment where it’s okay not to have the perfect words, tone, or composure in a moment of breakdown. When patients are struggling to survive, we shouldn't be required to also perform politeness or perfection in order to receive care. This experience left me not just grieving the care I lost, but grieving for all those who may not speak up. People like me—living with comorbid conditions, trauma histories, and rare diseases—deserve to be seen and heard. We deserve a care model that accounts for our complexities, not one that punishes us for them. Despite these challenges, I still believe in the mission of WACGC. I believe in the heart of many of the providers there. But I also believe it’s time to evolve—to integrate trauma-informed practices, neurodivergent-affirming approaches, and to create more supportive transitions, especially around medication changes and discharge planning. I’m not writing this review to place blame. I’m writing it to advocate for change. As Miss Petite USA 2025 Arkansas Titleholder, I’m committed to speaking out for those who feel invisible in systems that were meant to help them. My hope is that WACGC and similar organizations can lead the way in improving the quality of care—not just for the easy moments, but for the hardest ones too. Let this be an invitation: to listen, to grow, and to make every patient feel like they matter. Because we do. With compassion and hope, Becca Clark

I have went to this place for 10 years I was told I had to see counselor Van Buren every 2 months or my insurance wouldn't pay for it that was a lie when they didn't have enough counselors in Van Buren it was just fine… for me to start going to fort Smith only I had to go to fort Smith anyway to get my medicine they wouldn't do them at the same offices they wanted to double bill me for both office when when Kelly Berry quit in fort Smith they gave me to Alice Walsh which wanted to prescribe my medicine as just policy for the opposite self not considering my unique situation and that I'm a patient not a policy when I left her office because she was fixing to get told off by me and I thought he'd be better just to leave I was cut off the program I was left on high potent medicine and just left to withdraw it was dangerous it was unfair and these people are responsible for making God only know how many people worse than they was when they came they should be completely ashamed of themselves I'm talking the whole office not just one person half of them will lie to you half of them don't know what they're talking about and the other half just really don't care if you go to these people please know if you have to leave for any reason whether it's your reason or their reason they will not be there for you to withdraw the medicine they have prescribed they have no remorse no follow up no care please I would give a zero rating watch your health they won't

This place is amazing and really cares

Great people understanding and patient

I have attended two WACAGC, one in Van Buren and one in Fort Smith. In Van Buren, my first ever therapist brought her religion into our therapy, and would bible bash me when I expressed my feelings of experimenting with… gender identity. This made family therapy sessions AWFUL. Ever since then, I would get placed with new therapists, making me hate therapy because I would have to get used to a new person to spill all my life to. I recently have transferred over here to this clinic. I just went impatient recently at the crisis stabilization unit. They asked me if I wanted a nicotine patch ( I said yes because I will go through withdrawals without one) l Got one the first day from a loving group of staff members. One lovely woman helped me apply for SNAP and helped me get resources, and the one terrific man who was kind to me. I woke up the next morning after a new round of meds at 3 am with a horrible migraine, in which I threw up everything they gave me. The next day I woke up ready to go because unfortunately I have to work every chance I get to pay bills. I was angry. They told me I couldn’t have a nicotine patch because I was underage (why would you make them ask me in the first place if I can’t get one?) and then I told them I was ready to go. They told me because I was suicidal I wasn’t ready to leave. I had no intent and no plan. You get turned down from valley for that exact reason 98% of them time. And then to top it all off, I looked on my diagnosis sheet and they took off two of my diagnosis, one of those of which I have dealt with for YEARS. And they replaced it with “Cannabis related disorder” whenever this issue has been prominent since I was 9. I tested 98th percentile for the possibility at the age of nine. This was a problem WAY before I started smoking. I have always dealt with this. To disregard my mental illness and chalk it up to an addiction problem is dumb as hell. I will be contacting y’all VIA phone tomorrow, and will be addressing this at my next appointment.