Ruby Valley Medical Center Welcomes Ke’lah Savage, Mental Healthcare Professional
by Debra McNeil
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Sheridan, Montana, January 6, 2023) The Ruby Valley Medical Center (RVMC) is pleased to announce that Ke’lah Savage, LCSW, will be seeing patients at the Ruby Valley Medical Clinic in Sheridan every Tuesday starting in January, 2023. Ke’lah treats patients of all ages, children through seniors, individuals and families for behavioral health concerns and communications support. She is a certified Synergetic Play Therapist and Adverse Childhood Experience trainer.
Early in her college career, Ke’lah was considering becoming a dental hygienist but the experience of studying abroad in Mexico and volunteering at an orphanage inspired her to do something more and different with her life. Ke’lah graduated from Central Washington University with a B.A. in Law and Justice. Her desire to “do something bigger to help people” flourished while working as an intern for child protective services and as support staff for a youth crisis residential center. “I became much more aware of various needs in society,” said Ke’lah. She completed her master’s degree in Social Work at Eastern Washington University in 2009 and is currently working on her doctorate through Walla Walla University.
Mental healthcare offers a variety of professional channels including clinical social workers, clinical alcohol & drug abuse counselors, marriage and family therapists, clinical professional counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists. Ke’lah chose to become a licensed clinical social worker because she feels that social work offers a holistic approach for connecting people with community resources. A clinic social worker is a good fit at the micro level for helping individuals and also at the macro level for developing policy. She likes to keep the lens wide to provide more services to the community. This is especially important in supporting the aging populations of rural Montana which have often had few mental healthcare resources. Licensed clinical social workers can bill Medicare for services to elderly individuals while other mental health professionals cannot.
Ke’lah has been providing mental healthcare services in Southwest Montana ever since she completed her master’s degree. She has worked at the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch in Dillon, as a school therapist in Twin Bridges and Sheridan, and as an advocate and outreach coordinator for the Women’s Resource Center in Virginia City. In 2016, Ke’lah put out her shingle for her therapy services as Peak Mental Health, LLC. While Ke’lah is certified with specialized training in play therapy, her practice is about 50% children and families and 50% working with adults. She is also a Code Red Crisis Responder for Madison County.
Ke’lah will continue to see patients in her private practice where she has been accepting referrals from RVMC’s providers. “Being part of RVMC’s team streamlines the services for RVMC’s patients for more urgent care,” Ke’lah said. Patients can make appointments to see Ke’lah at RVMC by calling (406) 842-5453. RVMC will be handling the health insurance claims for patients who see Ke’lah at the clinic.
