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Tranformation, Recovery, Hope

Caring for our Community

Dedicated to creating wellness and inspiring the first step toward a better tomorrow for those with mental health and addiction disorders.
Our Programs

Welcome to
First Step of Sarasota

A UNITED EFFORT Serving Sarasota, MANATEE, DESOTO & Charlotte counties.

Combined-First-Step-and-Behavior-Health-Logo
For more than 50 years, we have been "Caring for Our Community" by providing affordable, evidence-based behavioral healthcare services to children, adolescents, adults, seniors and their families who struggle with mental-health and substance-use issues. 

July 2020 saw two organizations with this mission — First Step of Sarasota and Coastal Behavioral Healthcare — join to provide better service more cost-effectively. The leadership and staff of this new, stronger First Step of Sarasota Inc. know that while the job is never done, we succeed every time a family is reunited, a person with a mental illness is well again, or a child threatening suicide is saved.

We celebrate every time an individual achieves his or her self-determined goals for health, life, and well-being.

Treatment & Prevention Programs

First Step of Sarasota offers innovative and comprehensive mental-health and substance use programs for adults and children, including    inpatient, outpatient and telehealth services. If you or someone you know is experiencing mental health or substance use challenges, First Step of Sarasota can help. We offer innovative treatment programs for both children and adults to help them transform their lives and conquer their challenges by providing customized mental health and substance use treatments to our patients.

Adult
Services

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Children's
Services

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Prevention
Programs

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Addiction
Treatments

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First Step Walk-In Access Center

Immediate counseling and referral services to individuals who are experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis. Crisis counseling, referral resource, family intervention, substance use and mental health screening. Walk ins are welcome.
Need Help? Call 941-552-1950

Do You Need Help for Someone Else?

Get Help Now

Immediate counseling and referral services to individuals who are experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis. Crisis counseling, referral resource, family intervention, substance use and mental health screening. Walk ins are welcome.
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Fees &
Insurances

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Client Resources
& Forms

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Frequently Asked
Questions

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Contact Us

For more information about our programs, or to speak confidentially with one of us, please fill out the short form below. We look forward to hearing from you.
Please note: this email is for general information purposes only and should not be relied upon for urgent clinical needs or questions.  You will receive an auto-response once the form is submitted and received.  Please wait for the page to refresh to ensure your message is sent successfully.

News & Events

Longtime Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight
First Step names Sarasota Sheriff T...
Billy Cox Sarasota Herald-Tribune Even as a 23-year-old rookie with the Sarasota Police Department g...
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First Step Suicide Prevention Video
First Step Suicide Prevention Video...
First Step Suicide Prevention video. For more than 50 years, we have been "Caring for Our Community"...
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Tracey Weeden, head of First Step of Sarasota
Are minorities more at risk of ment...
Local broadcast news outlet WSNN has done an interview with Tracey Weeden, head of First Step of Sar...
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The First Step of Sarasota executive officers as of August 2020: Front, Gwen MacKenzie, CEO; back, left to right, Tracy Weeden Chief In-patient and residential services officer; Mounira Ragsdale, Chief administrative officer; and Vickie Tiutyama, Chief Financial Officer.
It's official: First Step of Saraso...
After a nine-month consolidation process, First Step of Sarasota and Coastal Behavioral Healthcare h...
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The First Step Toward a Better Tomorrow
First Step of Sarasota and Coastal ...
SARASOTA, Fla. – The two nonprofit agencies First Step of Sarasota and Coastal Behavioral Healthca...
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Our Community Partners:

*Community partners are businesses that have chosen to support our organization as a community partner sponsor. If you are interested please click here for the sponsorship form.

Mental Health Partners:

FIRST STEP OF SARASOTA, INC. IS A 501 (C ) (3) ORGANIZATION. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION ON CH1573 MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL FREE 800 435 7352 WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.