Stronghold Counseling Services

Stronghold Counseling Services is a mental health service in Sioux Falls, SD. The practice provides in-office and Telehealth counseling via Zoom to individuals and families, with a staff covering struggles involving children, marriage and family, addiction, and broader mental health concerns. New clients are matched with a counselor based on their needs, and most insurances are accepted. Stronghold also operates a second location in Yankton, South Dakota, on West 23rd Street, expanding its reach beyond Sioux Falls. The practice holds a rating of 3.50 based on 32 reviews.

The practice was founded in 1993 by J.C. Chambers, Ed.D., and Marlene Ruff, M.A., with a vision of pairing clinical excellence with grace-based, non-judgmental care rooted in Christian faith. Stronghold draws its name from Proverbs 18:10, and its stated commitments include listening with patience and compassion, earning trust before hearing a client's full story, pursuing the highest level of clinical quality, and serving as a refuge where anyone is welcome regardless of culture or creed. The Sioux Falls staff includes counselors Larry Dancler, Nick Buus, Jennifer Baehler (Telehealth only), Ellie Larsen, Paul Wurth, Laura Garmatz, Ryan Folk, Bethany Handsacker, Sara Wurgler, Lizzie Miller, and Erin Blouin, supported by office staff Gena Tarrell, Heather Wollman, and Sarah Taylor. Sessions are framed around helping clients address not only emotional pain but the lingering shame that can isolate people from help, with the philosophy that healing is rarely quick but is possible when individuals no longer face their circumstances alone.

The office sits on South Louise Avenue, just off West 49th Street, within walking distance of The UPS Store on South Louise Avenue and about half a mile from the Caille Branch Library.

A long-standing presence in Sioux Falls since 1993, built on a steady record of repeat and referred clients, speaks to the relationships the practice has sustained across more than three decades of counseling in the community.