Psychiatric Care for Sebring Residents

Getting here from Sebring, one road does most of the work. Head south out of town, and where US 98 splits east it runs two lanes the rest of the way — past the Sebring International Raceway junction, along the north shore of Lake Istokpoga through Lorida, over the Kissimmee River bridge at Fort Basinger, and into Okeechobee from the northwest. Our office at 308 NW 5th Ave sits on that same northwest side of town. It's about 49 miles, roughly an hour. US 98 is two lanes the whole way with farm and ranch traffic sharing it, and during March race week traffic thickens near the raceway junction, so give yourself extra time then.

If you'd rather, US 27 south through Lake Placid to SR 70 east is a fine alternate — longer at about 57 miles, but the US 27 leg is four-lane. Telehealth is also an option for appointments that don't need the drive, as long as you're physically in Florida at the time.

Here's what we offer at our Okeechobee office.

• Psychiatric evaluations — a thorough first visit to understand what you're dealing with and map out a plan together.
• Medication management — ongoing appointments to review how your prescriptions are working, adjust doses, and talk through any side effects.
• Therapy — one-on-one counseling to work through anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, and whatever else is weighing on you.
• Addiction recovery — support for substance use, wherever you are in the process.
• Spravato (esketamine) treatment — a nasal spray given in our office for treatment-resistant depression, under a provider's supervision the whole time.
• TMS treatment (transcranial magnetic stimulation) — a non-invasive in-office treatment that uses magnetic pulses to reach brain areas involved in mood.

Sebring has psychiatry of its own — a community outpatient office and a couple of small practices for a county of about 111,000 — so the bench is small. At our Okeechobee office you can get Spravato and TMS in person, alongside evaluations, medication management, therapy, and addiction recovery. If the drive isn't workable, telehealth is available anywhere in Florida, as long as you're physically in Florida at the time of your appointment. We see patients 12 and up, and children 8 and up by referral, and we accept 21 insurance plans. Spanish-speaking providers are on our team, which matters in a city where nearly three in ten residents speak a language other than English at home. Call (863) 261-8354.

Sebring still runs on the circle it was planned around. Circle Drive rings the park downtown on Lake Jackson's white-sand waterfront, and the blocks around it hold the boom-era buildings the historic district is known for — Harder Hall and the Kenilworth Lodge among them. Out at the old WWII airfield on the edge of town, Sebring International Raceway still runs partly on the original wartime concrete, famously bumpy, and every March the 12 Hours of Sebring fills the roads and restaurants; the rest of the year the track is quiet and the town settles back down. In winter the county's population rises about forty percent with seasonal residents, and Sun 'n Lake of Sebring, the golf community off US 27 just past the city limits, fills up with them.

The working landscape is citrus groves and cattle ranches, with Highlands Hammock State Park four miles west and Lake Placid next door known for its caladiums. More than a third of Highlands County residents are past 65 and the median age sits near 54, but there are real families here too — Sebring High School, about 1,850 students, is the town's one high school, and it is where Friday nights and graduations happen. Most county residents live outside the city, in the unincorporated lake communities and subdivisions, and the calendar here runs on its own beat: race week, snowbird winter, and the long, quiet stretch between them.

Sebring does have psychiatrists. Peace River Center runs an outpatient office here, and there are a couple of small private practices and scattered individual therapists — a handful of prescribers for a county of about 111,000 people. Many of our Okeechobee patients come from Sebring and across Highlands County — from Avon Park, Lake Placid, Sun 'n Lake, and the lake communities as well as the city. What brings them is depth in one place: evaluations, medication management, therapy, and addiction recovery alongside Spravato and TMS, all in person at one office in Okeechobee, with care shaped around this county's real life. That means an older county — late-life depression, anxiety, grief, and caregiver strain are common here. It means seasonal residents who split the year between two homes, working families, and parents of teenagers at the town's one high school. It also means telehealth from home can cover the follow-ups that don't need the drive. The drive itself is about an hour down US 98 — the same drive Sebring already makes for specialty care — so when you come, there's a full team and a full range of options waiting on the other end.

• Full range in one office — evaluations, medication management, therapy, addiction recovery, Spravato, and TMS are all offered in person at our Okeechobee office.
• Care matched to Highlands County — we regularly treat older adults, seasonal residents, working families, and teenagers with care that fits the rhythm of county life.
• Spanish-speaking providers — six Spanish-speaking providers on the team see patients in Spanish, in person or by telehealth.
• Telehealth from home — follow-ups and routine check-ins can happen by video from your Sebring home, as long as you're in Florida.

Is there a psychiatrist in Sebring?

Yes. Sebring has Peace River Center's outpatient office, which offers therapy and psychiatry, along with a couple of small private psychiatry practices and scattered individual therapists. It's a small bench for a county of about 111,000. Health Haven's nearest office is in Okeechobee, and many of our Okeechobee patients come from Sebring and across Highlands County, often for services like Spravato and TMS, available in person there. We see patients 12 and up, and children 8 and up by referral.

How long is the drive from Sebring to the Okeechobee office?

About 49 miles, and roughly an hour. US 98 runs south out of Sebring, then east past the raceway junction, along the north shore of Lake Istokpoga, through Lorida, and over the Kissimmee River bridge into Okeechobee from the northwest. Our office at 308 NW 5th Ave sits on that same northwest side of town. US 98 is two lanes the whole way, with farm and ranch traffic, so plan the full hour.

Does the Okeechobee office offer Spravato or TMS?

Yes — both are available in person at the Okeechobee office. Spravato (esketamine) treatment and TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) are offered there, alongside psychiatric evaluations, medication management, therapy/counseling, and addiction recovery. Okeechobee is one of Health Haven's two full-service offices, so most needs can be handled under one roof at 308 NW 5th Ave. If either treatment sounds relevant, call us at (863) 261-8354 and we can talk it through.

I'm a seasonal resident — can I use telehealth while I'm in Florida?

Yes. Telehealth is available anywhere in Florida, as long as you're physically in Florida at the time of the appointment. That works well for seasonal residents — many people who spend their winters here mix in-person visits at the Okeechobee office with telehealth while they're around. Care can pause while you're out of state and pick up again in the fall. Call (863) 261-8354 to talk through what fits your season.

Do you take insurance?

Yes. We accept 21 insurance plans. Call (863) 261-8354 — that's the Okeechobee office and our main line — and we'll check whether your plan is one of them before your first visit. The office is at 308 NW 5th Ave in Okeechobee, about an hour from Sebring on US 98.