Behavior Services Of The Mid-south

What Behavior Services Of The Mid-south does

Behavior Services of the Mid-South (BSMS, LLC) is a Cordova, Tennessee-based behavioral and mental health services provider founded in 2013 by Dr. Susan Elswick. The company delivers site-based therapeutic services directly at schools (public, charter, and private), in client homes, in clinic offices, and within primary care facilities across Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Its clinical offering spans evidence-based modalities including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), EMDR, Play Therapy, and Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI)/equine programming delivered in partnership with Southern Reins Center for Equine Therapy and Trinity Farm LLC. BSMS also operates integrated behavioral health programming at Millington Family Medicine and Church Health Center via a warm-handoff model, and has partnered with the University of Memphis SMART Center to deploy telehealth suites in Shelby County Schools.

The company's revenue is generated primarily through fee-for-service clinical sessions billed across six major insurance carriers (Aetna, Cigna, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of TN, BlueCare Tennessee, United Healthcare, HealthScope), supplemented by out-of-pocket services, AAI/equine programming ($300–$600 per client), BSMS University professional training and APT-approved CEU courses ($600–$675 per course), franchise licensing for clinicians, Employee Assistance Programming (EAP) contracts with businesses, and educational consulting/IEP advocacy. Supporting the clinical delivery is "engage," a proprietary dynamic assessment, data collection, and reporting system co-developed by Dr. Elswick and co-founder William Hendrick through Engage Data Systems, which underpins both internal operations and the franchise offering. The company has no external funding, operates as a privately held LLC, and is led by a small licensed clinical team.

Name

Behavior Services Of The Mid-south

Legal name

BSMS, LLC

Website

https://behaviorservicesmidsouth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Behavior Services of the Mid-South is a Cordova, Tennessee-based, founder-led behavioral and mental health provider delivering site-based therapy across schools, homes, clinics, and primary care facilities in the Mid-South region, supported by a proprietary engage data platform and a clinician training and franchise program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Behavioral Health Services

NAICS

Offices of Physicians, Mental Health Specialists (621112), Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Outpatient Mental Health Clinics & Counseling Centers (HLAFACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Behavioral Health for Children & Adolescents (Youth Services) (HLAFACAL), ABA Supervision, Clinical Oversight & BCBA Consulting (EDAKAHAH)

Keywords

• Site-based behavioral health
• Mental health therapy services
• Applied behavior analysis
• School-based counseling
• Play therapy certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Cordova

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Clinical Therapy Sessions (Fee-for-Service): Individual, family, and group therapy sessions billed at hourly rates. Services include in-office, in-home, school-based, and integrated primary care settings. Insurance accepted from Aetna, Cigna, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of TN, BlueCare Tennessee, United Healthcare, and HealthScope.
2. Insurance Billing: BSMS accepts most major insurance plans and bills insurance directly for covered services. Clients without accepted insurance can pay out-of-pocket at published rates or file claims independently.
3. Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI) / Equine Programming: Equine-assisted therapy sessions and summer camps offered in partnership with Southern Reins and Trinity Farm. Pricing ranges from $300 for 10-week group sessions to $580 for individual 4-week sessions. Note: most insurance companies do not cover experiential therapy programming.
4. Professional Training and CEU Programs: BSMS University offers play therapy certifications, expressive arts training, and other professional development courses for mental health clinicians. Training programs (e.g., Inner Child Play Therapy Sandtray at $600, Expressive Arts and Play Therapy Training at $675) provide APT-approved CEUs. BSMS is an APT Approved Provider (No. 22-675).
5. Franchise Opportunities: BSMS offers franchise opportunities for clinicians interested in starting their own practice, providing its data collection and practice management system and experienced team support for a fee.
6. Employee Assistance Programming (EAP): BSMS provides behavioral and mental health services to businesses through EAP contracts, including team building programs, organizational behavior management training, and individual employee counseling.
7. Educational Consulting and Advocacy: IEP and 504 consulting, academic coaching, and advocacy services for families of students with special needs, delivered in schools, homes, or offices.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Behavior Services of the Mid-South (BSMS) is a site-based behavioral and mental health services provider delivering evidence-based therapeutic interventions directly at schools, homes, clinic offices, and primary care facilities across the Mid-South region. Services include individual, family, and group therapy using modalities such as CBT, ABA, TF-CBT, PCIT, EMDR, and Play Therapy, complemented by Animal Assisted Interventions/Equine programming, professional CEU training through BSMS University, integrated behavioral health at partner healthcare locations, and franchise opportunities for clinicians.

Product overview

Behavior Services of the Mid-South is a behavioral and mental health services provider offering a comprehensive suite of therapeutic interventions and programs. The company operates primarily through site-based service delivery models across schools, homes, clinics, and primary care facilities. Core services include evidence-based treatments such as Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT), Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Play Therapy, EMDR, Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT), PCIT, and Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) with equine programming. The company also provides specialized school-based behavioral services, social skills groups, academic coaching, and IEP advocacy. Supporting the clinical services is the internally-developed Engage Data Collection and Reporting System for outcome tracking. The company offers professional development through BSMS University with play therapy certifications and training programs, and has published psycho-educational materials for clinicians and families. Services are delivered by a multidisciplinary team including BCBAs, licensed clinical social workers, school psychologists, and behavioral specialists, with clinical supervision available for staff.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Southern Reins: Equine therapy and Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI) program offered in partnership with Southern Reins Center for Equine Therapy and Trinity Farm LLC
• ENGAGE Data Systems
• BSMS University
• BSMS STORE

Products and services

• Site-Based Behavioral Health Services Therapeutic counseling, behavioral assessments, and evidence-based interventions delivered directly in school, home, clinic, and primary care settings for children, adolescents, adults, and families. Includes FBA/BIP development, RtI/PBIS programming, teacher coaching, and parent training.
• Integrated Behavioral Health at Primary Care On-site behavioral health services embedded at partner primary care physician offices, offering individual, small group, couples, and family therapy through a warm handoff model.
• Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) / Equine Programming Experiential equine-assisted therapeutic interventions and social skills summer camps offered at partner farms for individuals and groups, combining emotional literacy, social skills, and horseback riding under mental health clinician supervision.
• BSMS University Professional Training Programs Continuing education and professional development programs for clinicians, including Inner Child Play Therapy Sandtray (ICPT-S) Certification, Expressive Arts and Play Therapy Training, and Introduction to Sandtray in Play Therapy, all APT-approved (Provider No. 22-675).
• Employee Assistance Programming (EAP) Behavioral and mental health services contracted to businesses and organizations, providing team building, organizational behavior management training, and individual employee counseling under EAP contracts.
• Academic Coaching and IEP/504 Advocacy Educational consulting and advocacy services for families of students with special needs, supporting the IEP and 504 process and providing academic coaching in schools, homes, or offices.
• Psycho-educational Testing and Assessment Comprehensive behavioral and psycho-educational assessments completed by certified school psychologists to determine eligibility for individualized educational planning and treatment recommendations.
• BSMS Franchise Opportunities Franchise program offering clinicians the opportunity to operate their own behavioral health practice under the BSMS brand with access to the proprietary engage data collection and practice management system and team support.
• BSMS Store Publications Psycho-educational books and materials authored by Dr. Susan Elswick covering using picture books for children's social and emotional literacy, data collection methods, and informatics in social work practice.

Quantifiable outcome

• 84%-90% of single-trauma victims no longer have PTSD after only three 90-minute EMDR sessions; 100% of single-trauma victims after six 50-minute sessions (Kaiser Permanente study)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Southern Reins Center for Equine TherapycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthern Reins Center for Equine Therapy (Nesbit, MS) partners with BSMS to offer Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) and Equine Programming. BSMS provides licensed mental health clinicians who incorporate horses into therapeutic sessions under CBT, TFCBT, and ABA frameworks, while Southern Reins provides horse professionals and facilities. The partnership offers social skills equine camps, individual and small group programming, team building programs, and trauma programming.
• Trinity Farm LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrinity Farm LLC (Lakeland, TN) partners with BSMS to offer Animal Assisted Interventions and Equine Programming. The farm provides facilities and horse professionals while BSMS clinicians deliver mental health services integrated with the equine experience.
• Rosemary Jacobs NP at Millington Family MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBSMS has partnered with Rosemary Jacobs NP at Millington Family Medicine (8510 Wilkinsville Rd #104, Millington, TN 38053) to host integrated behavioral health programming. Individual, small groups, couples, and family therapy are offered on site using the warm handoff model where the primary care provider introduces the client to the behavioral health provider.
• Church Health Center at Crosstown ConcoursecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBSMS has partnered with Church Health Center at Crosstown Concourse (1350 Concourse Ave Suite 142, Memphis, TN 38104) to host integrated behavioral health programming. Individual, small groups, couples, and family therapy are offered on site through the warm handoff model. This location also serves as a venue for BSMS University training events.
• University of Memphis SMART CenterflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Elswick joined the University of Memphis SMART Center's partnership with Shelby County Schools to provide 10 Telehealth Suites in Memphis schools. Dr. Elswick appeared on WREG Live at 9 to discuss this initiative, which expands access to mental health services for students. BSMS is also featured on the SMART Connections podcast hosted by the SMART Center.
• Engage Data Systems (William Hendrick, Co-founder)coreTechnology or IntegrationCEO/President Dr. Susan Elswick and co-founder William Hendrick created engage, a dynamic assessment, data collection, and reporting system for behavioral and mental health. This proprietary technology platform supports BSMS service delivery and is offered to franchisees.
• What's Next!? Podcast (Dr. Paige Pirkey)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerDr. Elswick joined Dr. Paige Pirkey on the What's Next!? Podcast to discuss Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR). This podcast appearance serves as a marketing channel to promote BSMS services and mental health awareness.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Autumn Behavioral Health: Outpatient behavioral health services provider delivering therapy and psychiatric care across multiple settings. Closely comparable to BSMS in service mix and outpatient, multi-site delivery model.
• Two Chairs: Outpatient therapy practice operating hybrid in-person and virtual clinics with a measurement-based, evidence-based care model. Directly comparable to BSMS in modality mix and outcome-tracking orientation.
• Ellie Mental Health: Outpatient mental health franchise network offering therapy and behavioral health services across multiple U.S. states. Highly comparable to BSMS given its franchise-driven growth model and multi-modal service mix.

Emerging players

• Brightside Health: Telehealth-first mental health provider focused on anxiety and depression treatment with measurement-based care. Comparable to BSMS as an emerging player in evidence-based outpatient mental health delivery.
• Cerebral: Online mental health provider combining therapy and medication management with integrated care pathways. Comparable to BSMS's evidence-based, integrated behavioral health delivery approach, though distributed digitally rather than on-site.

Broad incumbents

• Lyra Health: Mental health benefits platform combining in-person and virtual therapy, coaching, and EAP-style services for employers. Overlaps with BSMS's EAP offering and integrated primary care partnerships.
• Lifestance Health: Large, publicly traded outpatient mental health platform delivering therapy, psychiatry, and integrated behavioral health across schools, homes, and clinics. Operates at vastly greater scale than BSMS but in the same outpatient, multi-site delivery model.
• Talkiatry: Outpatient psychiatry and mental health provider delivering evidence-based care through in-person and telehealth channels, frequently integrated with primary care. Comparable to BSMS's outpatient, evidence-based, multi-setting delivery model.
• Sevita Health (formerly The MENTOR Network): Large behavioral health, mental health, and human services provider delivering community-based therapeutic and ABA services across schools, homes, and clinics. Overlaps with BSMS's site-based, evidence-based behavioral health model at much larger scale.

Regional players

• Centerstone: Nonprofit community mental health and behavioral health provider operating across Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. Comparable to BSMS as a regional outpatient behavioral health provider with strong Tennessee/Mid-South footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/drelswick
• Facebookfacebook.com/behaviormidsouth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/behavior-services-of-the-mid-south-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Behavior Services Of The Mid-south