Chemical Dependency Education

Often a psychiatric diagnosis is not the only problem youth are battling at the time of admission. At the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, our chemical dependency counselor will work hand in hand with patients and their families to address addiction or drug-abusing behaviors during their treatment stay for a co-existing psychiatric disorder.

Treating children and adolescents from onset to 18 years of age, we provide families a better understanding of the treatment process and will help youth understand the effect drugs have on their development and future problems that can occur with continued use.

Treatment

Youth identified as having a diagnosis of substance abuse or dependency upon admission to one of our inpatient or residential units will be offered support from our chemical dependency counselor. Our chemical dependency education and support does not include chemical detox services. 

Treatment Components

During a youth’s inpatient or residential stay we will provide:

• Chemical dependency assessments
• Therapeutic individual sessions
• Relapse prevention education
• Family education information
• Discharge referrals