Dual Diagnosis
We offer a specialized acute inpatient treatment program within the Division of Psychiatry for youth, ages 8 to 17, with a primary psychiatric diagnosis, along with any of the following secondary diagnoses:
- Intellectual disabilities
- Pervasive developmental disorders (PDD)
- Fetal alcohol syndrome
- Non-verbal learning disabilities
- Autism / Asperger’s spectrum
In collaboration with families, our inter-disciplinary team approach focuses on crisis stabilization, while providing an initial assessment of your child’s psychiatric diagnosis, medical diagnosis and harmful or high-risk behavior. Our average length of stay is eight days.
Our primary treatment methods encourage positive change in a child’s life as it relates to the child’s imminent threat of harm to self or others, with a focus on teaching replacement behaviors while encouraging independence. Our primary goal during a child or adolescent’s inpatient stay is to stabilize the imminent threat of harm to self or others. Programming is organized around experiential programming providing structure and positive reinforcement while closely monitoring individual progress. We also collaborate with the family and outpatient providers to facilitate a child’s successful transition back into the home and community as safely and quickly as possible.
A variety of therapeutic, visual and sensory equipment is used to help calm and self-regulate youth. Some of the treatment methods used during the crisis stabilization process include:
- Â Psychopharmacology
- Communication strategies
- Sensory strategies
- Social skills teaching
- Principles of normalization for home and school
- Visual studies
The majority of our patient bedrooms are private occupancy and include individual baths to allow for one parent or caregiver to stay overnight with their child. Children and adolescents are also encouraged to bring bedding and additional personal items to help ease the transition of an inpatient stay.
