Adolescent Programs
Silver Hill Hospital provides programs for adolescent ages 13 - 17 with psychiatric disorders, substance use disorders, dual disorders and eating disorders. Adolescent patients treated at Silver Hill Hospital benefit from a high staff to patient ratio as well as both inpatient and transitional living programs that are provided in a warm, supportive and homelike atmosphere conducive to treatment.
Adolescent Inpatient
Treatment begins with an assessment of the patient by a multi-disciplinary team of adolescent specialists, including a board-certified adolescent psychiatrist, social workers and nursing staff. Based on the assessment, an individualized treatment plan is developed. The treatment plan usually includes psychological, behavioral and pharmacologic interventions.
A typical day in the adolescent inpatient unit includes educational services, group therapy to address such issues as conflict management, self-esteem and managing emotions. Additional groups related to addiction are available for adolescents dealing with substance use or dual disorders. For adolescents diagnosed with an eating disorder, the program uses a combination of cognitive, behavioral and psychological techniques and includes supervised meals to reinforce the development of new eating patterns.
Adolescent Transitional Program
Silver Hill's new Adolescent Transitional Living Program provides highly structured, intensive residential treatment for adolescents who are ready for more behavioral and psychological interventions. The program is designed to help adolescents continue their recovery process until they are ready to return home for further community-based treatment.
Treatment interventions include various forms of group and individual therapy and often medication. A school program takes place on weekdays. Families are required to participate in the weekly family group meeting.
The core behavioral treatment component of the program is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Skills training groups and coaching is used to teach patients to replace dysfunctional coping strategies with effective strategies. Patients learn the skills necessary to regulate emotions, avoid self-destructive behaviors and improve interpersonal relationships.
For adolescents with a dual diagnosis of both a psychiatric and substance use disorder, a rigorous, abstinence-based drug rehabilitation program is part of the treatment experience. The program includes education about drug use, 12-Step meetings and relapse prevention strategies to increase the likelihood of continued abstinence. During leisure period, the adolescents are supervised by a recreation therapist. In addition, a horticultural therapist engages adolescents in horticultural activities to reduce stress, improve self-confidence and enhance self-esteem. Adolescents in the Transitional Living Program also work with an art therapist to express emotions and increase self-awareness.
Many of the adolescents treated in Silver Hill Hospital's Adolescent Residential Transitional Living Program have also struggled with learning challenges prior to entering the program. As part of our program we evaluate each adolescent's learning characteristics and provide a written "roadmap" to guide future educational directions. This roadmap provides a clear understanding of the adolescent's learning profile and learning differences and helps parents advocate for appropriate future educational services and/or accommodations if needed.
For this service we are collaborating with education specialists from Greenwich Education and Prep's Center for Specialized Learning Services. Greenwich Education and Prep will review each adolescent's academic records. If psychoeducational or neuropsychological evaluations have already been completed, the results are analyzed and the team determines if further academic evaluation is needed. If appropriate, the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test – 3rd Edition is administered. If needed additional specific tests of written language, written comprehension, word reading efficiency and a math diagnostic assessment will be administered. The review of the academic records and results of new testing provides the information needed to create the academic roadmap, a written document that will be provided at the end of each patient's stay in the residential treatment program. These services are provided at no additional cost.
Based on this initial assessment, if the educational specialists determine that a full neuropsychological evaluation needs to be conducted, appropriate referrals are made. Greenwich Education and Prep manages this process and the goal is to complete the neuropsychological evaluation by the end of the adolescent's treatment at Silver Hill. This additional service option is not included in the cost of treatment; however, most insurance plans provide coverage for this evaluation. Greenwich Education and Prep works with parents to help facilitate insurance reimbursement.
Please use these links to view the Transitional Living Program daily schedule for the Dialectical Behavior Therapy or Dual Diagnosis track.
Family Involvement
At Silver Hill Hospital, we recognize that the entire family can be affected when one family member suffers from mental illness and/or becomes addicted to a drug or alcohol. We help families learn about the patient's illness, support the patient's recovery after discharge and preserve the stability and integrity of their own lives. Families participate in a weekly series of educational and group discussions. They also have individual meetings with the patient's psychiatrist and social worker. Family meetings typically include parents and may include siblings, if appropriate.
Parents are also encouraged to participate in the monthly family program. This program provides education about the adolescent brain and emotional development and also gives teens and their families the opportunity to reflect on family relationships through supportive, non-confrontational exercises and learn about family roles and dynamics to improve communication.
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