Persistent Psychiatric Disorders
This program is designed for persons who have severe or chronic psychiatric disorders.  Guidance and stability, so important to residents as they progress toward independence, are the hallmarks of this program.  Length of stay in this unit can range from weeks to months, depending on treatment needs. 
 
Group therapy is an important component of this program.  Medication supervision and crisis intervention are available 24 hours a day.  A board certified psychiatrist provides oversight for the program.  Patients participate in a variety of cooperative activities necessary to help keep the house in order and prepare daily meals.  These include decision making about daily life, food shopping, menu preparation, cooking, management of time and resources and housekeeping.   Support and encouragement are offered to help residents gradually develop self confidence, independent living skills and hope for the future. 

Many patients in this program also participate in a “clubhouse model” program in nearby Stamford, at Laurel House. This provides additional opportunities for social integration and skill building.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Program for
Personality Disorders
DBT is a highly structured form of behavioral therapy that teaches patients the skills necessary to regulate emotions, control self-destructive behaviors and improve interpersonal relations. It was developed for patients with severe personality disorders, including borderline personality disorders.

Our Residential DBT Program, one of the very few such programs in the country, is for patients with a demonstrated history of poor emotional control, impulsivity, self-damaging behaviors and interpersonal disorganization . It is a highly structured, intensive program for patients who do not need close inpatient supervision but are not able to manage successfully in an outpatient setting.

Our specialized, DBT-trained team consists of psychiatrists, social workers, nurses and counselors. Treatment focuses on DBT skills training groups and coaching that teach patients how to better regulate their emotions and how to replace dysfunctional coping strategies with more adaptive behaviors.

As with our other Transitional Living Programs the entire array of services at Silver Hill are available to patients as needed. However, our focus on the residential setting, under the 24-hour supervision of trained residential counselors, offers the unusual opportunity to practice skills learned during the day throughout the rest of the patients waking hours.

Eating Disorders
The Eating Disorder Program gives patients autonomous control over abnormal eating behaviors.  Treatment includes comprehensive evaluation and a program that emphasizes individual control of problem behaviors. 
 
The treatment program uses a combination of cognitive, behavioral and psychological techniques.  Supervised meals, which emphasize the development of new eating patterns, are a key part of the program.  If patients have substance use disorders or another psychiatric disorder in addition to an eating disorder, the patient’s treatment plan will be modified to include all such disorders.
 
Adult patients can participate in the Eating Disorders Program as part of the residential Transitional Living Program.