Child and Adolescent Services

When a child or adolescent suffers from a psychiatric illness or substance misuse, his or her needs may be very complex. Families often do not know where to turn for help. At St. Vincent’s, we provide individualized care with the goal of helping the child achieve a happier and healthier life. We attempt to address children’s needs in a way that is the least disruptive and most therapeutic to their daily lives.

Our multidisciplinary staff combines experience, expertise and caring to help children and families through the immediate effects of an illness and beyond. We offer inpatient and outpatient services designed to restore and improve the capacity of children and adolescents to master the complex tasks of growth and development. We are available whenever your family needs us, 24 hours a day.

Mental Health Services

St. Vincent’s Westchester offers a full range of mental health treatment services for children and adolescents. Treatment begins with a comprehensive evaluation so we can develop an individualized care plan. Our multidisciplinary clinical staff offers individual, group and family therapy and medication management when indicated.

Our resources include:

• Emergency and walk-in evaluations
• Outpatient mental health services for children and families
• Full day treatment program for adolescents, including on-site school and academic tutoring
• Intensive after-school outpatient programs
• Addiction treatment
• Medication management
• Inpatient hospitalization for children 13 and older
• Acute and crisis stabilization care

At each step in the child’s recovery process, we maintain close contact with family members, pediatricians, other primary care doctors, and school personnel, as appropriate.

Outpatient Child and Adolescent Service

Medication management, individual and family therapy for children ages 5 and older at our Harrison campus and at the St. Vincent's Behavioral Health Center in White Plains. 

Adolescent Partial Hospital Program

The Adolescent Partial Hospital Program offers short-term, intensive treatment for adolescents with serious psychiatric difficulties. The program is designed to prevent psychiatric hospitalizations or re-hospitalizations.

Treatment services include:

• Group therapy for social, behavioral, and emotional rehabilitation
  
• Individual and family therapy
• Medication management
• Discharge planning
• School instruction during the school year 

ENCOMPASS

St. Vincent’s is among a group of providers in Westchester County offering  ENCOMPASS, an evidence-based program designed to address the needs of adolescents and young adults with mental health challenges and substance misuse issues. It is estimated that more than 60% of adolescents with substance misuse disorders have a co-occurring mental health problem.

ENCOMPASS offers 12-16 weeks of individual, weekly Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), motivational incentives to reinforce abstinence from substance use, and medication management with a psychiatrist if appropriate. Participants in the program have been shown to have significant reductions in psychiatric symptoms and substance use.

The program was developed through collaboration between the harris project, the Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health, WMC Health, Family Services of Westchester and the University of Colorado.  A goal of ENCOMPASS is to create an integrated system of treatment for mental health and addiction issues.

Inpatient Adolescent Unit

Adolescents ages 13 to 18 receive comprehensive assessment and treatment in a structured environment. The staff helps patients to identify problematic behaviors and make adaptive changes. The treatment philosophy is based on five foundations: safety, responsibility, participation, social skills and respect.