Inpatient Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Services 

Children and adolescents experience many physical and emotional changes. But for some, life becomes overwhelming due to underlying depression, family conflicts or reaction to stress, trauma or abuse. Fairmount offers inpatient child and adolescent psychiatric services, as well as adolescent inpatient drug treatment. We assist children and adolescents in developing coping skills and building self-esteem to be able to return home and back to school. Youngsters of kindergarten age through teenage years are treated in designated services; children as well as adolescent males and females are on separate and secure units. The newly renovated facility is located behind our main hospital overlooking Fairmount Park. It includes a school, new play yards and access to a full service gymnasium. Fairmount is recognized among the leading mental health clinics in Pennsylvania from Pittsburgh, to Harrisburg, to Philadelphia.

The Child/Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatric Service is a specialized level of care designed to meet the needs of children and adolescents, 5 to 17 years of age, with psychiatric disorders. The service is located in two sections of the campus: the Child/Adolescent Building, and the D/E unit wing of the newly constructed section.

In the Child/Adolescent Building, we have three units, serving 15 children (A-Pod), 11 adolescent males (B-Pod), and 10 co-ed pre-adolescents (C-Pod). The building is separate from the rest of the hospital, with bright, high-ceilinged space and colorful murals decorating the common areas. There are two separate, secure play areas for children and adolescents attached to the building; school and gym activities take place in the main hospital building. Dining services take place in the newly constructed cafeteria, which is exclusive to the child/adolescent population. In 2010, we made several Physical plant upgrades to this space, including renovations of the galley, flooring in the living pods, painting of the pods and bathrooms, numerous bathroom repairs, painting of the exterior building, and a renovated playground space for the children's unit.

The newly constructed adolescent wing houses two units, both of which serve adolescent girls. This unit boasts modern construction and ample group therapy/activity space, as well as a new classroom for school. Beginning in 2011, the program will utilize Gender Responsive and Trauma Informed Treatment based on the CORE© Training/Curriculum Program, making Fairmount's girls services a model of best practice for the Delaware Valley.
Our treatment program includes the following:

• Psychiatric Evaluation

• Psychosocial Assessment

• Nursing Assessment

• History and Physical Exam

• Medical/Surgical Consults

• Dietary Consults

• Psychological Screening and/or Testing (by consult)

• Individual/Family/Group Therapy

• Academic Instruction- 1 hour each day by a teacher who also coordinates with the child’s school counselor

• Neuropsychological Evaluation (by consult)

• Diagnostic Testing: Lab, X-ray, EKG/EEG, MRI, CT, etc. (as indicated)

• Therapeutic Recreation/Gym

• Continuing Care Planning

• Dental Services

• Psychopharmacology

• Education Assessment

• Speech, Language and Hearing Testing (by consult)

• Developmental History

Often, children require adjunctive therapies or other modalities to most effectively communicate and express themselves. Our Allied Therapy program provides the patient with optional avenues for expression and fosters group interaction. Professionals who are specially trained in music, art, dance/movement and recreational therapies staff the Allied Therapy Program at Fairmount. Two Allied Therapy groups are incorporated into each treatment day.

Family involvement (which may include the extended family in some circumstances) is critical to the success of the patient's treatment process. To this goal, our dedicated treatment team will include the following to insure that families receive the necessary support and education:

• Family Therapy – Facilitated as indicated by the case manager, social worker or attending psychiatrist to foster communication skills, cohesion and adaptability between the youth and his caretakers.
   

• Parent Education and Support Group (Fairmount F.O.C.U.S.) – This is a psycho-educational multifamily group designed for child/adolescent patients and the families/support systems to build healthier relationships through discussions, activities, and art and movement therapy. The goal for the FOCUS group is to provide disease and medication specific knowledge; facilitate effective parent child/teen interaction styles; provide resources, services and support systems in the community; and emphasizes the importance of finding time for self, parents and partners. Parents are encouraged to support one another and to take a more active role in their child's mental health care. Children and adolescents are encouraged to maintain age appropriate responsibility for managing the effects of their disease on thoughts, behaviors and feelings.
   

Download Documents:

Treatment Schedule - Children's Program

Treatment Schedule - Adolescent Program

Fairmount F.O.C.U.S. Brochure
Frequently Asked Questions

Program Contact Information - click here