St. John's Mercy Children's Hospital is committed to promoting and restoring
the mental health needs of children and adolescents
and their families. We have a variety of services including
inpatient, outpatient day program,
and outpatient services and educational programs. We
are one of the few hospitals in the community to provide
board eligible/certified child
and adolescent psychiatrists who are instrumental in
all levels of care for the children and adolescents
that we serve.
Our services include:
- Intake Department that operates
24 hours a day. Please call 314-251-6565.
- Assessment
- Group therapy
- Individual therapy
- Family therapy
- Parenting education
- Board certified adolescent psychiatrist for
medication management if needed.
- Certified advanced
practice nurse
- ADHD Evaluations
Outpatient Services:
St. John's Mercy operates two office locations that
provide individual appointments with board certified adolescent
psychiatrists and an advance practice nurse for assessments and
medication management. The Family Therapy office provides individual
appointments with psychologists and therapists. One of the offices
is located on the main campus at St. John's Mercy Medical Center
and the other is located at the outpatient facility at 970 Executive
Parkway.
Day Program:
The Child and Adolescent Day Program offers a family-centered
intensive approach to treating behavioral and emotional
illnesses that are unresponsive to outpatient treatment and do not
require inpatient care for 24 hour supervision for safety. Day Program
may also be used for patients as a step down from inpatient treatment.
The
Day Program accepts children and adolescents between
the ages of 6 and 17 who are able to participate in
programming. An initial assessment will be completed by a board certified
adolescent psychiatrist and an individualized treatment plan developed
by a multidisciplinary team that includes a therapist, registered
nurse, and teacher. The treatment team is led by the psychiatrist.
The
philosophy of the program is that every child's family
environment is the most important factor of their treatment.
Family sessions therefore, are scheduled as part of every child's
treatment plan. Active participation of the parents is expected as
well as regular communication through daily feedback forms.
The Day
Program consists of group therapies and didactic education
groups to further assess the individual's strengths
and difficulties and to provide a supportive environment
for productive peer problem-solving and skill building.
The need for medication will be assessed by the attending
psychiatrist and monitored by the psychiatrist and
registered nurse during the admission. Length of stay
varies and is based on the individual situation, but
is generally one to three weeks and continutation of
care would be transitioned to the family outpatient therapist and
psychiatrist at discharge.
Inpatient Services:
The inpatient unit serves patients from the ages of
5 to 17 who meet medically necessity for this level
of care. To meet medical necessity for inpatient care,
an imminent safety risk must be present that requires
24 hour care. The inpatient treatment team is led by
the psychiatrist, and other team members include
a pediatrician, social worker, registered nurses, psychiatric technicians,
teacher and recreational therapists.
Family involvement is critical
and an expectation of the treatment team. A family
meeting is scheduled within 48 hours of admission.
The goal of inpatient treatment is stabilization of
the acute crisis and transition to a lesser level of
care. Average length of stay is four to five days.
For additional information or to access any of the
services, please contact the Intake Department at 314-251-6565.
