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Clinical Services |
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Residency & Fellowship Programs > Psychiatry > Clinical Services |
The UVM Department of Psychiatry faculty teach, conduct research, and provide clinical care in a variety of settings as listed below. The Department is an active collaborator with a number of other health systems, including the Vermont Department of Mental Health, and a variety of community-based services in mental health and substance abuse.
Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families
Inpatient Psychiatry (Admissions: 802 847-5069)
Fletcher Allen Health Care serves as the tertiary center in northern Vermont and New York for the management of acute psychiatric problems requiring inpatient treatment. Approximately 700-800 patients are admitted each year to the Inpatient Psychiatry Unit, a newly built, smoke-free facility comprised of 28 beds distributed on two floors, one locked and one open.
The clinical model is one geared towards diagnosis and crisis stabilization, using individualized multidisciplinary treatment planning in the least restrictive and least intensive setting necessary for appropriate care. The unit’s philosophy emphasizes the importance of instilling hope and decreasing shame by providing care in a friendly, welcoming, and supportive atmosphere.
The provision of care is organized around an experienced and dynamic multidisciplinary team comprised of attending psychiatrists, psychiatry residents, a physician assistant, psychiatric social workers, psychiatric nurses (RN’s and LNAs), Activity Therapists, Mental Health Technicians and Chaplains. The multidisciplinary team is intricately organized around our educational mission. We strongly believe in the active involvement and accountability of the psychiatry residents, medical students, nursing students, and social work interns in the care of the patients.
Therapeutic interventions take different forms, depending on the individual need: psycho-pharmacology; family meetings; electroconvulsive therapy; and a variety of group and individual psychotherapies, including supportive psychotherapy, psycho-education, insight oriented psychotherapy, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), mindfulness, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The inpatient service at FAHC does not provide extensive rehabilitation or extended safe housing. The inpatient level of care seldom eliminates all symptoms and disability, but it does prepare patients to continue treatment after discharge. Inpatient referrals can be made at 802-847-5069.
Seneca Center provides comprehensive evaluation and evidence-based treatment for patients experiencing moderate to severe exacerbations of mood and anxiety disorders, adjustment disorders, and personality disorders that interfere with daily functioning. Treatment is flexible according to each individual’s need and is offered at three levels of care: partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient treatment, and an outpatient mood and anxiety disorders clinic. Individuals referred for treatment receive a full psychosocial and medical evaluation for diagnostic clarification and triage of care. Care is guided by individualized treatment planning with a multidisciplinary team of master’s level clinicians, a psychiatrist, and the clinical director. Treatment is empirically-based using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), mindfulness meditation, and psychopharmacologic intervention. Progress is tracked using patient- and clinician- rating scales. All programs are located on the 6th floor of the University Health Center Campus in a beautifully remodeled facility with four group-treatment rooms, individual office space, and comfortable waiting areas. To make a referral, please call 802-847-3333.
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
This is the highest level of care offered at Seneca and is appropriate for individuals experiencing severe exacerbations of psychiatric conditions that warrant intensive treatment and case management but do not necessitate inpatient hospitalization. Individuals may be referred by their community providers in an attempt to divert hospitalization or by the hospital as "step down" of care into the community. Participants receive 5-6 hours of treatment per day, including CBT- and DBT-based group psychotherapy and skills training, individual case management, and pharmacotherapy. The goals of treatment include crisis stabilization and an introduction to coping skills designed to improve functioning. The average length of stay in the PHP is 2-3 weeks, with most patients transferring to the Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) before returning to their community provider.
Intensive Outpatient Treatment (IOP)
This program offers mid-level care for individuals experiencing a moderate increase in psychiatric symptoms such that standard outpatient care is insufficient to make progress. Individuals are referred by their community providers and receive three hours of treatment per day, including CBT- and DBT-based group psychotherapy, individual coping skills training, and pharmacologic management. Goals of treatment include restoration of previous level of functioning and acquisition of coping skills to improve functioning. The average length of stay in IOP is 2-3 weeks, after which participants return to their referring provider.
Mood and Anxiety Disorder Clinic
This is a newly developed, evidence-based, time-limited clinic designed to treat mood and anxiety disorders of moderate severity via weekly group CBT; weekly individual therapy emphasizing CBT, mindfulness practice, and skills training; and medication management. Ideal candidates include individuals who are striving to maintain their baseline level of functioning, are flexible in their coping strategies, are abstinent from controlled substances and alcohol, and are motivated to engage in treatment for at least 3 months. Community providers can make referrals by calling (802) 847-3333.
Individuals referred for treatment receive a full psychosocial and medical evaluation for diagnostic clarification and triage of care. Those deemed appropriate for the clinic begin a 12 week program consisting of 2-3 hours of therapy per week and medication management as needed. After completion of the program, clients return to their referring provider for ongoing care.
Commonly encountered diagnoses include major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, OCD, panic disorder, and PTSD. On average, patients’ anxiety and depressive symptoms decrease by 50% and 70%, respectively, over a three month period, making this clinic a highly rewarding experience for both patients and practitioners.
Crisis Services (802 488-6400)
The Crisis Service of Chittenden County (CSCC) operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, providing crisis assessment of patients and families in conjunction with the Emergency Services staff. CSCC assesses the safety and disposition of acutely psychotic and suicidal patients, serves as a liaison to community resources, and provides consultation to health professionals within the local community mental health center. For Crisis Services, please call 802-488-6400.
The Vermont Center for Children, Youth and Families (802 656-1084)
The Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families brings together faculty, staff and trainees from psychiatry, psychology, social work, nursing, and genetics to help children and families with psychiatric illness. Services include our Pediatric Psychiatry Clinic and the Vermont Child Initiative Program. For more information, please view our website or call (802) 656-1084.
The Department of Psychiatry offers a broad range of services for substance abuse treatment in three practice sites: two outpatient facilities located on the University Health Center Campus and a residential facility located in Underhill, VT. DayOne is the Fletcher Allen Health Care outpatient clinic for substance use and co-occurring disorders. The program provides screening, assessment, treatment and referral for addictions. Utilizing a team approach with licensed master-level clinicians and an addiction psychiatrist, an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), group counseling, individual counseling, psychiatric services and psychopharmacology. The Substance Abuse Treatment Center offers free, confidential, state-of-the-art cocaine, heroin, and other drug treatment in the context of a research clinic. Faculty include an addictions psychiatrist, an addiction medicine family practice physician, and doctorate-level psychologist investigators. Maple Leaf Farm is one of the oldest residential treatment programs in the country, emphasizing twelve-step methods, family therapy, and education in both group and individual formats. For more information, please call Day One at 802-847-3333; the SATC at 802-656-8714, or Maple Leaf Farm at 802-899-2911.
Psychiatric Consultation Service (802 847-4727)
The Psychiatric Consultation Service (PCS) is an active inpatient service providing nearly all of the psychiatric consultations at the Medical Center Campus. The consultation service is staffed by three attendings, a psychiatric social worker and a resident assisted by medical students. This service can be reached for inpatient consultations only at 802-847-4727.
Adult Outpatient Psychiatry (802 847-4560)
The Department of Psychiatry offers a broad range of outpatient psychiatric services for individuals suffering from mood and anxiety disorders, ADHD, neurodegenerative disorders, chronic pain, adjustment disorders, and bereavement. All clinics are located on the University Health Center Campus and are staffed by fulltime faculty and psychiatry residents with the University of Vermont. For more information about psychiatric outpatient services, please call 802-847-4560.
The Psychopharmacology Clinic is a consulatative service to the area's family physicians, internists, psychiatrists, and other physicians seeking expert guidance on the diagnosis and management of mood, anxiety, and attention-deficit disorders, as well as a variety of other conditions. The clinic, which is staffed by attending psychiatrists and advanced psychiatric residents, provides comprehensive diagnostic assessment and individualized treatment planning, as well as short-term follow-up care as needed.
The Geriatric Psychiatry Clinic is affiliated with the FAHC Memory Center and the Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit, providing assessment and treatment of elderly patients with affective and anxiety disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, late-life psychotic disorders, and other mental disorders of old age. Individuals referred to the Geriatric Psychiatry Clinic are evaluated and treated by a psychiatric resident and/or board-certified geriatric psychiatrist. This clinic serves as both a consultative and treatment resource as well as a teaching clinic for psychiatry residents and medical students.
The Memory Center provides comprehensive assessment and treatment of patients with a variety of neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. Individuals referred to the Memory Center are evaluated by a multidisciplinary team who coordinate individualized treatment planning with the patient, his/her family, and the primary care physician. Potential participation in clinical research studies of novel agents for the treatment of dementia is offered.
provides evaluation and consultation for challenging diagnostic conditions and therapeutic problems in a number of Chittenden County long-term care facilities as well as providing consultation via telemedicine for facilities outside of the area. This program is run in collaboration with the Howard Center for Human Services Eldercare programThe Nursing Home Consultation Service
The Psychotherapy Clinic offers individual, group, and family or couples therapy provided by master’s level clinicians and psychiatry residents supervised by either doctoral-level psychologists or psychiatrists. Psychotherapy is also offered in family practice settings under the Primary Care Behavioral Health Program.
The MindBody Medicine Clinic (MBMC) specializes in the management of chronic pain, bereavement and trauma issues. MBMC offers two 12-week group therapy programs: Management of Chronic Pain and Bereavement & Depression Program, both utilizing cognitive behavioral techniques enabling patients to relax, transform negative thought patterns, express emotions, and develop strong social support. For more information, please see our website or call (802) 847-2673.
