Children and Adolescent Services

Admission

A child or adolescent may be referred to Alliance by various referral sources, such as a parent, pediatrician, hospital, school, judge or state agency. Admissions are accepted 24 hours a day by calling the assessment and referral department at (601) 483-6211 or (877) 853-3094. After 5 p.m. and on weekends, ask for the clinician on call. Prior to admission, each patient receives a complete physical examination. It is important for Alliance Health Center to be informed of any medication the patient may be taking.

Our Staff

Our dedicated staff, comprised of an experienced psychiatrist, nurse practitioner, technicians, nurses, case workers, recreation therapists and certified educators, work together to determine the form of treatment appropriate for a child or adolescent experiencing difficulties.

A Family Approach to Therapy

One troubled family member often means a family in crisis. Our family therapy brings new insights and solutions to the entire family. In addition, individual family counseling offers an opportunity for in-depth discussion and the healing of relationships.

The Education Program

An education specialist is on staff year-round to make sure that each patient is able to maintain school studies during treatment. Daily tutoring ensures that education continues with minimal disruption. During the summer months, pre-testing is conducted in the areas of reading, language and math to determine strengths and weaknesses.

Activity Therapy

Activity therapy is another integral part of the overall program, and includes arts, crafts, physical fitness and recreational activities. Basketball and volleyball allow full enjoyment of the outdoors. Activity therapy is beneficial in exposing adolescents to a variety of wholesome, healthy experiences.

Children's Services

The children's unit at Alliance Health Center is a place specially designed for children ages 4-12 who are experiencing mild to serious behavioral and emotional problems. Our goal is to provide an understanding of the behavior that brought them into treatment, provide a treatment plan that addresses the child's individual needs and, when appropriate, return them to a home setting in which the entire family is working toward a goal of improved interaction. For those children who need ongoing treatment, Alliance will assist in finding placement in a supportive long-term care facility.

Alliance's children's program is based on the premise that children with psychiatric problems can best be helped through a partnership between the attending physician, the unit staff, the patient and the patient's family. Through a structured, balanced and supportive program of diagnosis and short-term therapy, we offer individualized inpatient treatment and after-care.

Behavioral difficulties are often rooted in crisis, trauma or emotional conflict in a child's life. A 5-year-old dealing with his or her parents' divorce may act out, becoming overly aggressive, or verbally and physically abusive. A 9-year-old who feels neglected may become depressed or even suicidal. Withdrawal, moodiness, hyperactivity, sleeping or eating disorders, poor attention span, and certain phobias are among the other symptoms troubled children may exhibit.

Children's Treatment Program

Alliance's comprehensive program provides treatment for such diagnoses as attention deficit disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, anxiety disorder, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychosis, disorder, developmentally delayed, parent/child problems, adjustment disorders, elimination disorders, and children of parents with mental disorders or substance abuse.

During diagnosis and evaluation, information is obtained and assessments are made through formal evaluation and informal observation that provide an in-depth understanding of the child's history. The treatment team is able to create a plan that specifically addresses the child's needs. Components may include individual, group, activity, family and play therapy. Within these structured activities, specific areas that the children are working on include handling anger, accepting responsibility and developing life skills.

On a daily basis, each child's progress toward the desired goals is evaluated. And, on a weekly basis, a formal staffing is held, at which time the treatment team assesses the plan for the coming week. Frequent calls to the family and/or referral source will provide updates on the child's progress.

Typically, the assessment includes a hospital stay of 10-30 days, with two weeks being the average.

Adolescent Services

At Alliance, we know that adolescents have unique psychological and emotional needs, and they view therapy and treatment differently. So we've created a place that's just for them, a place staffed by caring, highly skilled professionals who want to work with young people, and who are trained to meet the needs of 13-18-year-olds experiencing behavioral problems, mental and emotional disorders, or substance abuse.

Our goal is to help each young person break the cycle of depression, rebellion or chemical dependency through inpatient treatment in a carefully structured, thoroughly supportive environment. Consistency is very important for adolescents. It's important that they know what to expect so they can feel comfortable with every aspect of treatment. Since treatment is tailored to each individual, length of the program may vary. Alliance inpatient care is focused around intensive initial therapy, followed by supportive after-care.

Vital to the success of the adolescent program at Alliance are several essential components: a complete initial assessment; activity therapy; an on-site education program; family involvement; individualized therapy; intensive evalutaion, including psychiatric, psychosocial, and physical assessment; discharge planning, which includes referral sources; and follow-up communiciation with referring professionals.

In addition to individual counseling, adolescents are involved in a number of group therapies designed to cover the full range of issues they may be facing. For instance, in process groups, teens learn conflict resolution and anger management skills. Focus groups follow a psycho-educational approach to handling a variety of subjects such as communication, peer pressure and stress.

The Jason Foundation

Founded in 1997 after the loss of the founder's son Jason, The Jason Foundation has declared its mission to help educate parents, teachers, youth workers and especially youth on the silent epidemic of youth suicide. Through this education and awareness, a movement of suicide prevention has begun.

For more information, visit the foundation online at jasonfoundation.com.