In response to increasing community need, SMHC is expanding our Young Children’s inpatient program to 52 beds, a project to be completed this August. Before the expansion, our inpatient facility provided treatment for more than one thousand school-aged children and adolescents annually — and still 136 children had to be turned away last year because of too few beds. Each of those 136 calls represented a child in urgent need of psychiatric care. The need for services is growing, and SMHC is growing to meet that need. With a legacy of service reaching back to 1886, Southwest Mental Health Center today is the only nonprofit children's psychiatric hospital in South Texas.

Specific services include:

• Highly structured environment
• Treatment for depression, bipolar disorder, trauma-based disorders, ADHD, and most DSM-IV disorders
• 24-Hour care by specially trained nurses
• Psychiatric evaluation by board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrists
• Individual and family therapy
• Group therapy
• Psycho-educational groups (information on diagnosis, treatment,
      medication, dispositions)
• Educational program (Northside ISD school on campus with special    education-certified instructors)
• Behavioral management
• Therapeutic recreation program (indoor and outdoor activities)
• Case management and discharge planning
• ROPES course
• Youth-friendly campus with swimming pool, playground, sports court and green space

Interdisciplinary team approach
SMHC uses an interdisciplinary approach to treating mental illness in children and adolescents. Specialists work together to plan treatment methods, monitor effectiveness and evaluate progress. This team approach offers a low staff to patient ratio of 1:3. This means your physicians, nurses, therapists and others involved with the care of your child are together under one roof, which improves interaction and exchange of information. The team also coordinates care with the outpatient therapist for intake, discharge, and aftercare plans. The result is better patient care and treatment.

How to access services
Qualified mental health professionals are available 24 hours / 7 days a week to discuss treatment options, provide confidential crisis intervention, and to assist in determining the most appropriate level of care. For further information, please contact Intake at 210-616-0300.

For referrals Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., please contact Christina Hankins, LMSW, Director of Admissions & Social Services, at 210-616-0300 or christina.hankins@smhc.org.