St. Vincent's Services

Mental Health Services

St. Vincent's Services is one of the few foster care agencies in New York City to operate a full service mental health clinic under its auspices. Licensed by the State Office of Mental Health, the clinic treats approximately 400 children and 150 caregivers each month. One quarter of the children treated are in family foster care at St. Vincent's, the balance are in foster care with other agencies which lack their own mental health services, or they are referred by hospitals, schools, and other community agencies. For the children residing in our Group Homes, we provide mental health services at our main facility. At SVS's Mental Health Center, the treatment provided is "holistic," a term which refers to the treatment of both the mind and body, To that end, a variety of therapies are utilized including crisis intervention, individual, family, and group psychotherapy, and pharmaco (drug) therapy when required. Because a child's life is so intertwined with that of his caregiver - either foster or natural parent - ongoing conferencing with the care giver is a critical part of the treatment plan. The spectrum of problems presented by the children seen at the clinic is broad. Frequently these children have experienced physical and psychological abuse - one or both parents may be substance abusers. Consequently, the children may have been born with drugs in their systems or fetal alcohol syndrome. Many have never had a close or stable family relationship, and because they may have languished in the foster care system for years, they sometimes perceive themselves as "throwaways". Some of the more common symptoms the younger children display are attention deficit problems or hyperactivity. Adolescents may be defiant or anxious, abusing drugs and/or alcohol, and having problems dealing with family expectations, Many of the children are depressed.

A child first comes to the clinic by a number of different routes which can include his primary care giver, teacher, doctor, the Agency for Children's Services, his foster worker, or the court system. At the clinic, an assessment is done which includes taking the child's history, and then proceeds to formulating a diagnosis and prognosis. Following this process, an individualized treatment plan is developed by the full treatment team consisting of a psychiatrist, social worker, psychologist, as well as any specialist that may be needed. While many treatment plans cover six months to a year, some problems are extensive enough to require longer term therapy. For example, therapeutic intervention for difficult family reunification often involves longer term treatment. St. Vincent's Services Mental Health Clinic is fortunate to have a multi-cultural, multi-lingual staff which consists of psychiatrists, psychologist, and social workers.

In addition to English, the psychiatrists speak a variety of languages including Spanish, French-Creole, African, Philippine, and Yiddish. The staff includes therapists who are specially trained in alcoholism or substance abuse. Monthly workshops on diverse topics (post-traumatic stress, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, and sexual abuse, among others) are frequently scheduled. So that the staff may better understand their needs, patients are aided to complete satisfaction survey forms.

Although 95% of SVS's mental health clients are adults and their caregivers, the clinic is open to adults in the community. These children are referred by hospitals, community agencies, managed care companies, and employee assistance programs, some come with no referral. If a patient fails to meet admissions criteria, he is referred to a suitable treatment center. Because of its broad level of expertise, the SVS Mental Health Clinic is able to treat patients with all mental disorders except those who are developmentally disabled or in an active psychotic state where hospitalization is mandated. The clinic is open Monday through Saturday, but provides Sunday and after hours access through a 24 hour switchboard. Three senior staff members are accessible by beeper, and in an emergency, response is almost immediate. Geographically situated near all forms of public transportation, the clinic is wheelchair accessible.