Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Services

A child’s emotional problems can surface in a number of areas such as school performance, home behavior, and peer relations. What may begin as a “stage” can turn into disruptive, counterproductive or even dangerous behavior. Highly trained child and adolescent psychiatrists, social workers, psychologists, Licensed Professional Counselors, and experienced nursing staff provide each child with an individualized evaluation and treatment in the setting least disruptive to the lives of the child and family.

Child & Adolescent Outpatient Program

The Child & Adolescent Outpatient Clinic serves children and adolescents up to age 18 years old with emotional and behavioral disorders including ADHD, anxiety, mood, and adjustment disorders. The Child and Adolescent Outpatient Clinic offers children, adolescents and their parents a wide range of mental health treatment options in a less restrictive outpatient setting.

Learn more about our Outpatient Program

Additional outpatient programs:

• Children's Day Treatment Programs (STAR)
• Project Rex helps families deal with children on the autism spectrum.
• Synchronous Health: MUSC has partnered with Synchronous Health to deliver virtual behavioral health counseling sessions with licensed mental health providers for children aged six and older.

Child & Adolescent Inpatient Program

The inpatient program at the Institute of Psychiatry provides brief crisis stabilization of children (5 to 17) with severe emotional disorders. Youth in crisis situations who are a risk to themselves or others learn new skills to better cope at home after discharge. The treatment team works closely with the family and outpatient providers and community agencies in order to ensure a smooth transition back to the community.

Who Will Be Taking Care of Your Child or Adolescent?

Each child is treated and evaluated by a team that consists of an attending child psychiatrist, a resident psychiatrist, a clinical social worker, nursing staff members, a special education teacher, and other medical and therapeutic people. We are a teaching hospital, and one of our missions is to provide training, so your child will also be talking with supervised student and resident physicians, nurses, and others. Your child's treatment team includes:

• Social Workers/Family Therapists (843-792-0120 or 843-792-0135): Julia Schrecker, MSW or Mary Lou Shoemaker, MSW
• Resident Psychiatrist or Child Psychiatry Fellow (843-792-0120)

What is Included in the Evaluation &Treatment Process?

Initial evaluation by team members who will interview the patient and the parent(s)/caregiver. It is ideal to have a parent/caregiver at the initial interview, but if one cannot be present, they will be contacted by phone.

Daily evaluation and treatment planning by the treatment team, which may include individual time with the patient; review of progress, goal-work, and participation throughout each day; assessment and treatment of any medical needs (including any medication recommendations to be made to parents), discussion of any other specific treatment needs including arrangements for follow-up treatment; and planning for involvement of the family/caregiver.

Daily activities on the unit, which involve daily goal-setting; individual discussion time with staff members; group therapies focused on teaching personal awareness and learning coping skills; recreational and activity therapies; school time; and quiet time to work on personal tasks and goals.

Family or caregiver involvement that may occur through phone calls, brief discussions on the unit, or planned family therapy times with treatment team members.

Phone Calls

Call 843-792-0120 to reach your child. Patients are able to make or receive phone calls when they are not in an activity or a group. We welcome daily phone contact with a child's main family members, however, because we are treatment-focused, we do not include friends/peers on the call list.

Visiting Hours

Monday through Friday
12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
4 to 6 p.m.

Saturday, Sunday, and Holidays
12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Visiting Guidelines: We do encourage visitors. However, because of the short time our patients are here and due to confidentiality, we ask that only immediate family members, (but no one younger than 6), other caregivers, outpatient counselors, or pastors be on the visitor list. We ask that there be no more than two adult visitors and two child visitors on the unit at a time and that each child visitor be closely supervised by one adult visitor. (If other arrangements are needed as far as time to visit or number of children with the adult, let the charge nurse or social worker know so other plans can be made.)

Patient Privacy

We protect patient privacy with a confidentiality number. This number will be assigned at check in and must be used by anyone who wants to phone or visit the patient. The parent or guardian is given this number and can choose whomever else they want to have it. Communication with any agency staff outside of our hospital will be done only with parent permission unless required otherwise by law.

Patient Safety

We protect patient safety by checking any items brought on the unit, keeping a close watch on our patients at the level that matches their condition, and intervening calmly and quickly if needed in order to ensure the safety of all people on the unit.

For safety reasons, all personal items must be examined first by our unit staff, and we will do an initial check-in that screens for non-allowed items. We do not allow any potentially sharp items, electronic items, or expensive personal items on the unit, and we ask that patients wear clothing that is modest and does not have any inappropriate themes. We also ask that no food, candy/gum, or nicotine be brought to the patient, as we will supply meals and snacks.

Frequently asked questions about youth inpatient services.