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ACUTE HOSPITAL
SERVICES FOR CHILDREN
Child
Assessment Unit
Adolescent Assessment Unit
CHA is proud
to provide expert, acute psychiatric care for children and teens
at its CHA Cambridge hospital campus.
Our patients
have a wide range of diagnoses including PTSD, ADHD, mood disorders,
psychotic disorders, substance abuse, and disruptive disorders.
Our goals are to provide a comprehensive assessment of children,
to understand their needs, and to provide short-term treatment and
aftercare planning.
Our care teams
work from a strength-based model that aims to identify and build
on each child's strengths and talents, and not just focus on problems
and deficiencies. We see parents and guardians as partners in care,
and we may use individual, group, family, and recreational therapy
as part of the treatment program.
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Inpatient
Psychiatry Central Intake Line:
617-665-1560
Important
facts for families
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Child Assessment
Unit
The Child Assessment
Unit (CAU) is an award-winning facility that helps children aged
3-12 who are in acute emotional or behavioral distress. It is located
at the CHA Cambridge hospital campus.
Since 2002,
the CAU has used an Open Arms approach to working with children.
This approach, based on the Collaborative Problem Solving model,
creates an environment that is seen as 'safe' by both patients and
providers, and focuses on setting limits and managing behaviors
rather than punishing children.
The guiding
philosophy of Collaborative Problem Solving is that "children
do well if they can." Using this model, we approach difficult
behavior as we would a learning disability. Rather than reward and
punish children for their behaviors, we work to help them handle
frustration and help them adapt to their changing environment.
As a result
of this effort, the CAU has become a nurturing, restraint-free,
and seclusion-free environment that provides open visiting hours
for families. We have won several national awards for this work,
but the true rewards come every day when we help our patients and
their families.
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| Winner,
2003 Gold Award, American Psychiatric Association |
| Winner,
2003 Safety Net Award, National Assoc. of Public Hospitals |
| Winner,
2003 Distinguished Service Award, MA Department of Mental Health |
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Adolescent
Assessment Unit
The Adolescent
Assessment Unit (AAU) helps teenagers ages 12-19 who are in acute
emotional or behavioral distress. As of June 2009, it is also located
at the CHA Cambridge hospital campus.
This new unit
has been completely renovated to allow us to provide care in the
most appropriate manner. Similar to our sister facility, the Child
Assessment Unit, the AAU also uses the Collaborative Problem Solving
model in our work. This creates an environment that is seen as 'safe'
by both patients and providers, and focuses on setting limits and
managing behaviors rather than punishing children.
The guiding
philosophy of Collaborative Problem Solving is that "children
do well if they can." Using this model, we approach difficult
behavior as we would a learning disability. Rather than reward and
punish children for their behaviors, we work to help them handle
frustration and help them adapt to their changing environment.
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| Winner,
2003 Distinguished Service Award, MA Department of Mental Health |
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