Counseling, Mental Health & Psychiatry

Inpatient psychiatry
We provide inpatient psychiatric services in two locations; a 30-bed acute care unit is located within the Geisinger Medical Center in Danville and a 20-bed acute care unit is located in The Bloomsburg Hospital in Bloomsburg.

Outpatient services
We provide group, individual, family, marital and couples therapy to a broad spectrum of people. We have services for children, adolescents, and adults with varying needs. We specialize in child and adolescent as well as geriatric services. We also provide psycho-educational groups on topics such as assertiveness and stress management. We provide Outreach services at a variety of locations throughout the Susquehanna Valley including Danville, Selinsgrove, Lewisburg, Kulpmont, Mt. Carmel, Sunbury and Northumberland.

Pediatric psychology
The Department of Pediatric Psychology is comprised of licensed psychologists, a licensed social worker, a post-doctoral fellow, and two psychology interns. The Pediatric Psychology staff work together to provide outpatient services to children and families from all over North Central Pennsylvania. Services provided include comprehensive evaluations, individual, group and family therapy, and consultations in primary care sites, the children's hospital and the Danville schools. The outpatient department also works closely with the Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Program and the psychiatric inpatient unit, making referrals to these settings as appropriate. Presenting difficulties of clients typically include: behavior problems, depression, anxiety, family conflict, school refusal, learning disabilities, peer relationship problems, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, medication non-compliance, adjustment to chronic illness, ADHD, specialized group therapy programs and other conditions that are often affected by psychological factors. In order to receive any of these services through the Department of Pediatric Psychology, most children need a referral from their primary care provider.

Consult services
Consultation/Liaison Team works as members of the medical treatment team, complementing (not replacing) the other team members, such as clergy and social workers. In addition to seeing patients with "hard-core" psychiatric illness/psychopathology, we can also provide:

• Grief counseling - We recognize that there are many people who are admitted here following traumatic incidents, such as motor vehicle accidents. We can help hospitalized inpatients cope with their losses and provide support during their stay.
• Trauma counseling - In addition to the above, many patients involved in traumatic incidents can benefit from interventions aimed at talking about the event and sharing their emotions. It is theorized in current literature that this may help reduce the incidence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder later in life.
• Reactive Depression/Anxiety intervention - Just because we can explain it and justify it, does not mean we should not treat it. In fact, early intervention to help people cope with illness may help prevent a larger problem in the future. We can provide a large range of services for such patients - from psychosocial support to structured relaxation exercises to medication.
• Competency opinions - While competency is ultimately a legal decision, we can provide an initial evaluation and opinion on a patient's ability to make informed medical decisions and partake in his or her own care.
• Management of delirium/agitation - Many hospitalized patients have medical problems that can result in a wide range of psychiatric symptoms. While the primary team concentrates on evaluation and treatment of these underlying problems, we can help to keep the patient (and his or her caregivers) more comfortable via psychopharmacologic intervention.

Three-day intensive outpatient program
Our partial hospitalization program offers intensive outpatient psychiatric therapy in home-like environment, for both adults and adolescents. This unique, short-term treatment program provides an effective alternative to inpatient care and follow-up therapy after hospitalization. A team of experienced professionals works closely with patients and their families to identify problems and provide therapy. The goal of the program is to reduce the severity of problems or symptoms and return patients to their usual daily activity or functioning level. This program is held Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 am to 3 pm.

Two-day intensive outpatient program
This program is geared toward the individual who has been struggling with mental illness for over a year and provides a structured four-hour program two days per week on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Adolescent intensive outpatient program
Phone: (570) 271-6840
Fax: (570) 271-5588
The Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Program is offered at two complimentary sites:
Monday and Wednesday at Geisinger Medical Center from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., and Tuesday and Thursday at the Selinsgrove Area School District from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Each program will serve approximately ten adolescents, on average, at any given time, and service will be offered year round. The program is designed to help adolescents experiencing the following: depression, anxiety, panic, difficulty in adjusting to changes such as illness, death, divorce, employment, moving, suicidal thinking or behavior, periods of emotional instability (irritability, mood swings, etc.), decline in school performance, family problems and peer relations.

Staff
A team of master's level therapists with expertise in working with adolescents and families will staff the program. A doctor-level licensed psychologist will provide clinical supervision and a consulting child psychiatrist will be involved in direct care and supervision.

Geriatric services
Assessment and treatment of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, stroke and brain injury are provided through our Rehabilitation Psychology and Neuropsychology programs.