About the Treatment Team: Child Unit - Towson

Each child is assigned a highly specialized, compassionate treatment team. Each treatment team works together towards the goal of helping your child stabilize so they can safely move to a less-intensive level of care.

Our treatment teams are composed of:

• Medical director—a child and adolescent psychiatrist who oversees all child and adolescent services at Sheppard Pratt.

• Service chief—a child and adolescent psychiatrist who serves as the clinical leader of treatment and services on the unit.

• Attending psychiatrist—a child and adolescent psychiatrist who works directly with the service chief in providing care to patients.

• Unit manager—a nurse who is responsible for program development, milieu activities, and day-to-day function of the program.

• Social worker—who is your primary contact and liaison.The social worker attends daily treatment team meetings and will keep you informed about your child’s clinical progress. The social worker will work with you to obtain a family history in order to get a holistic view of your child. In addition, they will also host a family meeting prior to discharge to help you assist your child with integrating back to the home, school, and community setting. The social worker will also prepare a comprehensive discharge plan for when your child is ready to return to the community.

• Art therapist—who works with children to help them safely express thoughts and feelings, foster coping skills, learn how to problem solve, and engage in impulse control.

• Occupational therapist—who facilitates activities to help children learn how to meet their physical, emotional, and cognitive needs. Occupational therapists help children improve interpersonal and social skills, cognition and thought, and even sensory functions.

• Diagnostic and prescriptive teacher—who will review your child’s current educational placement and create a specialized plan to ensure their needs are met at school (if needed). The diagnostic and prescriptive teacher can also work with you and your child to help set IEP goals for school on an as-needed basis.

• Psychiatric nurses—who help children with their daily activities, managing their symptoms, and any medical concerns. Psychiatric nurses are also responsible for dispensing medication.

• Mental health workers—who are trained staff members that help run therapeutic groups and work directly with the clinical treatment team.