About the Treatment Team: Thought Disorders Unit

Each patient is assigned a highly specialized treatment team. Each treatment team works together towards the goal of helping your loved one stabilize so they can safely move to a less-intensive level of care. Our treatment teams are composed of:

• Medical director, a psychiatrist who oversees all adult services at Sheppard Pratt.
• Service chief, a psychiatrist who serves as the clinical leader of treatment and services on the unit.
• Attending psychiatrist, a 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 loved one’s clinical progress. The social worker will also work with you to obtain a family history in order to get a holistic view of your loved one. The social worker will also prepare a comprehensive discharge plan for when your loved one is ready to return to the community.
• Art therapist, who works with patients to help them safely express thoughts and feelings, foster coping skills, learn how to problem solve, and engage in impulse control. Art therapy sessions occur most days.
• Occupational therapist, who facilitates activities to help patients learn how to meet their physical, emotional, and cognitive needs. Occupational therapists also help patients improve interpersonal and social skills, cognition and thought, and even sensory functions.
• Psychiatric nurses, who help patients 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.