The Charleston Dorchester Mental Health Center offers two clinics to serve the Charleston and Dorchester county communities. Below are brief summaries for each clinic.
THE CHARLESTON CLINIC
The Charleston Mental Health Clinic was established in 1928, and over the years has earned a reputation for providing innovative, evidence-based treatment utilizing highly skilled clinical teams. Individuals and families who come to the Charleston Clinic can expect to find therapists and staff who have a genuine passion in serving those with a mental illness, to walk alongside them in their recovery, and to offer hope at every stage of the journey.
The Clinic is CARF accredited and provides mental health services, education, advocacy, and support for residents of Charleston County.
Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday 8:30am – 5:00pm
Detailed Charleston Clinic Service Offerings
| Special Services | Summary |
|---|---|
| Clinic Based | Staff and psychiatrists provide patients and families with regularly scheduled appointments in the Charleston Clinic. Services include, but are not limited to: Psychiatric Medical Assessment, Assessment, Case Management and Individual, Family or Group Therapy. Some treatment services may also be offered in the community. |
| School Mental Health | School Mental Health Services for school aged patients are provided to contracted schools within Charleston County and throughout the community. Learn more about our school based services and the schools we currently serve by clicking the following link. Click Here |
| Bi-Lingual Services | The Charleston Clinic has bi-lingual staff to meet the needs of Spanish speaking patients (both adult and child). |
| Vocational Services | Vocational Services are an integral part of treatment and the IPS, or Individual Placement and Support Model, has been implemented to provide vocational opportunities to patients who are interested in working by using our connections in the community. Representatives from Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services are present in weekly team meetings to coordinate services. With the assistance and support of mental health staff, family members, job developers, employment specialists, competitive employment is obtained. |
| Intake and Assessment | This service assists individuals in accessing treatment for psychiatric illness within our clinic or in connecting them to more appropriate services in the community. |
| Dee Norton Child Advocacy Center | Staff are located at Dee Norton to provide assessments and treatment to children and adolescents who are victims of sexual and/or physical abuse. Parents/caregivers participate in parallel treatment with their children and are provided support and education on abuse issues. Therapists make necessary reports to appropriate agencies and coordinate beyond the making of the report to help meet the family’s needs. Staff participate in a weekly multi-agency staffing to support treatment. Staff may also be called upon to testify in family and criminal court proceedings. |
| Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) | Staff are stationed at the DJJ office in Charleston to work with juveniles referred for emotional/behavioral/psychiatric problems and ordered to Juvenile Court in Charleston County. |
| Out-of-Home Placements | CDMHC has a very structured plan for placing children out of the home and keeping them in the least restrictive placements possible. Staff work with placement agencies/treatment centers and other involved agencies to monitor treatment services and ensure focus is on reunification, transition to independent living, and/or step downs to lower levels of care. Case management services are provided to patients and their families in all placements, including those committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice facilities. |
| Babynet/PCIT (Parent Child Interactional Therapy) |
Staff provide therapeutic services to families when young children (birth to 7) have been diagnosed with significant developmental delays. The focus on services may revolve around issues of grief, parenting skills, stress management, sibling relationships and marital difficulties resulting from additional personal and family stressors. Treatment seeks to enhance and support attachment. |
| Youth In Transition | Staff provide an array of therapeutic and case management services for young people, ages 16 – 21, who have a history of serious emotional/behavioral problems. Goals of the program are for youth to complete their education, attain full/part-time employment and decrease time in psychiatric and Department of Juvenile Justice facilities. |
| Special Services | Summary |
|---|---|
| Medication Clinic | This service provides a full compliment of psychiatric nursing care to Charleston Clinic patients. Registered nurses provide injections, nursing services, and medication monitoring. We also have nurses as integrated members of regional teams that provide psychiatric nursing services, medication monitoring, home visits, and other supportive services. |
| Intensive Community Treatment | The Charleston clinic has two Intensive Community Treatment teams that provide a comprehensive array of services to patients who have the most acute symptoms of severe and persistent mental illness. The program is available when less intensive services have not been effective in meeting a patient’s needs. These patients are identified with deficiencies in basic daily living skills, safety issues, problems caring for their basic physical needs, and/or maintaining safe and affordable living situations. Substance abuse, incarcerations, homelessness, frequent hospitalizations and emergency room use are all problems this population frequently faces. |
| Homeshare | This program is a service to Charleston and Dorchester Mental Health Center patients who previously resided in long-term state psychiatric hospital facilities or have not been successful in other types of housing. Homeshare is an innovative program that integrates psychiatrically disabled adults into community households that are willing to share their homes. One patient, for whom the Provider is reimbursed, lives as a member of the Provider’s family. The program is staffed by case managers who offer a comprehensive array of services. We believe that the goals of recovery are best achieved when patients are located in communities where families and natural community supports are available. |
| Highway to Hope Mobile Outreach Program | The Highway to Hope program is made possible by a grant from The Duke Endowment and the Roper St. Francis Foundation. The Mobile Clinic offers services to mental health patients who have limited or no access to care. It uses innovative technology linking healthcare professionals to on call psychiatrists (The ability to see and speak with patients in remote areas via webcam will be coming soon). The mobile unit reaches communities across the Lowcountry, from Hollywood to McClellanville to Edisto Island and Johns Island. |
| Assessment/Mobile Crisis (A/MC) | This program serves as our primary intake/triage unit for adults and children on an emergent, urgent, or routine basis. If a patient is not appropriate for services at our clinic, this team may refer to more appropriate services in the community. A/MC is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and responds anywhere in the community. |
| Mental Health Court | This jail diversion program helps address the growing number of frequently re-incarcerated offenders diagnosed with an Axis I mental illness at the county jail. They must be able to understand the terms/conditions of the program and have a pending misdemeanor or non-violent felony offense. Most participants spend at least 12 months in Mental Health Court and are required to actively participate in counseling sessions and work toward treatment goals. The philosophy of the team is that offenders are better served with an emphasis on recovery rather than incarceration- the provision of mental health services can interrupt the cycle of recidivism. It is important that these offenders receive assistance in accessing resources such as medication assistance programs, vocational services, and individual and group counseling services if they are to sustain productive community tenure. |
| Jail Services | The jail team is responsible for assessing mental health issues in the inmate population; assisting in stabilizing symptoms of the mentally ill by coordinating access to a psychiatrist; following up with doctors and nurses concerning medication; and coordinating psychiatric hospital admissions, when necessary. The team also helps coordinate care with mental health case managers and other outside parties as appropriate and may provide in-house education to detention center staff on subjects such as suicide risk assessment. |
Contact Us to Schedule an Appointment
We want to help you and your family get well. Call us today at (843) 852-4100 to learn about all we have to offer.
THE DORCHESTER CLINIC
The Dorchester Clinic, located in Summerville, SC, provides mental health treatment services for the residents of Dorchester County. Services are provided at various levels of intensity and are delivered in homes, schools, communities, and clinic-based sites depending on client needs and preferences.
The Dorchester Clinic offers the very best clinical care in a comfortable and friendly setting. Our staff love the work they do and it shows in the relationships that are formed across the county. Our relationships with clients, their families, and the community at large are one of the key elements we believe help our team offer treatment that enriches lives! Come see all we have to offer!
Hours of Operation: Monday – Friday 8:30am – 5:00pm
Below is a summary of services you will find at the Dorchester Clinic.
| Service | Summary |
|---|---|
| Clinic Based | Staff and psychiatrists provide patients and families with regularly scheduled appointments in the Dorchester Clinic. Services include, but are not limited to: Psychiatric Medical Assessment, Assessment, Case Management and Individual, Family or Group Therapy. |
| School Mental Health | School Mental Health Services to school aged patients are provided to contracted schools within District II and District IV of Dorchester County and throughout the community. Click Here |
| Bi-Lingual Services | The Dorchester Clinic has bi-lingual staff to meet the needs of Spanish speaking patients (both adult and child). |
| Medication Clinic | This service provides a full compliment of psychiatric nursing care to Dorchester Clinic patients. Registered nurses provide injections, nursing services, and medication monitoring. |
| Intake and Assessment | This service assists individuals in accessing treatment for psychiatric illness within our clinic or in connecting them to more appropriate services in the community. |
| Case Management | Intensive or assertive case management provides services to patients at their homes, schools, shelters, hospitals, residential care facilities, and clinic based sites. |
| Dual Diagnosis | This program is designed to provide group counseling, individual counseling and intensive case management services to patients who are dually diagnosed with substance abuse issues and mental illness. The program’s goals are to decrease hospitalizations and substance use. |
| Youth In Transition | Staff provide an array of therapeutic and case management services for young people, ages 16 – 21, who have a history of serious emotional/behavioral problems. Goals of the program are for youth to complete their education, attain full/part-time employment and decrease time in psychiatric and Department of Juvenile Justice facilities. |
| Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) | A mental health counselor is stationed at the DJJ office in Summerville to work with juveniles referred for emotional/behavioral/psychiatric problems and ordered to Juvenile Court in Dorchester County. |
