Welcome to the Charleston Dorchester Mental Health Center (CDMHC)! We have been providing mental health care to the citizens of Charleston and Dorchester Counties for 70 years and are honored and privileged to be your community mental health center. We offer a variety of evidenced based treatment for children, adolescents (and their families), and adults and have a wide range of treatment services and other programming to assist people in their mental health recovery. One can access our services easily and quickly as we offer same day/walk in assessments at both of our main clinic locations in Charleston and Dorchester counties, Monday – Friday from 9-3pm. You are also welcome to call us first to let us know you are coming.
CDMHC also offers 24/7 emergency psychiatric services 365 days a year. Anyone who is experiencing a mental health crisis can call us at 843-414-2350 and speak to a mental health professional over the phone and we can even go to you, if needed, for an on-site evaluation. Our experienced Assessment/Mobile Crisis team was the first in the state and has been working with the community and law enforcement for over 30 years providing emergent psychiatric assessments any time, day or night.
CDMHC also runs the state’s first 24 hour crisis stabilization unit, the Tri-County Crisis Stabilization Center (TCSC), which is a voluntary admission, 10 bed adult unit, located in the Charleston Center (our local drug and alcohol treatment facility) in downtown Charleston. This collaborative unit (including MUSC, Roper Hospital System, the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC), Berkeley Mental Health Center, the SC Dept. of Mental Health, and the Charleston Center) is an alternative to going to the emergency room, hospital, or jail for people in crisis that need immediate mental health care. Our Assessment/Mobile Crisis team can assist in getting people quickly to this level of care, as well, and people can avoid possible long waits in the emergency departments to get the help they need.
We are very fortunate to have over 275 partners in our community. Thanks to our partners we are able to offer many of our services throughout the community, which increases access to mental health care. We have clinicians not only housed in our two main clinics, but all over Charleston and Dorchester counties; We are in most of the schools in both counties, child advocacy centers, law enforcement agencies, the Department of Juvenile Justice, Charleston Probate Court, One80Place (Charleston’s homeless shelter), and the Al Cannon Detention Center to name a few. We have a team serving only First Responders fire, police, EMS, etc.) located in Charleston. We also have clinicians that go into homes to provide care, as well as an RV (Highway to Hope) that parks in several locations (usually Federally Qualified Health Centers) throughout Charleston to provide services to those who don’t have access to transportation. In total, we have 113 locations/access points in the two counties we serve, so access to care shouldn’t prevent anyone from getting the mental health treatment they need.
Please scan our website for more information about the numerous services and programs we offer. Our services are not limited to treatment services for those we serve either. Housing assistance, entitlements, Community Peer Support, vocational services, primary care, and care coordination (where we can link you to other services in the community you need) are among the additional services available to those we serve. We also provide a number of free trainings to the community and law enforcement on mental health issues and services to educate people about mental illness and reduce the stigma associated with getting mental health treatment.
We know that it is truly a road to recovery from mental illness and we are here to help you as you travel down that road. We want to be a place you will recommend to your friends and families and welcome any suggestions you have to make us better. Our goal is to be available to provide the right services at the right time in the right place and be your first choice in mental health care. We look forward to meeting and serving you!
Jennifer Brush, LPC, CPM
Executive Director
Charleston Dorchester Mental Health Center
