Charleston Dorchester Mental Health Center offers several unique and innovative services for residents of Dorchester and Charleston counties.
Highway to Hope
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. The mobile unit reaches communities across the Lowcountry, from Hollywood to McClellanville to Edisto Island and Johns Island.
FARMACY
FARMACY is a collaborative program combining the efforts of the Charleston Police Department, MUSC, Fetter, Lowcountry Food Bank, The Charleston Center, Roper Hospital, local area farms & grocers, and Access Health. This community outreach initiative provides free fruits and vegetables on a weekly basis to a 12 block area of downtown in an effort to improve health outcomes and reduce crime. Each of the agencies involved also provides information and resources to help individuals link to the care they need to improve their overall health and wellbeing.
Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
PCIT is an evidence based treatment for children ages 2-7 who may be experiencing emotional or behavioral problems. Treatment focuses on improving the quality of the relationships between parents and their children which leads to better behavior and more positive interactions between parents and their children. PCIT is a weekly intervention that usually takes most families 12 to 15 weeks to complete. There is a lot of evidence to support the effectiveness of PCIT. Positive changes in children’s behavior are seen at home, school, and daycare settings. Click here to learn more…
NAVIGATE/New Directions
CDMHC has two programs which provide treatment and intensive supports to individuals who have experienced their first episode of psychosis in the past two years, whether related to a Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder or another disorder. Services include medication management, individual resiliency training, Care Coordination, family education, vocational services, and peer support. Individuals served by these teams must be ages 15-40.
Unsheltered Outreach Team
The Unsheltered Outreach Team is a collaboration of agencies (City of Charleston, One80 Place, Lowcountry Homeless Coalition, and Charleston Dorchester Mental Health) working toward the purpose of providing services to people who do not have readily available access to shelters, One80 Place, or Charleston Mental Health Center. Program staff go out into the streets of Charleston in an effort to establish rapport with the homeless community and to build relationships that can lead to effective treatment for these individuals.
Fetter Health Clinic Primary Care
The Fetter Clinic provides the Charleston Dorchester Mental Health Center with an APRN on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month.
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 Charleston County Detention Center. Eligible patients must be able to understand the terms/conditions of the program and have a pending misdemeanor or non-violent felony offense. Persons are not eligible if they have a prior violent criminal conviction or are on probation. 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. Program participants receive assistance in a number of areas to include access to medication assistance programs, vocational services, and individual and group counseling.
First Responder Support Team (FRST)
The First Responder Support Team was organized in July 2007 through the collaborative effort of the City of Charleston Fire Department, the South Carolina State Firefighters’ Association and the South Carolina Department of Mental Health to provide counseling and support services to firefighters and their family members. Over the years, the team broadened its scope and now provides counseling and psychiatric services to all first responders and their family members.
Our team understands the public nature of first responder positions and offers services in a highly confidential environment. While we are connected to the Department of Mental Health, the FRST office is in a separate and quiet location.
The primary goal of the FRST team is to provide services that are confidential, accessible, effective, safe, and comfortable for all first responders and their families. We provides an array of services designed to meet the needs of first responder personnel and their families including assessment, referrals, short term counseling, trauma-focused therapy, medical consultation, couples counseling and family treatment.
The following services are available:
- Crisis Intervention – Attending to those in need of immediate and critical support.
- Individual Counseling – One on one counseling to address issues identified as causing undue stress and emotional upset. Issues of focus can include, but are not limited to, critical incidents/trauma, marital stress, employment stress, family of origin issues, anxiety, depression, and many others.
- Couples and Family Counseling – Addressing those issues that arise between first responders and their loved ones.
- Children’s Counseling – Working with children based on their developmental stage to provide a safe environment to discuss any concerns, promote confidence, and increase self-control.
- Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counseling – Working with individuals seeking assistance to overcome alcohol and substance abuse problems in their lives. FRST can also provide referrals to higher levels of care if needed to address substance problems.
- Medical Assessment – Assessing the need for and monitoring of medications.
- Community Outreach & Social Support – Participating in activities, meetings, and events to provide support and education throughout the first responder community. Phone consultations are available for additional support.
We accept Blue Cross Blue Shield, Medicaid, Medicare, and self-pay insurance. We can also provide you with information about coverage through Provident if you are seeking services following a work-related incident.
Our team highly values first responders and we are here to serve you and your families in helping you to stay your healthiest. We can be easily reached by contacting (843)212-8980, ext. 1 to discuss any questions or concerns you may have before setting up your first appointment.
