Acadia Services
ECT & Ketamine Services
The neuromodulation department at Northern Light Acadia Hospital provides on-site access to electroconvulsive therapy and ketamine treatments for both inpatient and outpatient populations. The team focuses on ensuring a safe and comforting environment for patients during their treatments. Attentiveness is given to noise reduction and low-lighting, and ensuring that time is taken for the patients to understand their treatments and that their concerns are addressed. The team collaborates closely with inpatient and outpatient providers. Opportunities are available for psychiatry residents to become certified in ECT and ketamine treatments.
Geriatric Psychiatry/ Mood and Memory Clinic
Northern Light Acadia Hospital offers specialized care to older adults through expert diagnostic assessment and treatment, with the goal to reduce suffering and improve independent functioning. The outpatient team includes nurses, nurse practitioners, psychologists and geriatric psychiatrists who work in coordination with primary health care providers and other community services. In addition to the outpatient services provided, consultation for the assessment and treatment of older adults with severe mood disorders and dementia are provided to regional hospitals and nursing homes through telemedicine. The clinical trials program offers patients access to new experimental therapies in Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive disorders. Education is delivered through rotations for undergraduate and graduate students in medicine, nursing, social work, psychology and pharmacy. In addition, speaker programs provide regional trainings for professionals as well as seminars on aging-related topics to the general public.
Pediatric Inpatient Psychiatric Services
The pediatric inpatient service consists of a secure and well staffed environment designed to provide short-term stabilization in a safe and structured setting. With the hospital renovations, the inpatient child units will soon consist of 50 single occupancy rooms. Children and adolescents are placed in developmentally stratified settings with interdisciplinary teams who ensure a comprehensive treatment plan by working with the patient, the family, outpatient providers and schools. The interdisciplinary inpatient team consists of providers, nursing, occupational therapists, clinicians who work with the family and the patient individually, psychiatric technicians, and discharge planners.
Pediatric Outpatient Services
Outpatient services for children include medication management, individual psychotherapy, occupational therapy, the day treatment program, the summer treatment program and school based therapy. Some of these programs have further specialized services such as adventure-based programs and care coordination services. Pediatric patients who participate in outpatient services are treated at different levels based on clinical appropriateness, the desire of the family, and input from referring providers. Non-pharmacologic forms of therapy such as physical exercise and play are embraced, and Northern Light Acadia Hospital has a large outdoor area with a ropes course and garden, as well as access to a climbing wall in the gym.
Adult Inpatient Services
The adult inpatient psychiatry service consists of two 16 bed adult inpatient units which are soon to expand to 50 single occupancy rooms. Milieu therapy includes an active group therapy schedule, as well as opportunities for off unit privileges to walk outside the facility and to go to the gym. The interdisciplinary teams have scored remarkably well on the Press Ganey metric of “how well the team works together to care for you” and consists of psychiatric providers, discharge planners, nursing staff, psychiatric technicians, and clinicians who provide individual and family therapy.
Adult Outpatient Services
Patients who come to Acadia Hospital have the benefit of cohesive and collaborative care as a result of a variety of departments being in the same building. In addition to the adult medication management clinics, there are a number of psychotherapeutic services. Individual psychotherapy utilizes evidence based treatments to include cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, motivational interviewing, and eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing. Patients discharging from the inpatient units or patients who are experiencing acute distress benefit from the Intensive Outpatient Program, which has the option of substance use disorder focused groups. Group therapy options include Grief and Loss, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Anger Management, Trauma and Recovery, Substance Use Recovery, Anxiety and Depression, and Eating Disorders.
Substance Use Disorder Treatment
Our Addiction Care Service aims to help persons suffering from substance use disorders live a healthy, fulfilling and sober life. The service is dedicated to a culture of mutual respect and trust, and employs a staff of highly skilled physicians, nurses and substance use counselors who are knowledgable on the disease of addiction as well as co-occuring mental health disorders. Substance use treatment modalities at Northern Light Acadia Hospital consist of medication assisted treatment with methadone and suboxone, individual and group psychotherapy, case management and education services.