MedStar Georgetown’s Department of Psychiatry offers comprehensive services within a caring and compassionate environment.
- Adult Psychiatric Outpatient Services
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Program
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Program
- Medical Illness Program
- Mental Health Care Inpatient Unit
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program
- Neuropsychiatry Program
- Psychiatric Partial Hospitalization Program
- Psycho-oncology Program
- Psychopharmacology Program
- Women’s Mental Health
Adult Psychiatric Outpatient Services
The adult clinic offers psychiatric evaluation and therapy for patients 18 and older. Individual, group, family and pharmacotherapy are available. Short and long-term outpatient treatment is available, depending on patient needs. See below for a list of our specialty programs.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Program
Emotional, behavioral and cognitive problems are very common in childhood and should be approached with an understanding of the developmental and family contexts in which they occur. The Section of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital provides comprehensive outpatient evaluation and treatment for children and their families. Our clinicians work with patients ranging in ages from early childhood to young adulthood, and place special emphasis on understanding family functioning and relationships to make the most accurate diagnoses and provide the most useful treatment recommendations. The program offers a full spectrum of therapeutic services including individual psychotherapy, family therapy, group therapy and medication treatments.
Our clinicians have extensive experience treating children with mood disorders, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, disruptive behavior disorders, learning disorders and autism-spectrum disorders, as well as youth struggling to adjust to stressful life situations and coping with medical illnesses. We have two specialty clinics within our program: the Autism and Communication Disorders Clinic and the Child and Adolescent Mood and Anxiety Disorders Clinic. The Autism and Communications Disorders Clinic, cosponsored by the Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, is dedicated to comprehensive assessment of early childhood development in order to identify autism as early as possible so as to provide interventions during this critical period of early brain growth. The Child and Adolescent Mood and Anxiety Disorders Clinic focuses on the comprehensive assessment and state-of-the-art treatment of children and adolescents presenting with symptoms of these disorders.
Our faculty are active in clinical and mental health systems research, participate in clinical collaborations with partners in providing youth mental health services throughout the region, and are highly engaged in teaching medical students, residents and post-residency fellows at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Program
The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Program offers adult outpatient assessment and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders including depression, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, specific phobias, and obsessive compulsive disorder as well trichotillomania and body dysmorphic disorder. Cognitive behavioral therapy addresses maladaptive behaviors, thoughts, and emotions in a systematic, time-limited and goal-oriented way. In addition, the program provides evidence-based interventions such as Exposure and Response Prevention for treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Medical Illness Program
This program specializes in the psychiatric evaluation and treatment of patients with medical and psychiatric illnesses, as well as those suffering from emotional disorders that are secondary to serious physical illnesses.
The Medical Illness Program provides evaluations and short-term treatment for individuals with a variety of medical problems such as organ transplantation, chronic pain, gastrointestinal disorders, and stress-related physical conditions.
Mental Health Care Inpatient Unit
This unit provides psychiatric hospitalization for patients with acute psychiatric problems such as depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Our team of experts use a multidisciplinary approach that includes pharmacotherapy; individual, group and family psychotherapy; occupational, art and pet therapy; patient education; and acute case management. Also, the unit specializes in treating patients with co-morbid medical and psychiatric diagnoses.
Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program
Mood and anxiety disorders are very common problems that affect people’s quality of life, personal relationships, productivity and general health. The Mood and Anxiety Disorders Clinic at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital provides diagnostic evaluations, treatment recommendations and second opinions for adults between the ages of 18 and 65. A part of an outpatient program, compassionate experts use evidence-based approaches to provide patients with depression, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder or other mood and anxiety disorders potentially beneficial diagnostic evaluations and multidisciplinary treatment options.
Neuropsychiatry Program
The Neuropsychiatry Program at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital is a part of the outpatient psychiatry clinic. This program provides assessment, treatment and education for patients with a range of neuropsychiatric conditions. These conditions may include psychiatric symptoms associated with movement disorders, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury or neurodegenerative disease. Also, the program’s experts serve as the patient’s liaison with the Department of Neurology at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
Psychiatric Partial Hospitalization Program
Located at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, this outpatient center provides intensive psychiatric care for patients requiring a structured day program. Services include diagnostic evaluations, crisis intervention, medication management and group therapy. The center operates Monday through Friday.
Psycho-oncology program
For adult and pediatric patients, along with their families, psycho-oncology program provides inpatient and outpatient psychological and psychiatric treatments and consultations. Experts in the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Pediatric Oncology provide these services.
Psychopharmacology Program
The Psychopharmacology Program in the outpatient division of the Department of Psychiatry is an attending-led teaching clinic for the MedStar Georgetown Psychiatry residents and medical students. It is held on Friday mornings from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm.
The Psychopharmacology Program specializes in the evaluation and treatment of adult psychiatric disorders using psychopharmacologic agents. After an initial comprehensive evaluation appointment, specialists provide treatment recommendations for primary and co-occurring psychiatric conditions. If indicated and needed, ongoing medication management is available with care coordinated between both outpatient therapists and medical providers. Consultation for psychopharmacologic questions is also offered through this program.
Women's Mental Health
The Women’s Mental Health Program at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital offers a unique service - outpatient evaluation and treatment of psychiatric disorders and adjustment problems experienced by women who are transitioning into motherhood. Our expert psychiatrist and psychologists provide highly specialized care to pregnant and postpartum women. Women experiencing mood and anxiety disorders during pregnancy and postpartum, infertility-related distress, pregnancy loss and difficulty with the transition to motherhood like relationship turmoil receive professional diagnostic evaluations, multidisciplinary treatment approaches and specialized medication therapy - even during pregnancy if necessary.
