At Four Winds we are deeply committed to the well being of each person who is entrusted into our care. We approach treatment with the belief that all individuals can change and improve. Through assessment and structured treatment programs, led by supportive caring professionals, we help each individual discover and build on their inherent strengths so that they can better cope with their difficulties and improve their relationships with others. Our programs are designed to help each individual gain the insight and growth necessary to lead a healthy and productive life.
“Clinical Excellence in a Caring Environment”
Four Winds Hospital Saratoga provides a comprehensive range of mental health services for children, adolescents, adults and older adults. Four Winds treats a full spectrum of psychiatric disorders including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, psychotic disorders, dual diagnosis, eating disorders, and psychological trauma and abuse.
It is the philosophy of Four Winds that quality treatment delivered at the appropriate level of care, is not only clinically effective, but cost effective as well. Our goal is to ensure that every individual receives the appropriate services that they require during the course of their treatment, as well as upon discharge.
After an initial evaluation, every patient is referred within the Four Winds Hospital continuum for the appropriate level of care. Patients can access four levels of treatment intensity throughout the course of their care. Programs include:
- Inpatient Treatment Services
- Partial Hospital Program
- Intensive Outpatient Programs
- Outpatient Services
Inpatient Treatment
Four Winds Hospital Saratoga is one of the leading providers of child and adolescent mental health services in the Northeast. Patients, ages 5-17, reside in three homelike cottages based upon their age. Each cottage is staffed with a professional, multi-disciplinary treatment team, under the supervision of a psychiatrist. While a broad range of emotional and behavioral difficulties are treated, each child receives an individualized treatment plan based upon his or her needs. Services for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and impulse control disorders are also available.
Treatment integrates individual, group and family therapies with a full complement of educational, expressive and recreational therapies. Families are actively involved in treatment planning, family therapy and discharge planning.
Children
This comprehensive program addresses childhood psychiatric problems, including: depression, suicidal ideation, social isolation and physical and sexual abuse. Community meetings with children and staff encourage coping skills and socialization. Reinforcement of a positive self-image, promoting self-care skills, and responsibility and independence are integrated into the daily routine. A major focus is placed on working with each child’s family or support system.
Adolescents
This comprehensive program addresses adolescent psychiatric problems, including: depression, substance abuse, suicidal ideation, social isolation, eating disorders, and physical and sexual abuse. Adolescents participate in insight-oriented individual and group therapies, as well as a range of expressive therapies. Patients attend community meetings where an emphasis is placed on learning positive social skills, conflict resolution and mutual respect. Working with each child’s family or support system is a major focus of treatment.
The Teaching and Learning Center
The school, located on the hospital grounds, is staffed by certified, master’s level and/or special education teachers. Each child and adolescent participating in an inpatient treatment program is tutored daily. In order to ensure an educational continuum, and with written permission, teachers at Four Winds maintain contact with the students’ home-school, including their teachers, guidance counselors and school administrators.
As part of the Four Winds treatment team our teachers provide insight and valuable information about how each child functions in the classroom setting. Behavior management strategies are developed for use in the classroom and are shared at discharge with the students’ school district. In addition, our teachers prepare a final written report describing the students’ academic and social progress to assist with adjustment outside the hospital.
Child & Adolescent Services
Outpatient Treatment
Child and Adolescent Outpatient Programs
Four Winds Saratoga Psychiatric Services, P.C., provides specialized outpatient services for children and adolescents, up to age 17, who have been identified with a psychiatric disorder by a primary care physician and/or mental health therapist.
Designed for patients who present with a complicated clinical picture, this service provides outpatient evaluation, consultation, short-term medication management and recommendations for further treatment. Each child’s family or support system plays a significant role, and is actively involved in the treatment process.
This psychiatric outpatient program is directed by Jeffrey M. Daly, M.D. and staffed by board certified child and adolescent psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners.
Referrals to this outpatient program are made by family members, primary care physicians, mental health therapists, schools, and others. To make a referral please call 518-584-3600.
Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Program (AIOP)
This medically supervised, highly structured program offers short-term intensive outpatient treatment for individuals age 13 through 17 years old. Designed for adolescents who exhibit significant psychiatric impairment in day-to-day educational, social and interpersonal functioning, this program can be an appropriate alternative to inpatient treatment or can provide a transition from inpatient care to outpatient care.
Family participation is strongly encouraged and referring therapists are asked to participate in the treatment and discharge planning process. This program operates 3 days per week from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. Transportation to the program is available, however, parents are responsible for transporting their child home.
For more information about the Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Program please call 518-581-5015 ext. 3342. To make a referral to the program please call 1-800-959-1287.
Adult Services
Inpatient Treatment
Housed in two homelike cottages, adults admitted to the inpatient program receive intensive and compassionate care from a multidisciplinary team of psychiatric professionals. This psychiatrically supervised program provides acute treatment, rapid medication stabilization, comprehensive evaluations, and an intensive milieu approach. For adults and older adult patients who have not responded to other forms of treatment for depression, and when clinically indicated, we provide electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
Understanding that each person is unique, the treatment team creates individual treatment plans based on the needs of each patient. Treatment includes individual, group, milieu and family therapy, as well as creative arts and activities therapy. Patients are assigned to groups, which may include: Psychological Trauma/Abuse, Anxiety, Mood and Behavioral Disorders, and Alcohol/Substance Abuse issues. Specialty services are available for those with Eating Disorders and for Older Adults.
Specialty Services
Eating Disorder Treatment
A specialty treatment program for individuals diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and other types of eating disorders is available to both adolescents and adults, and is offered through three distinct levels of care: Inpatient, Partial Hospital and Intensive Outpatient. Using an interdisciplinary treatment team approach, including medical supervision and clinical dietitians, all eating disorder patients will learn strategies to: stabilize or gain weight, control or decrease binge-eating, vomiting, laxative abuse, diuretic abuse, and compulsive exercising, and address co-morbidities such as depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.
Older Adult Treatment
For older adults we offer a specialized treatment track that focuses on restoring self-esteem and dignity. Psychiatric evaluations, differential diagnosis and assessment of health status are all essential to establishing the most appropriate treatment for the older adult. In addition to specialized group programming, a key component of this track is family guidance and counseling.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Service
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is a Cognitive Behavioral approach which demonstrates a significant reduction in self-destructive coping behaviors and suicide attempts. Patients focus on developing more adaptive methods of coping, concentrating on reduction of “Crisis Driven Behaviors”. Patients who exhibit emotional dysregulation or self destructive behaviors, with concurrent diagnoses such as: depression, anxiety disorders, borderline personality disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, and self injurious behaviors are ideal candidates for this comprehensive inpatient program.
Adult Services
Outpatient Treatment
Four Winds Hospital Saratoga, responding to a regional need for intensive outpatient treatment for adults, operates the only licensed adult Partial Hospital Program (PHP) and Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) in this area. These short-term, medically supervised outpatient programs are staffed by a multi-disciplinary treatment team and are available to adults 18 years of age and older.
Both the Partial Hospital and the Intensive Outpatient Programs utilize a cognitive behavioral and psycho-educational approach. Central to the treatment is the development of coping skills to manage symptoms of the patient’s illness and the stressors of every day life. These programs provide individual case management, group and family psychotherapy, medication education and therapeutic activities. Specialized tracks for substance abuse, eating disorders and psychological trauma and abuse are built into the treatment.
Working closely with families and/or significant others is an important part of these programs. Therapists meet with families on a regular basis to address important treatment issues, including medications. Clinical staff is available to patients and families, 24 hours a day, for consultation in crisis situations.
Partial Hospital Program (PHP)
The PHP operates 5 days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and is especially suited to adults living in the community who need increased psychiatric structure and support. This program provides a continuum of care from inpatient to outpatient treatment or can serve as an appropriate alternative to inpatient hospitalization. Individuals who may need a comprehensive reassessment of their outpatient treatment or who are in need of a possible change in their medication regimen will find this program beneficial.
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
The IOP operates 5 days a week from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and provides an opportunity for more intensive treatment than can be provided in a traditional outpatient setting. The IOP is well suited for individuals who may need a brief reassessment of their outpatient treatment and/or medication regimen. Most participants attend programming 3-4 days per week. A morning group schedule is available for those individuals who are unable to attend an afternoon schedule.
Referrals to the PHP and IOP
To Make a Referral to the PHP/IOP Program, please call 518-581-5015 ext. 3290. Referrals can be made Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Admission & Referral Information
The Clinical Evaluation Services Department at Four Winds Saratoga accepts referrals and schedules intakes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition to triage, consultation, and referral services, specialized programs are available for children, adolescents, adults, and older adults.
Our referring community includes: clinicians, managed care organizations, emergency rooms, schools, employers, EAPs, clergy, family members, community agencies, physicians (including primary care physicians) and self-referrals. Four Winds maintains regular contact with the referring professional during the admission process and throughout the treatment experience.
Most insurance plans pay for services provided by Four Winds including Medicare, and New York State Medicaid (under 21 years and over 65 years). Managed Medicaid is accepted for all ages.
Licensure: Inpatient and Adult Partial Hospital Services at Four Winds are accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JACHO) and licensed by the New York State Office of Mental Health.
24 Hour Clinical Evaluation Services
518-584-3600 or 1-800-959-1287
Admission 7 Days a Week, by Appointment
