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Seattle Mental Health

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Seattle Mental Health Articles




Seattle Mental Health

With a population of 573,000 and nearly as many nicknames, Seattle is the largest city in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Sometimes referred to as the “Queen City”, as the county seat Seattle sits at the head of King County. Washington. Located just 108 miles south of the Canadian Border, Seattle is also called the “Gateway to Alaska”. Often situated under the rainbow, the “Rainy City” is officially nicknamed the “Emerald City”. However, much of the wizardry of Seattle lies in the robust spectrum of the city’s mental health care programs.

Seattle Mental Health (SMH)

One community mental health agency is Seattle Mental Health (SMH), which provides vocational, housing, and counseling services in Seattle and throughout King County. The SMH team is comprised of mental health professionals including social workers, marriage and family counselors as well as psychiatrists, psychologists and nurses. SMH is also a certified vendor for the King County Medicaid PHP and an approved provider for Medicare as well as for most managed health care plans.

Seattle Mental Health Court (MHC)

One of the innovative programs offered by the Seattle government is the Seattle Mental Health Court. Presided over by an assigned judge, the MHC is staffed by a mental health professional, a probation staff with mental health expertise, a prosecutor, and a public defender.

The Goals of MHC are to protect public safety and reduce repeat offenses by connecting or reconnecting those with mental health problems with needed mental health services. Whether first time or repeat offenders, defendants with severe types of mental disorders may request trial in MHC, which decides whether the alleged offense relates to the defendant’s mental condition. The MHC completely handles those cases in its jurisdiction from the beginning until completion of the case.

Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System

The U.S. Government has also chosen Seattle as the site for one of the few VA hospitals that offer mental health services to veterans. The VA at Puget Sound provides direct mental health services for all veterans who meet VA eligibility requirements. Mental health initiatives include diagnosis and treatment of many mental health problems including:

Virginia Mason Medical Center (VMMC)

While many Seattle institutions in the private sector offer mental health services, Virginia Mason Medical Center has added something unique to the mix.  In 1990, with the cooperation of the Seattle Police Department, King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, and the King County Medical Examiner's Office, VMMC’s Dr. Edward Rynearson and his staff formed the Violent Bereavement Society, starting by contacting every family who experienced a homicidal death in the greater Seattle area.

Dr. Rynearson, also one of the founders of the Support Project for Unnatural Dying was one of the first psychiatrists to study and publish the clinical description of homicidal bereavement (1984). In 1990, the Support Project for Unnatural Dying was awarded Washington State Victims of Crime Assistance funding (VOCA), which has since been renewed on an annual basis and is used to provide direct mental health services to co-victims of homicide.

Along with the Violent Death Bereavement Society, VMMC also provides separation and loss services for families of homicide victims and others who have experienced the sudden and traumatic loss of a loved one. Services include:

Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center

Ranked as one of the best children's hospitals in the country by both the U.S. News & World Report and Child magazines, Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center serves the largest geographic region of any children's hospital in the country, acting as the pediatric referral center for Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho as well as Seattle.

Their Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Pediatrics department offers services for all types of psychiatric disorders including:

The Children’s Speech and Language Services team assesses communication disorders and assists families in locating appropriate services for such conditions as:

Highline West Seattle Mental Health Center and West Seattle Psychiatric Hospital

One of the largest mental health service providers in King County, Highline offers a full spectrum of services including crisis intervention and inpatient care for both voluntary and involuntarily committed patients as well as specialized outpatient services for families and individuals from child to elderly.

West Seattle Psychiatric Hospital provides full-time short-term inpatient care for persons who experience a psychiatric crisis and need stabilization. All programs at Highline use a structured environment to provide each patient with individualized evaluation, treatment, and discharge planning.

University of Washington Medical Center

Along with either operation or ownership of Harborview Medical Center, UW School of Medicine, and UW Medicine Neighborhood Clinics, the UW Medical Center is nationally recognized for patient care, ranking 9th among America’s best hospitals in the U.S. News honor roll.

In the field of geriatric mental health, the UW Medical Center specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of:

Their Outpatient Psychiatry Center specializes in evaluation and treatment of a broad range of mental health conditions including:

Harborview Medical Center

Harborview Medical Center began as a six-bed King County welfare hospital in a two-story South Seattle building in 1877. Today, Harborview is a world-class health care facility that houses several centers of emphasis yet continues to serve all patients, regardless of their ability to pay.

Owned by King County, governed by a county-appointed board of trustees, and managed by the University of Washington, Harborview is one of the two primary teaching sites for the UW School of Medicine and other UW Health Sciences programs. In addition, to Outpatient Programs that provide quality mental health services, Harborview is also the largest provider of inpatient mental health services in King County.

Swedish Health Services

The inpatient psychiatric unit of Swedish Health Services is located at the Swedish/Providence Campus and features 26 private rooms available only on a voluntary basis for adults in need of mental health care.

Swedish is also the leading treatment center for children with Tourettes syndrome in the entire Pacific Northwest region. Their Movement Disorders program at the Seattle Neuroscience Institute (SHS) offers a complete range of services from diagnosis to treatment, rehabilitation, and follow-up.

See Also:

Seattle Mental Health Clinics