At Marshall Medical Centers, we realize that good mental health is as important to our quality of life as physical health.
If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency department. Additionally, you may contact any of the crisis line numbers on the right.
Behavioral Health Unit
The Behavioral Health Unit (BHU), located at Marshall Medical Center North, is a ten-bed, secure psychiatric facility for the treatment of adults experiencing acute mental illness. Additionally, since we are located in a full service medical facility, our patients have access to consultation by other medical specialists for nonpsychiatric medical needs.
The BHU provides care with a treatment team focus. The treatment team consists of the attending psychiatrist, the staff nurses, psychiatric technicians, professional therapists and counselors, and other consultants deemed necessary by the treatment team. All these professionals work together to provide an environment where the patient can best work on his/her particular problem areas. Our goal is to help our patients learn new problem solving skills, interpersonal skills, and to give them the opportunity to practice these skills. Additionally, our treatment team works closely with the local mental health center, private psychiatrists / therapists, and other treatment resources to ensure that our patients have access to comprehensive community-based care after they leave the hospital.
A structured therapeutic program is offered on the BHU to provide patients with the optimal environment for recovery. Individual, group, and family services are combined to assist the patient, depending upon each patient's individual treatment plan. Some examples of our typical group activities are:
- Goals Group
- The Goals Group gives patients the opportunity to identify treatment goals for each day and reflect on their progress toward these goals with peers in a group setting.
- Psychotherapy Group
- Psychotherapy is provided to give patients the opportunity to work through thoughts and feelings about personal issues with a therapist. Feedback is given by the therapist and peers.
- Skills Group
- Skills group provides education in areas such as self-awareness, communication, coping, and other skills needed to build the patients' emotional and social competencies.
- Medical / Nursing Education Group
- This group is used to give patients information on illness, symptom management, medication, coping skills, and other psycho-educational topics.
- Daily Exercise / Relaxation Group
- Exercise is provided daily to help increase energy and provide gentle stretching and strengthening. Patients are introduced to relaxation techniques to assist with stress management.
- Activity Time / Arts and Crafts
- Arts, crafts, and other creative activities are conducted by psychiatric technicians to assist patients to express and process their thoughts and feelings in a creative way.
- Daily Wrap-Up Group
- The Daily Wrap-Up Group is conducted to provide patients the opportunity to assess their progress toward personal goals, to increase responsibility for emotional health, and to improve patients' sense of self-efficacy.
Admission to the BHU
A staff of psychiatric screeners is available on both of our campuses to serve as consultants to our Emergency Departments and medical staff. These trained professionals gather certain health information for a determination by the medical director for appropriate admission, and to arrange outpatient referrals when needed. Psychiatric screeners are available in the Emergency Department of our North and South campuses twenty-four hours a day for the convenience of our patients and their families. Emergencies should be handled by calling 911 or one of the crisis numbers listed on this webpage, or by visiting the Emergency Department anytime.
If you have any questions regarding admissions, please call and ask to speak with our admissions coordinator at 256.571.8722 (256.753.8722 for Arab area residents). All calls are confidential.
