All Specialties
Why Choose Ochsner for Psychiatry & Behavioral Health Services?
Finding the right kind of help for an emotional problem may be difficult and confusing. There are so many mental health providers available, which one is right for you? How might you begin to explain all the things that are bothering you?
Ochsner recognizes the relationship between mental health and total well-being. For decades, it has applied excellence and innovation to patient care, as well as research and education to the delivery of psychiatry and behavioral health services. In the Ochsner tradition of clinical excellence, we deliver a breadth of psychiatric services and specialty treatment programs unmatched by other mental health services. Depending upon the nature of a patient's problem, Ochsner provides treatment options ranging from short-term outpatient counseling or group therapy—including in person and virtual visits--to hospital inpatient or day programs. Whether you are seeking help for depression, anxiety, a failing relationship, emotional effects of a medical illness or life change or an addictive disorder, Ochsner’s team of specialists may help you sort through your pain and confusion.
Our provider team includes:
- Adult, Child & Adolescent, Geriatric Psychiatrists
- Clinical Psychologists
- Medical Psychologists
- Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners
- Physician Assistants
- Licensed Clinical Social Workers
Our provider team offers:
- Adult behavioral health services
- Child and adolescent behavioral health services
- Geriatric psychiatry services
- Medical psychiatry
- Behavioral pediatrics
- Acute psychiatry services (in-patient hospitalization)
- The Ochsner Mental Wellness Program
- The Ochsner Recovery Program
The Ochsner Recovery Program
The Ochsner Recovery Program (ORP) is an intensive outpatient program for people who want to stop using drugs and alcohol. ORP is more in-depth than typical outpatient treatment and can help those who need additional support to stay drug and alcohol free. Patients attend the program Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for an average of 4 weeks. Our program can also serve as a step down from a residential program to help someone transition back to life at home. For more information, please visit here.
The Ochsner Mental Wellness Program
The Ochsner Mental Wellness Program is an intensive outpatient program for individuals facing mental health challenges requiring more intensive treatment than traditional outpatient therapy and medication management. This structured day program is designed to assist patients with their current psychological and medication management needs while teaching them the skills necessary for achieving and maintaining greater health and well-being.
Our holistic program skillfully navigates every patient’s biopsychosocial needs with evidence-based and supportive therapies. We are adept at distinguishing between diagnoses and other medical or psychological illnesses, pinpointing areas of treatment and formulating the most effective treatment plans, in collaboration with the patient. For more information, please visit here.
Coming soon in 2022:
Ochsner Health will soon be offering Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) at the Ochsner Medical Center Jefferson Highway location. TMS is an evidence-based noninvasive treatment modality for depression, typically used when other treatments have been ineffective. TMS works by generating brief electromagnetic pulses that stimulate nerve cells in the brain. The whole process is painless and conducted in the outpatient clinic setting. TMS is FDA-approved for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and has growing evidence for many other conditions.
Adult Behavioral Health Services
Ochsner Health provides a wide range of therapeutic options for adults with behavioral health needs such as depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, substance use, perinatal mental health, chronic illness and more:
- Psychiatric assessment and evaluation
- Medication management
- Evidence-based therapy including CBT, EMDR, DBT and others
- Individual
- Group
- Family
- Brief evidence-based psychotherapy (BEBP)
- Psychological testing
- Pre-surgical testing
- Medically integrated care within primary care, cancer, physical rehabilitation, women’s services, and more
- Intensive outpatient programs for mental health and/or substance use disorder
- Perinatal and post-partum behavioral health
- Electro-convulsive therapy (ECT)
Adult behavioral health services are available in Ochsner clinics at Ochsner Medical Center Jefferson Highway, Baptist, West Bank, Metairie, Lake Terrace, Mandeville, Covington, Slidell, and Baton Rouge.
Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Services
Ochsner Health provides a wide range of therapeutic options for children and adolescents with problems related to behavior, feelings, emotions, thinking and learning:
- Outpatient consultation, evaluation, testing and treatment
- Team-based care that coordinates with educational specialists, primary care pediatricians and pediatric specialists
- Initial diagnostic assessment followed by a post-diagnostic conference with parents
- Treatments can include individual psychotherapy, parent guidance, family therapy, group therapy and medication. The selection or combination of these options is tailored to the individual needs of the child and family.
Child and adolescent behavioral health services are available in Ochsner clinics at Ochsner Medical Center Jefferson Highway, West Bank, Mandeville, Slidell, and Baton Rouge. Psychiatry consultation is also available at Mandeville Pediatrics.
For more information regarding pediatric psychology, behavioral and developmental services, please visit the www.ochsner.org/pediatrics.
Geriatric Psychiatry Services
Ochsner Health provides a comprehensive medical and psychiatric assessment for geriatric patients designed to pinpoint a treatable condition, maximize self-sufficiency, and minimize the necessity of institutional care:
- Interviews are conducted with both the patient and a family member
- A complete psychiatric evaluation is conducted to determine the patient's mental status (for example, memory, ability to calculate, and orientation to people and time)
- Neuropsychological testing is used to identify any possible abnormalities in brain functioning, which might cause symptoms of dementia.
- Conditions such as depression are treatable, and some causes of dementia are reversible. Ochsner staff psychiatrists are nationally recognized for their expertise in these areas.
Medical Psychiatry
Psychiatric and neurological evaluations of patients with chronic psychiatric illness, acute or chronic medical illness, organ transplant patients or patients whose medication regimen is causing emotional disorders may benefit from Ochsner’s medical psychiatry services. Other physicians or patients frequently ask us to give a second opinion in medically complicated cases. Please visit the Neurology website for more info on neurological evaluations, please visit www.ochsner.org/neurology.
Behavioral Pediatrics
A behavioral pediatrician is a physician that evaluates and treats children with developmental and behavioral problems, which include:
- Learning disorders
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Habit disorders
Behavioral pediatricians can diagnose very complex learning issues, such as ADHD. Your child may need to see a behavioral pediatrician if they appear to have basic regulatory disorders, such as delay in speech and motor skills, attention issues or problems learning.
A pediatric development evaluation helps to take a closer look at how your child is developing. The behavioral pediatrician may observe your child, ask them questions or make them take a structured test or questionnaire. The pediatrician may ask the parents and/or guardians questions, as well. The results help determine the diagnosis, treatment options or if intervention services are needed.
For more information on Ochsner Hospital for Children's Pediatric services, please visit www.ochsner.org/pediatrics.
Acute Psychiatry Services (in-patient hospitalization)
The Ochsner Behavioral Health team provides short-term crisis intervention and treatment for people with severe depression, acute anxiety disorders and acute psychotic disorders. An acute Behavioral Health Unit is designed to provide a safe, secure, and therapeutic environment where patients are stabilized and begin their recovery. Patients receive a complete medical and neurological examination to differentiate between medical and psychiatric illness. Members of the team discuss each patient's problems and design a custom treatment plan that is constantly evaluated and modified as the patient progresses. Treatment services are designed to reduce symptoms and improve the quality of life. Patients receive constant, expert nursing care and attend individual and group sessions for therapy, relaxation, and occupational therapy. Acute inpatient services are located at:
