800-784-1361
I was misdiagnosed and forced to spend a weekend in the hellhole. I was lied to and not given my options because the staff was totally incompetent. Particularly over the weekend the staff didn’t seem to provide any help. Come Monday and the doctor there could see I obvious ...
About Behavioral Health Unit
The Behavioral Health Unit is located on Borthwick Avenue in Portsmouth Regional Hospital in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. They offer behavioral health services to address and treat your co-occurring mental health issues and substance use disorder.
You receive services in a hospital campus setting with onsite parking available to you and your loved ones. Nearby you can access I-95 for transportation to and from your treatment. There are also natural landmarks worth visiting within driving distance including Packer Bog, Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge and Great Bay.
Emergency and Residential Treatment Evaluations
When you first arrive at the BHU, they will assess you for your critical care needs and determine whether you may need detox services or stabilization. I find it good to know that they may refer you to their emergency care services and admit you if you require overnight care to address your withdrawal symptoms or acute mental health needs. In addition, they offer a residential program for those needing 24/7 supervision, monitoring and treatment.
Partial Hospitalization Program
I like that they offer a PHP program following your evaluation, if you require structured, medical supervision through outpatient services. Their PHP program provides counseling, medication evaluation and management, customized treatment plans, group and family therapy sessions, and life skills counseling. These services are offered to those who are 18 years or older and in need of structured treatment to resolve mental health instability.
Fact checked and written by:
Gayle Morris, BSN, MSN
Facility Overview
234 Number of Available Beds
Latest Reviews
This facility is so unprofessional and very unorganized. I have a partner as a patient there, and this isn't a place you would want to send anyone. They don't care about you or anyone that is a patient in the BHU. They switch up your meds and you come out worse than you were when you first went in. I seriously don't recommend this place, save yourself time and go to a mental institution or somewhere else near you. This is not the place.
Horrible place. My loved one was misdiagnosed and provided medicine that wasn't working. They were struggling and when I called on their behalf, the person answering the phone was very curt with me and told me that the patient needed to call.
My loved one was traumatized by their experience there and was incapable of making the call. The people answering the phone need to have training on how to deal with these situations. If someone is not emotionally well and they are not being helped, perhaps someone at the hospital could have called them?
Unfortunately, my loved one will no longer have the opportunity to make that call.
This place was horrible and I was there on multiple occasions! The staff were primarily rude and didn't have compassion, the rules are so strict and you have no chance after you get out because the lack of empathy made you more depressed because you were treated like a piece of meat you had no say in your life except what group you wanted to go to! If it was late and you just felt depressed and wanted to even watch TV to calm down the staff would come in and turn the TV off and tell you to go to your room, you couldn't sleep with the door closed all the way even though staff came around every hour and checked on you with a flashlight so if you were depressed and tired because the hall was loud you still had to wake up and get out of your room! You couldn't create friends because you couldn't hangout with a few people and talk! This place was hell to me and that's why I ended up here 3 times before I went to a much better place. By the time you saw a Dr it was days and the staff handed out meds even if you were in multiple meds if they didn't think you needed a particular med you weren't getting it until the Dr ordered it! By then you were having severe panic attacks or had a meltdown! Do not go-to this place! No one here cares, just like any place for the mentally ill you're just a joke to them and a way to make money
Rehab Score
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Other Forms of Payment
Medicaid is a state based program that helps lower-income individuals and families pay for healthcare. Medicaid covers addiction treatment so those enrolled can use their coverage to pay for rehab. When a program accepts Medicaid the client often pays very little or nothing out of their own pocket.
Private insurance refers to any kind of healthcare coverage that isn't from the state or federal government. This includes individual and family plans offered by an employer or purchased from the Insurance Marketplace. Every plan will have different requirements and out of pocket costs so be sure to get the full details before you start treatment.
Self-pay involves paying for treatment out of your own pocket. You can use savings or credit, get a personal loan, or receive help from family and friends to fund your treatment. If you don't have insurance or your insurance plan doesn't cover a specific program, self-pay can help ensure you still get the care you need.
Financial aid can take many forms. Centers may have grants or scholarships available to clients who meet eligibility requirements. Programs that receive SAMHSA grants may have financial aid available for those who need treatment as well. Grants and scholarships can help you pai for treatment without having to repay.
Sliding scale payments are based on a client's income and family size. The goal is to make treatment affordable to everyone. By taking these factors into account, addiction recovery care providers help ensure that your treatment does not become a financial burden to you or your family, eliminating one barrier to care.
Medicare is a federal program that provides health insurance for those 65 and older. It also serves people under 65 with chronic and disabling health challenges. To use Medicare for addiction treatment you need to find a program that accepts Medicare and is in network with your plan. Out of pocket costs and preauthorization requirements vary, so always check with your provider.
Military members, veterans, and eligible dependents have access to specific insurance programs that help them get the care they need. TRICARE and VA insurance can help you access low cost or no cost addiction and mental health treatment. Programs that accept military insurance often have targeted treatment focused on the unique challenges military members, veterans, and their families face.
Addiction Treatments
Levels of Care
Residential treatment programs are those that offer housing and meals in addition to substance abuse treatment. Rehab facilities that offer residential treatment allow patients to focus solely on recovery, in an environment totally separate from their lives. Some rehab centers specialize in short-term residential treatment (a few days to a week or two), while others solely provide treatment on a long-term basis (several weeks to months). Some offer both, and tailor treatment to the patient's individual requirements.
Treatments
Many of those suffering from addiction also suffer from mental or emotional illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, or anxiety disorders. Rehab and other substance abuse facilities treating those with a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder administer psychiatric treatment to address the person's mental health issue in addition to drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
Mental health rehabs focus on helping individuals recover from mental illnesses like bipolar disorder, clinical depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and more. Mental health professionals at these facilities are trained to understand and treat mental health issues, both in individual and group settings.
Programs
Adult rehab programs include therapies tailored to each client's specific needs, goals, and recovery progress. They are tailored to the specific challenges adult clients may face, including family and work pressures and commitments. From inpatient and residential treatment to various levels of outpatient services, there are many options available. Some facilities also help adults work through co-occurring conditions, like anxiety, that can accompany addiction.
Young adulthood can be an exciting, yet difficult, time of transition. Individuals in their late teens to mid-20s face unique stressors related to school, jobs, families, and social circles, which can lead to a rise in substance use. Rehab centers with dedicated young adult programs will include activities and amenities that cater to this age group, with an emphasis on specialized counseling, peer socialization, and ongoing aftercare.
Clinical Services
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a therapy modality that focuses on the relationship between one's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is used to establish and allow for healthy responses to thoughts and feelings (instead of unhealthy responses, like using drugs or alcohol). CBT has been proven effective for recovering addicts of all kinds, and is used to strengthen a patient's own self-awareness and ability to self-regulate. CBT allows individuals to monitor their own emotional state, become more adept at communicating with others, and manage stress without needing to engage in substance abuse.
Experiential therapy is a form of therapy in which clients are encouraged to surface and work through subconscious issues by engaging in real-time experiences. Experiential therapy departs from traditional talk therapy by involving the body, and having clients engage in activities, movements, and physical and emotional expression. This can involve role-play or using props (which can include other people). Experiential therapy can help people process trauma, memories, and emotion quickly, deeply, and in a lasting fashion, leading to substantial and impactful healing.
Group therapy is any therapeutic work that happens in a group (not one-on-one). There are a number of different group therapy modalities, including support groups, experiential therapy, psycho-education, and more. Group therapy involves treatment as well as processing interaction between group members.
In individual therapy, a patient meets one-on-one with a trained psychologist or counselor. Therapy is a pivotal part of effective substance abuse treatment, as it often covers root causes of addiction, including challenges faced by the patient in their social, family, and work/school life.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) is a way of getting nicotine into the bloodstream without smoking. It uses products that supply low doses of nicotine to help people stop smoking. The goal of therapy is to cut down on cravings for nicotine and ease the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.
Trauma therapy addresses traumatic incidents from a client's past that are likely affecting their present-day experience. Trauma is often one of the primary triggers and potential causes of addiction, and can stem from child sexual abuse, domestic violence, having a parent with a mental illness, losing one or both parents at a young age, teenage or adult sexual assault, or any number of other factors. The purpose of trauma therapy is to allow a patient to process trauma and move through and past it, with the help of trained and compassionate mental health professionals.
Staff
John Skevington
CEO
Jacob Wiesmann
CFO
Brian Sanders, MD, MHCM
CMO
Michelle R. Dodd, PhD, RN, CCRN-K
CNO
Michelle Ruru
COO
Contact Information
333 Borthwick Avenue
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Get Help Now - 603-922-7160
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