Psychiatry Specialty Services

Get Connected

Call 617-591-6033

Our Programs

Chronic Disease Support

Mental health care for patients with HIV, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections and other medical conditions at the Zinberg Clinic.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Clinic

Psychiatry services provided by a deaf and hard of hearing clinician.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

A one-year program for people with borderline personality disorder. The program includes both a weekly skills group and individual therapy following the DBT protocol.

This group is held the third Thursday of every month from 1-2 pm, at the CHA Central Street Care Center (26 Central Street, Somerville). 

Note: eligible patients must commit to a one-session DBT Pre-Commitment group. This helps orient patients and set expectations before patients commit to the program.

CHA clinicians: Please use the attached form (DBT referral form)

Program for Psychotherapy

Individual Treatment that is long-term and insight-oriented. The goal is to help individuals better understand the problems in their life so they can make changes that improve their lives.

Psychological Assessment and Neuropsychology

Standard and neuropsychological testing to better understand what type of treatment will best help the patient.

Psychopharmacology (Medication) Clinic

Evaluation of a patient's psychiatric medications to be sure that they are best suited to improve the patient's mental health.

CHA offers Multicultural Mental Health Programs where people with limited English skills can find confidential, safe and sensitive mental health care.

Treatment is provided by psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, family therapists and in some languages, nurses. CHA care teams understand the language and culture of their patients.

To make an appointment you must contact your CHA Primary Care team. Inpatient Psychiatry providers can call 617-591-6033 to schedule a post-admission follow up visit.

Asian Mental Health Program

For people who are from Asia and the Indian sub-continent. Staff speak Japanese, Cantonese, Vietnamese and several Indian dialects. Interpreters are available for other Asian languages.

Located at the

Haitian Mental Health Program

For people who speak Haitian Kreyol. Care is provided by bi-cultural professionals.

Located at the CHA Windsor Street Care Center.

Latino Mental Health Program

For people from Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America. Staff speak Spanish and English.
Located at the CHA Windsor Street Care Center.

Portuguese Mental Health Program

For people from Portugal, Brazil and Cape Verde.

Located at the CHA Central Street Care Center.

Common Conditions

• Stress, anxiety and panic attacks
• Trauma and depression
• Child behavior/learning problems adapting to life in the United States
• Family therapy
• Family violence, loss of a loved one
• Marriage and relations issues
• Mental illness

Violence impacts people of all ages, genders, sexual orientations, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Victims of violence or abuse sometimes feel isolated and alone, reluctant to reach out. You may feel fear, numbness or shock, helplessness, anger, anxiety, depression and even guilt or self-blame. You may have questions about how to cope with physical injuries, how to heal from the emotional impact of your experiences, how to file a police report and what the court process would be like for you. Or you may just want to talk to someone who understands.

Get Connected

• Victims of Violence Program: 617-591-6360
• Center for Homicide Bereavement: 617-591-6123
• Victim Resource Center: 617-665-2992

About Our Programs

Victims of Violence Program

An adult outpatient trauma clinic that serves a diverse client population. Our is to develop comprehensive mental health services for crime victims and crime victimized communities.

Center for Homicide Bereavement

Since 2002, the Center for Homicide Bereavement has served hundreds of parents, siblings, children, extended family, friends and witnesses of homicide victims. We offer a wide range of services including crisis intervention, ongoing traumatic grief counseling, psychiatric triage, homicide bereavement groups and community commemorative forums.

Victim Resource Center

We provide support for you and your loved ones. We assist with safety planning and needs assessment for people and families. We make appropriate referrals to health, legal and other community services to ensure that each client gets the best possible care, advice and support.

CHA's Center for Mindfulness and Compassion (CMC) works to enhance health and well-being through mindfulness and compassion training and services. We are committed to inclusivity, accessibility and diversity.

Learn more about the center.

The Health Integration Program (HIP) or Behavioral Health Home is a long-term service that provides daily activities and treatment for people with chronic or serious mental illness (SMI).

Since 2015 the HIP program has worked to improve health care and outcomes for those who need more support. People at need find integrated medical services and care management within a mental health clinic. This provides more comprehensive, team-based care. The core idea is that mental health clinics may be a more comfortable and effective "medical home" for people with SMI than traditional primary care centers.

Your Care at its Best

Location

Located within CHA Outpatient Psychiatry at the CHA Central Street Care Center in Somerville, MA.

Services

• State-of-the-art psychiatric and therapeutic services
• On-site integrated medical care
• Evidence-based groups for First Episode Psychosis (Recovery in Shared Experiences)
• Health promotion activities, such as wellness groups, interventions to reduce smoking, nutrition workshops, and exclusive yoga classes
• Close coordination with all providers, with special focus on coordinating with primary care
• Routine screenings to identify or prevent medical conditions
• Frequent coordination with Adult Community Clinical Services (ACCS) teams and other key service providers outside CHA
• Advanced use of health information technology to proactively identify gaps in care
• Community-building social events and group activities

More About the Program

CHA is evaluating Behavioral Health Home program outcomes in partnership with the Health Equity Research Lab. Early program results were published in August 2017 (see abstract).

The CHA Behavioral Health Home was made possible through the MassHealth Delivery System Transformation Initiatives – part of Massachusetts’s Section 1115 Medicaid waiver. HIP has also appreciated ongoing support from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (Cambridge/Middlesex) and Cambridge Community Foundation to offer important health promotion and community-building activities.

People living with psychosis deserve the best care. RISE can help.

RISE is an "early intervention" for people recently diagnosed with psychosis. Research shows that recognizing and treating psychosis early improves health and outcomes.1 Early intervention also helps with the emotional burden on individuals and families adjusting to living with a mental illness.

Get Connected

To learn more about RISE, please contact RISE Care Partner (Natalie Garcia) at 617-591-6097, or speak with the individual's CHA primary care team about making a referral to RISE.

RISE was created in 2014 to achieve the following goals:

• Improve timely access to evidence-based treatment for psychosis.
• Provide comprehensive evaluation, treatment, and coordination with families and providers.
• Foster hope and connection among young adults and families in recovery.
• Guide young adults with psychosis toward greater resiliency and health.
• Develop skills needed to improve educational, occupational, and social functioning.
• Improve long-term clinical and functional outcomes for people living with psychosis.

Services

RISE services are based on the "Coordinated Specialty Care" model tested in the nationwide RAISE (Recovery After an Initial Schizophrenia Episode) trial, which is the gold standard for evidence-based treatment of first episode psychosis. There are four core services:

1. Personalized medication management
2. Family psychoeducation
3. Resilience-focused therapy
4. Supported employment and education

The CHA RISE program also offers:

• Opportunities for social connection via a drop-in "Community Room" open Tuesday afternoons before and after groups.
• Peer support from a part-time staff Peer Support Specialist, who is available to work with RISE members in-person, virtually, or out in the community.
• Group and individual family interventions and supports (in addition to psychoeducation).
• On-site medical consults with our integrated nurse practitioner.
• Fully-integrated care at CHA Central Street Care Center, with lab services and primary care.

Locations

RISE groups and Community Room are held Tuesday afternoons at CHA Central Street Care Center, 26 Central Street, Somerville, MA. Individual medication or therapy visits are scheduled between each person and her/his providers.

Learn More

To learn more about the Coordinated Specialty Care model used to develop RISE services, please visit: http://navigateconsultants.org.

1 Kane JM, Robinson DG, Schooler NR, et al. Comprehensive versus usual community care for first-episode psychosis: 2-year outcomes from the NIMH RAISE early treatment program. Am J Psychiatry 2016; 173:362–372; Abstract available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26481174.