Opened in 2004, Riverview Psychiatric Center is a modern state-of-the-art building that supports patient autonomy as well as recovery-focused treatment. RPC, in collaboration with the community, is a center for best practice, treatment, education and research, for individuals with serious, persistent mental illness, and co-occurring substance use disorders.
RPC has been held as a model for other psychiatric hospitals in successful reduction of seclusion and restraint measures, for becoming tobacco free, and for our active group treatment program known as the "Treatment Mall." As part of its commitment to reducing the use of seclusion and restraints, RPC emphasizes proactive and innovative approaches that include identifying early stages of agitation and utilizing de-escalation tools.
The multi-sensory rooms and therapeutic Treatment Mall activities help patients alleviate distress, promote relaxation, and assist with re-establishing autonomy and independent functioning. RPC's goal is to be a center of excellence in treatment. RPC's Treatment Mall offers a variety of evidence-based practices such as CBT and DBT group treatment, mindfulness practices, pet therapy, illness management recovery programming, therapeutic art and music programming, as well as a variety of recovery-oriented activities.
Therapeutic groups and activities are designed to meet the patients’ needs on a variety of levels. Groups include educational, skill-based groups, group therapy, recreational, community resource, spiritual, co-occurring, and personal growth groups. Groups are primarily held on the Treatment Mall, though each unit also has on-unit groups for patients who are not able to attend the mall for safety or clinical reasons.
Treatment Programming
Mission
The Harbor Mall’s mission is to provide a program of active treatment that is consistent with Riverview’s mission and vision and which incorporates Riverview values. The Harbor Mall’s curriculum of psycho-educational groups, therapy groups and structured recreational groups are based on patient individualized treatment plans and reflect their changing needs.
Goal
Over 70 groups are offered to patients between the morning and afternoon sessions. Groups meet the individualized therapeutic goals for each participant, address the reason for admission, improve skill deficits, and enhance participant ability to reside in a less restrictive community environment.
Program Day
The Harbor Mall is open five days per week (M-F) at 9:15 a.m. The first set of groups are from 9:15-10:00. A snack is provided from 10-10:15. The second set of groups run from 10:15-11:00. The Mall closes at 11:00 and all patients return to their units.
The Afternoon program begins at 1:15 p.m. The first set of groups run from 1:15-2:00. There is a fifteen-minute snack break from 2:00-2:15. The second set of groups run from 2:15-3:00. The morning and afternoon programs are designed to include psycho-educational groups, therapy groups, therapeutic recreational and wellness activities.
The unit staff members are responsible for insuring that all individuals attending the Harbor Mall have completed their personal hygiene and are adequately attired for the requirements of their day. Unit staff will assist participants by providing them with their daily schedule and providing support and encouragement to attend their scheduled program.
Sample group descriptions for Mall Groups are as follows:
- Conflict Resolution – Conflict is very much a part of our everyday lives. We see it on the news, on the units and probably even in our families. This group offers members the opportunity to discuss the possibility of dealing with differences in a less stressful manner resulting in a win/win outcome for all concerned.
- Co-occurring– Addiction is an equal opportunity illness and understanding addiction is the key to recovery. This group explores dual diagnosis issues and what it takes to live a sober life style.
- S.A.F.E. – Self Abuse Finally Ends. This group is designed for people who use self-harm to manage emotions and would like to learn alternatives ways of coping.
- Spirituality For Recovery-This group focuses on learning spiritual practices and attitudes to assist with recovery from mental illness. Spiritual concepts are explored in the hope that group members will build a daily personal practice that can help shape their recovery. Open to anyone who has interest in spiritual support.
- What makes a Relationship –Maintaining a healthy relationship is hard work and most people would agree that the outcome of that work makes it worthwhile. This group uses videos and group discussions to explore the areas that need work.
- Anger Management- Anger Management is a psycho-educational group designed to help participants develop and practice various healthy coping skills to manage anger.
- Art: Love It or Leave It- Participants in this group have the opportunity to develop or expand a knowledge of art, enhance their creativity, develop a leisure activity and relieve stress. Art books and art materials are provided.
- Budgeting - This group focuses on money management techniques, exploring areas of expenditure, creating various types of personal budgets, and how to write checks and balance checkbooks, depending on your needs. one to one consultation can be arranged if participant is unable to attend the scheduled group time.
- Coping Skills Program-Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Skills Group is a psycho-educational group that focuses on learning skills to improve interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance and emotional regulation. Participants will be asked to identify behaviors that they would like to change and to complete homework assignments.
- Eat Smart- Participants in this group learn about healthy eating habits and basic nutrition. This group is most beneficial for participants who have an identified nutrition related health issue (e.g. diabetes, obesity, heart disease).
- AMISTAD Wellness – An interactive class in building skills to enhance all our relationships...specifically in partnership with peers in recovery from mental illness and trauma related issues.
- Passport to Self-Esteem - This is a psycho-educational group that focuses on the importance of healthy self-esteem and will provides participants with activities to improve how they feel about themselves.
Therapeutic Recreation
The mission of the Therapeutic Recreation Services is to provide the highest quality, goal-oriented leisure services to persons with the most severe mental illness. Services are based upon assessment of a patient's needs relative to their leisure functioning, and are offered in the three areas of Treatment, Education and Recreation participation. The Department works in partnership with other disciplines and departments, as well as community providers and ensures improvement of its services by continuous evaluation of their effectiveness.
Sensory Room
Each RPC unit has a sensory room designed to assist in self-soothing and de-escalation. Sensory rooms blocking out distracting noise, control space, temperature, and lighting. It is an artificially created atmosphere that brings together multi-sensory equipment in one place to stimulate the senses. This multi-sensory experience promotes pleasure and feelings of well-being and can be utilized as part of the individual treatment experience. It is Controlled Sensory Input (CSI), especially designed to promote choice and interaction, through planned and carefully modulated sensory stimulation. It relieves stress, anxiety and pain.
Multisensory rooms have been shown to help people with autism, brain injury, challenging behaviors, dementia, developmental disabilities, mental illness, palliative care, pre and post-surgery, PTSD, special education and of course wellness. Multisensory rooms work by maximizing a person’s potential to focus and then to act on this change through an adaptive response to their environment. An adaptive response is defined as the individual initiating and reacting in a meaningful, productive way to situations, things and people in their environment.
Each room is adapted with relaxing music choices or guided imagery videos, comfortable seating, and aromatherapy options. Additional tools such as warming or weighted blankets and yoga mats are also available.