Program
The Psychiatric Treatment and Recovery Center (PTRC) serves clients who have been civilly committed to the hospital under the Revised Code of Washington Law (RCW) 71.05. The center is divided into 3 areas:
- PTRC-EAST; which contains treatment units serving older adult clients.
- PTRC-CENTRAL; which contains treatment units serving adult clients who have been newly admitted and/or continue to experience acute psychotic symptoms.
- PTRC-SOUTH; which contains treatment units serving adult clients who experience more chronic mental illness symptoms.
There are several treatment units within the PTRC which provide specialized behavioral programs, including those based on Social Learning Theory. All but two of the PTRC treatment units are co-ed, and most treatment units contain 30-31 clients. All patients in the PTRC participate in daily active psychiatric treatment which is ordered by a physician and individualized to their particular treatment needs. Most PTRC clients attend group treatments, classes, and recreational activities offered in one of the Center’s three recovery malls.
Benefits and Outcomes
The goal of the PTRC, like the rest of the hospital, is to promote recovery and well-being in partnership with the people we serve. Each client works closely with a multidisciplinary treatment team that includes staff from Psychiatry, Medicine, Psychology, Nursing, Rehabilitation, and Social Work. Discharge planning begins upon a person’s admission, and the treatment team works closely with the client, his/her family, and community providers to find the most appropriate placement for the client upon release from the hospital.
Current Efforts
PTRC staff participate in the hospital’s Continuous Improvement Process and are constantly striving to better meet the needs of the patients served in this Center. Ongoing improvement projects include improving treatment planning, increasing patient safety, offering a wider range of activities which are based on best psychiatric practices, and increasing active treatment offerings.
Treatment and Therapy
The PTRC’s three recovery malls offer a wide range of group treatments many of which are evidenced-based practices, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Sensory Integration. Additionally, the hospital offers groups to increase leisure skills, vocational opportunities, and help clients better manage mental illness symptoms. Staff also provide recreational groups and 1:1 treatments on many treatment units.
PTRC clients progress through a level privilege system which offers them greater responsibility and opportunities outside of the treatment unit environment as they gain greater independence. They earn grounds privileges (the ability to walk around the hospital’s open grounds without staff supervision) and progress to more independent activities such as having an on-campus job and taking trips into the community.
Community Partnerships
Clients whose medical needs require additional care beyond the hospital are served in local medical hospitals and clinics. The hospital works closely with Behavioral Health Organizations in every region to ensure that PTRC clients receive adequate outpatient treatments and housing upon their discharge from WSH.
Contact PTRC
Patients and their families are always encouraged to ask questions about treatment in the PTRC from ward staff and their treatment team. Additionally, clinical supervisors in the PTRC are always willing to speak directly with clients and their families about a clinical concern. The WSH Patient Handbook also contains valuable information about a person’s stay in the PTRC.
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