Penn Psychiatric Center, Inc.

What is Included with the PHP?

PHP is a comprehensive program of both group, individual, and family therapy. Our PHP is specialized to treat individuals with eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating disorders. We also offer specialized groups such as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), exposure therapy, art therapy, movement therapy and a weekly group led by a registered dietitian.

How do I enroll in the PHP?

Clients must be referred by a clinician at an inpatient facility. Clinicians, please fill out the PHP Referral Form, which you can download by clicking this link.

The referral form includes a list of required documentation. Be sure to include these items along with the form when you submit your referral.

Send the forms to the attention of the Program Administrator via fax or mail.Please do not email the form.

FAX #: (610) 917-2360
Mailing address:
Penn Psychiatric Center
601 Gay Street
Phoenixville, PA 19460

Once your referral is received and processed, the PHP team will review your referral during their weekly meeting. The Program Administrator will contact you after the meeting. If there is an immediate opening in the program, we will schedule an initial meeting with a PHP therapist to determine if the program is the right fit for you. If there is not an opening, you will be placed on the waitlist. Wait times can vary.

FAQ's

Do you accept children/adolescents?

No, currently we only offer services for adults (18 and up).

What is a typical Schedule look like?

PHP runs from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday. On Friday, clients will be able to schedule their individual sessions and dietitian meetings.

What do mealtimes look like??

Our therapeutic mealtimes are designed to address disorder eating behaviors. A therapist will be there to support and assist you. We strive to make it a positive experience.

Do I have to work with a therapist at your agency?

Yes. You will be assigned an individual therapist and will meet once per week for a 45-minute session on Fridays.

What do I learn in the DBT Skills group?

There are four modules in DBT: Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance. You will work through each module over a week for the course of 4 weeks.

Are there men in the group?

It is a possibility. PHP at Penn Psychiatric Center is designed to be mixed gender. Generally, about 90% of the clients are female, so you may encounter a female-only group, but this may change at any time as we have a continually rotating group population. At the start of each module, members who complete the program will graduate, and new members will start.

How long should I expect to be in the PHP program?

The length of the program is based on individualized need. Most clients are involved in PHP for 4-6 weeks.

Do I have to attend every day?

Yes. Daily attendance is required to take part in the program. Of course, we understand that you may be sick or have a family emergency. However, the understanding is that you will come every day that you are physically able to, whether you feel like it or not.

What if I have substance abuse problems?

If a client has a diagnosis of addiction to a substance, that client must be in active recovery to take part in PHP.

What is the protocol for inclement weather?

It may be necessary to cancel, delay or switch to telehealth due to inclement weather or power outages. Information regarding the closings or delays will be relayed through our telephone service. Please call 610-917-2200 to hear any delays. Our PHP will try to operate on a modified schedule starting at 9:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m.

All messages regarding cancellations or delays will be recorded on the telephone systems by 8:00 a.m.

Do you accept my insurance?

At the moment, we only accept individuals who have Magellan Montgomery County or Community Cares Behavioral Health Chester County as their mental health payor. We will be expanding to other providers in the near future.

Still have questions?

Contact the Program Administrator at (484) 972-0346 or programsupport@ppcmh.com

(1) Obtain Medical Assistance for your child by contacting the Montgomery County Assistance Office:

Montgomery County Assistance Office
Norristown District
1931 New Hope Street
Norristown, PA 19401-3191
Toll-Free: 1-877-398-5571
Phone: 610-270-3500

Although your family’s income is not a determining eligibility factor, income must be reported within the Medical Assistance application. They may ask for your pay stubs for the past two weeks, documentation of diagnosis, and a picture ID of your child. Please have these ready in order to expedite the process.

Click Here for Medical Assistance Application

(2) Make an Appointment with a Core Provider to schedule an evaluation.

Once Medical Assistance is obtained, contact Magellan Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania, at 877-769-9782. Magellan is the Managed Care Organization (MCO) for Montgomery County. Magellan will refer you to a Core Provider for a Life Domain Evaluation. You may use your own physician for prescription services; however, the physician must utilize the Life Domain Format and be involved throughout the Wraparound process for renewal of services. Below are a few Core Providers that you could use:

Central, Norristown: 610-279-9270, https://www.centralbh.org/

Creative Health, Spring City: 610-948-6490, http://www.creativehs.org/

Indian Creek, Sellersville: 267-203-1500, http://www.indcreek.org/

Child and Family Focus: Hatboro, 610-783-1788, http://www.childandfamilyfocus.org/

(3) The Core Provider will evaluate your child and recommend a course of action in relation to your child’s mental and behavioral health needs.

A prescription for Wraparound services may be recommended. The psychologist/psychiatrist will make a recommendation based on medical necessity.

If the recommendations include BHR services and you would like to choose Penn Psychiatric Center as your provider, please inform the Core Provider Coordinator. Parents/Caregivers have the “Freedom of Choice” in choosing a provider during the time your child receives BHR services.

(4) The Core Provider will schedule a meeting with the Managed Care Organization (MCO) and you to discuss the outcome of the evaluation and to discuss the recommendations.

You may invite anyone to the meeting you feel is important in your child’s life. For example, if services will take place at school, a school representative should be present. If you have chosen Penn Psychiatric Center as your provider, a Coordinator or clinician will attempt to attend the meetings as well. At this time, the Core Provider will review the evaluation and the treatment plan, which will identify any behavioral concerns, and also allow feedback from you. This information will be sent to the MCO for approval. The MCO will have 48 hours to approve, deny or request more information regarding the request for services.

(5). Services will begin following approval from the MCO. Depending upon the diagnosis, the MCO can authorize services up to 12 months. Prior to the authorization ending, you will need to schedule another evaluation in order to determine whether or not services should be continued past the initial authorization period.

1. Obtain Medical Assistance for your child by contacting the Chester County Assistance office:

Chester County Assistance Office
100 James Buchanan Drive
Thorndale, PA 19372-1132
Toll Free: 1-888-814-4698
Phone: 610-466-1000

Although your family’s income is not a determining factor, income must be reported within the Medical Assistance application. They may ask for your pay stubs for the past two weeks, documentation of diagnosis, and a picture ID of your child. Please have these ready to expedite the process.

Click Here for Medical Assistance Application

2) Make an appointment with a Core Provider to schedule an evaluation.

Once Medical Assistance is obtained, contact Community Care Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania, at 866-622-4228 (this is the Managed Care Organization (MCO) for Chester County. Community Care will refer you to a Core Provider for a Life Domain Evaluation. You may use your own physician for prescription of services; however the physician must utilize the Life Domain Format and be involved throughout the Wraparound process for renewal of services. Below are the Core Providers in Chester County:

Child Guidance Resource Center, Coatesville: 610-385-5635, http://www.cgrc.org

Creative Health, Spring City: 610-948-6490, http://www.creativehs.org

Devereux, Phoenixville: 610-788-6565, http://www.devereux.org/

Holcomb, Kennett Square: 610-388-7400, http://www.chimes.org/holcomb/

Human Services, Downingtown: 610-873-1010

3) The Core Provider will evaluate your child and recommend a course of action in relation to your child’s mental and behavioral health needs.

A prescription for Wraparound services may be recommended. The psychologist/psychiatrist will make a recommendation based on medical necessity.

If the recommendations include BHR services and you would like to choose Penn Psychiatric Center as your provider, please inform the Core Provider Coordinator. Parents/Caregivers have the “Freedom of Choice” in choosing a provider during the time your child receives BHR services.

4) The Core Provider will schedule a meeting with the Managed Care Organization (MCO) and you to discuss the outcome of the evaluation and to discuss the recommendations.

You may invite anyone to the meeting you feel is important in your child’s life. For example, if services will take place at school, a school representative should be present. If you have chosen Penn Psychiatric Center as your provider, a Coordinator or clinician will attempt to attend the meeting as well. At this time, the Core Provider will review the evaluation and the treatment plan, which will identify any behavioral concerns, and also allow feedback from you. This information will be sent to the MCO for approval. The MCO will have 48 hours to approve, deny or request more information regarding the request for services.

5) Services will begin following approval from the MCO. Depending upon the diagnosis, the MCO can authorize services up to 12 months. Prior to the authorization ending, you will need to schedule another evaluation in order to determine whether or not services should be continued past the initial authorization period.

What is Included with the DBT program?

DBT is a comprehensive program of both group and individual therapy. Our DBT program is a specialized outpatient therapy approach that requires a one-year commitment for most clients. Individual sessions and skills group each take place once a week and assign coordinated homework assignments to create and strengthen skills. Participation in the comprehensive program includes access to coaching phone calls so that guidance can be given about how to maintain skills when or before a situation escalates.

How do I enroll in the DBT Program?

Read through the DBT Brochure to ensure you understand the program’s commitments and that the group times will work with your schedule.
DBT Referral Form If you currently work with a therapist, psychiatrist, or other mental health professional, have that person fill out the box in the center of the form. If you do not currently work with a mental health professional, you may fill out the box yourself.
If you’d like us to be able to speak to someone other than the client on the client’s behalf (such as a parent, therapist, etc.) please also Fill out a release form. for each person or entity to whom you’d like us to release information. This helpful guide shows how to fill the release form out properly.
Send the forms to the attention of the Program Administrator via fax or mail.
- Please do not email the form
- FAX #: (610) 917-2360
- Mailing address:
- Penn Psychiatric Center
- 601 Gay Street
- Phoenixville, PA 19460
Once your referral is received and processed, the DBT team will review your referral during their weekly meeting.
The Program Administrator will contact you after the meeting.
1. If there is an immediate opening in the group, we will schedule an initial meeting with a DBT therapist to determine if the DBT program is the right fit for you.
2. If there is not an opening, you will be placed on the waitlist. Wait times can vary from a few weeks to a few months depending on therapist availability.
If both you and the DBT therapist determine that the program is right for you, most clients will have a few weeks working solely with the DBT therapist in individual therapy before starting the DBT Skills Group.

FAQ's

When do the groups meet?

Adults (ages 21 and up): Thursdays 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Adolescents (ages 14 through 20): Thursdays 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm. All groups are held at our Phoenixville office and are hybrid, meaning that clients can choose to come in person or join via Zoom.

How long is the wait to get into the program?

Once we receive the referral, the wait to get into the program is typically between 6 weeks and 3 months. However, there is no way to accurately predict the length of anyone’s wait.

Do I have to work with a therapist at your agency?

It depends. We offer three formats for DBT at our agency, but a client must meet criteria for the format they are placed in.

Comprehensive: This is the “classic” DBT model. Clients attend the DBT skills group each week as well as weekly individual therapy with trained DBT therapists here at our agency, following a structured format using a diary card that is filled out daily and reviewed in session. The DBT therapists offers coaching contact (texts/calls from client) within limits.

Group-only:To qualify for DBT skills group only, clients must be working with their own therapists at least every other week, have no current self-harm behaviors and no current suicidality. Group-only clients can schedule monthly meetings with the DBT skills group leader to identify how to either talk with their own therapists about DBT skills or how to utilize the skills in their daily lives. There are no coaching calls with this format.

Graduate:This program is available to any graduate of a DBT program who needs a “refresher” or to continue developing the skills in a particularly difficult area of their life. It is an hour in length and emphasizes mindfulness and skill processing and refining rather than skill acquisition. All participants must have a knowledge of the language and skills of DBT.

What do I learn in the DBT Skills group?

There are four modules in DBT: Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance. Each module is taught for six weeks.

Are there men in the group?

There may be. DBT at Penn Psychiatric Center is designed to be mixed-gender. Generally, about 90% of the clients are female, so you may encounter a female-only group, but this may change at any time as we have a continually rotating group population. At the start of each module, members who complete the program will graduate, and new members will start.

How long should I expect to be in the DBT program?

Most clients will be in the program for about one year. Some group-only clients are able to graduate in six months. The DBT team will determine when a client is ready to graduate based upon the client’s progress in use of the DBT skills.

Do I have to attend skills group and therapy every week?

Yes. Weekly attendance is part of the contract. Of course, we understand that you may be sick or out of town from time to time. However, the understanding is that you will come every week that you are physically able to, whether you feel like it or not.

What if I have substance abuse problems?

For Adults:If a client has a diagnosis of addiction to a substance, that client must be in concurrent drug and alcohol treatment or engaged in a 12-step program. We require a three-month waiting period while the client is building skills and commitment through professional drug/alcohol treatment or self-help groups (AA, NA). At the three-month mark of actively moving toward not using the addiction as a coping skill, they may be evaluated for eligibility for the DBT program. If an addiction isn’t challenged ahead of time, it is an obstacle to the full use of the skills. Challenging the addiction first opens a space for the skills to then develop.

For Adolescents:We don’t require abstinence for adolescent skills group, but the DBT therapist will evaluate you at the intake for whether DBT or substance abuse treatment is appropriate.

Do you accept my insurance?

Medicare: We have limited spots in our groups for clients with Medicare. Please contact the Program Administrator at the following number to find out if we are currently accepting referrals for clients with Medicare: (484) 972-0346.

Public Insurance only:Clients who have Community Care Behavioral Health or Magellan Montgomery County as their mental health payor can participate in both skills group and individual therapy without a copay.

Private Insurance Only:Clients with private insurances will have their usual copay for individual therapy. There will be a $65 out-of-pocket fee for each skills group.

Private primary with public secondary:Clients with private insurances with a public secondary will have their usual copay for individual therapy. There will be a $65 out-of-pocket fee for each skills group..

Inclusion Criteria

Minimum age is 14 years old.
Voluntary participant (even if court mandated, willingly agrees) - does conform to expectations, including group attendance and completing weekly diary card.
IQ above 80 strongly recommended. Individuals will be given consideration, but must show ability to learn and retain material.
Any of the following:: BPD or BPD traits. BPD questionnaire or clinical observation sufficient.; Cutting or chronic suicidality (different than acute suicidality due to major depressive episode of either Major Depressive Disorder or Bipolar Disorder.) Distinguishing is important due to tailoring research proven treatments to where it is shown to work.; Fitting psycho-social understanding of BPD: invalidating background as well as resulting dysregulation across several of these five domains: social, emotional, relational, behavioral, occupational.; Any referral from an area hospital must be at least given an intake.

Exclusion Criteria

No active psychotic symptoms that prevent acquisition of skills group curriculum.
No substance abuse as primary diagnosis.
If substance dependence diagnosis, then they must have been abstinent for three months or in a program (such as AA/NA) for three months.
Is Substance Abuse diagnosis, up to primary therapist’s discretion. May require abstinence or working a program for a month, or may allow directly into program.
IQ of less than 70.
Brain damage/trauma is not sufficient to exclude from program, but will be strongly considered toward exclusion if client is not able to show retention of material.

Still have questions?

Contact the Program Administrator at (484) 972-0346 or programsupport@ppcmh.com

Penn Psychiatric Center is proud to announce that Harmony TMS Therapy is now available to patients. Harmony TMS Therapy is a FDA approved, drug free, noninvasive answer to treating depression. While drug based therapies have been a standard in treating depression they are not only known for their lengthy list of side effects, but over 40% of patients currently taking medication to reduce depression suffer from Treatment Resistant Depression. Harmony TMS takes a different approach to treating depression. Harmony TMS uses finely directed magnetic pulses, targeted directly at regions of the brain responsible for mood regulation. In patients with Major Depressdoctorwithpatientive Disorder these areas of the brain are known to be under active. The magnetic pulses from the device work to reinvigorate those under active regions without the systemic side effects associated with prescription drug therapies. If prescription drug therapies have failed to treat your depression, or you are interested in a noninvasive new approach to treatment, talk to your Doctor to see if Harmony TMS Therapy is right for you

First Experience

Harmony TMS Therapy is personalized to each specific patient to ensure the absolute highest level of success. During your first visit, the technician will configure the device to suit your exact needs. A baseline is achieved during your first visit, that your future treatments will be based off of. It is because of the importance of accurately mapping this baseline that you should expect your first appointment to take up to an hour. During this time the doctor will be identifying the magnetic field strength needed to produce movement in your right thumb. As the doctor performs these tests you will feel a light tapping on your scalp near the treatment location, if any discomfort is experienced during this time the technician can quickly make adjustments to ensure a relaxing experience throughout your visit.

What to Expect

Harmony TMS Therapy is non invasive, non drug and non sedating therapy. This allows for the entire treatment process to be done as the patient relaxes and remains alert and awake. After your baseline is achieved during your first visit you can expect subsequent treatments 5 days a week lasting 30-40 minutes per session for 4-6 weeks, with a total of 30-36 treatment sessions. Most patients

usually begin to report having clinical benefit by the fourth week of treatment, however it is normal to experience results prior to or after the four-week neurostar-4mark. TMS therapy allows you to get the treatment you need without the negative side effects associated with other therapies.

If you would like more information regarding TMS therapy please contact us:

484-973-4192 tms@ppcmh.com

Penn Psychiatric Center PPC will be using a new telehealth Service Verification process. If you have a telehealth appointment scheduled you will receive a text message on the day of your appt. The text will prompt you to verify your identity and request your signature. Your signature shows you approve the following statement:

I certify that I am the individual/ legal agent of the individual receiving services. I certify I have consented to receive the above service from Penn Psychiatric Center and the recorded practitioner. My signature on the date of service, validates that I have participated, consented, and agree with the information, plan, and/or treatment outlined in this note. I certify that the information I provided Penn Psychiatric Center (MAID 1007533910006) for invoice is true, correct, and accurate. I understand that payment and satisfaction of claims will be from federal and state funds, and that any false claims, statements or documents, or concealment of material facts, may be prosecuted under applicable federal and state laws.

This statement with your signature is required for PPC to bill your insurance. You will receive this text message for every appointment scheduled via telehealth including multiple appointments in one day. If you cannot or do not sign you cannot have your scheduled appointment via telehealth. In person appointments are not affected by this policy. Please contact us for technical help or questions. We will work to address all concerns but we are limited in what we can allow due to the state guidelines.