ABOUT MERCY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
A Pittsburgh-based treatment provider, Mercy Behavioral Health provides residential, partial hospitalization, and outpatient-based programs for adults and youth struggling with chemical dependency, mental health disorders, and co-occurring disorders. Mercy Behavioral Health provides behavioral health treatment programs through a network of 11 facilities located in and around Pittsburgh. If an individual is in need of crisis intervention, they may be referred to the Mercy Behavioral Health Crisis Center.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
To ensure an individual is admitted to an appropriate level of care, clients may undergo an initial assessment before beginning treatment, according to the center’s website. While Mercy Behavioral Health does not offer residential treatment for individuals struggling with a primary substance abuse disorder, the center does facilitate residential programs for individuals diagnosed with co-occurring mental health issues.
Substance abuse treatment consists of individual, group, and family psychotherapy to identify the contributing factors of addictive behaviors. Clients also learn skills and strategies for relapse prevention, which includes developing community-based support systems, such as 12-Step. According to Mercy Behavioral Health’s website, facilities also utilize medication-assisted therapy to alleviate withdrawal symptoms associated with opiate/opioid dependency.
Mercy’s adolescent intervention program addresses a range of topics, such as the physical and mental effects of substance abuse, self-esteem, family issues, and coping skills. Parents of clients are also invited to enroll into an eight-week parenting class to learn communication skills, discipline techniques, and a better understanding of the disease of addiction.
Mercy Behavioral Health provides outpatient-based mental health treatment through six of its locations. Clients participate in individual, group, and family counseling sessions, as well as ongoing medication management.
To treat persistent or severe mental illness, Mercy operates a number of long-term residential programs, supportive housing programs, and short-term, “step-down” residential programs for individuals recently hospitalized. Through residential treatment, clients develop social skills, coping techniques, and strategies for obtaining employment.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
CARF-accredited, Mercy Behavioral Health employs psychiatrists, licensed mental health and substance abuse counselors, psychiatric nurses, employment specialists, case managers, and peer specialists, the center’s website notes.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
There is currently no information provided by the facility regarding its living arrangements and related offerings, however, the four individuals polled by Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing all submitted perfect five out of five star ratings for accommodations and amenities. One alum described a residential substance abuse unit as “well-maintained,” “clean,” and “secure.”
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
The two former clients polled by Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing provided positive reviews. They gave four and five out of five stars when asked if they would recommend the center.
One alum gave the center four stars for the staff’s level of experience and training. “Treatments and meds were handled professionally and regularly,” they wrote. Yet, they gave the center three stars for the level of connectivity with loved ones. “There was no visitation and very limited interaction with the ‘outside world,’” they wrote.
Citing counselors as the strength of the facility, the other former client submitted five-star ratings for most aspects of treatment, including the level of family participation, the amount of counseling options, and the facility’s ability to treat co-occurring issues.
Feedback on Google is slightly less favorable, where the facility has an overall rating of 3.5 stars from 12 reviewers to date.[1] Some reviewers left complaints about communication with staff and having to wait too long for appointments, yet praise for the staff members themselves was common. “I believe the majority of the employees here truly care about their patients” one alum wrote in a representative review.
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
The friends and family polled by Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing shared the same positive sentiments expressed by alumni. One of the two loved ones to provide feedback cited the program’s ability to treat co-occurring disorders as a facility strength. “The treatment facility provided what my husband needed,” they wrote.
In addition, a child of a former client rated the facility’s staff support with five stars. “The folks who facilitated the program were very compassionate,” this loved one wrote.
FINANCING
According to the center’s website, Mercy Behavioral Health accepts some private insurance plans, including Blue Cross Blue Shield and Highmark, as well as Medicare and Medicaid. Three of the four survey respondents provided four and five out of five star ratings for the treatment provider’s affordability. The fourth respondent did not answer this question.