I welcome you to the University of Alabama’s Brewer-Porch Children’s Center web site. My name is Dane Cameron and I am the program coordinator for the Short-Term Treatment and Evaluation Program, also known as the STTEP Unit.
The STTEP Unit is a jointly funded program by both the Department of Mental Health/Mental Retardation and the Department of Human Resources. Therefore, all referrals to the STTEP Unit have had contact with either agency. Most children who are referred to the STTEP Unit reside here from anywhere between 30 and 90 days.
The STTEP Unit is a ten bed unit comprised of both boys and girls who are referred from all over the state of Alabama for a variety of behavioral problems which could not be managed or resolved within their home community. The age ranges of the children we serve on the STTEP Unit vary from ages 6 to 12. Children generally reside on the STTEP Unit from 30-90 days.
A typical STTEP Unit referral is one where the child has received services from his or her local mental health center, private therapist/physician, or has had DHR involvement (i.e. placed in foster care or therapeutic foster care). The aforementioned services, however, have not proven as effective as was desired by the referral source thus indicating that a higher level of care is possibly warranted. The referral source, which could be any of the previously listed stakeholders, then would contact Brewer-Porch Children’s Center at (205) 348-7236 and ask to have a referral packet sent to them. If the stakeholder wishes they may also ask to speak directly to me about their particular case. All referrals to the STTEP Unit should include the referral packet provided, any psychological or educational testing, Individualized Education Plan if the child has been received special education services of any sort, list of medications (if any), and any other pertinent information which would aid the treatment team in considering the referral to the STTEP Unit. Each referral is closely examined by each member of the treatment team which includes a consulting psychiatrist, social worker, nurse, teacher, and other mental health professionals. Most referrals have at least one Axis I diagnosis such as ADHD, O.D.D., depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, or other diagnoses defined by the DSM IV-R. For more information regarding admitting and exclusionary criteria please feel free to contact me.
The mission of the STTEP Unit here at Brewer-Porch Children’s Center is:
Thank you very much for reading about the STTEP Unit and please feel free to contact the center for further information.
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