MUSC Health Children's Day Treatment - Star Program

MUSC Health Children's Day Treatment - Star Program, located at 1001B Michigan Avenue in North Charleston, South Carolina, offers intensive and comprehensive intervention for children and adolescents with severe behavior disturbances. This day treatment program provides a cost-effective alternative to inpatient care, while still delivering the necessary long-term care.

The program focuses on stabilizing children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 with severe behavioral issues in a community and family-based setting. Therapeutic services are provided in a safe and structured environment, with individualized treatment plans tailored to each patient's specific needs.

Patients set daily and home-based goals related to problematic behavior, which are reviewed and adjusted with the input of their parents or caregivers. The program encourages expression of feelings and issues in a safe space, helping patients develop coping and social skills.

The staff works closely with caregivers on behavioral interventions and strategies for managing challenging behaviors. Process groups and RPS groups help patients identify behavior patterns, develop social skills, and improve communication. Therapeutic activities include gross motor activities, cinema therapy, therapeutic board games, and creative art projects.

If medication is prescribed, families receive education on dosage, administration, side effects, and interactions. The STAR program at MUSC Health Children's Day Treatment offers convenient services for children and adolescents in need of intensive behavioral intervention. Referrals are typically made for children facing severe behavioral challenges.