Behavioral Health Services

Did you know that mental illness affects 1 in 5 people in the US each year? If you or someone you care about is suffering from depression, anxiety, substance abuse or other mental health challenges, you are not alone. Sarasota Memorial’s Behavioral Health Services is here to help.

With a full range of inpatient and outpatient mental health services, all under one roof at the Cornell Behavioral Health Pavilion, the comprehensive program ensures that patients can be treated in the setting that best meet their needs and can experience a seamless transition from to outpatient care after hospitalization, if needed.

Accredited by the Joint Commission and licensed by the Department of Children and Family Services, our Behavioral Health services are covered by Medicare/ Medicaid and most private insurance plans. Self-referrals are welcome.

Specialized mental health services at Sarasota Memorial include: 

Inpatient Behavioral Health 
Sarasota Memorial’s comprehensive, Inpatient Behavioral Health programs provide short-term, intensive psychiatric treatment for adults, adolescents and children. The programs combine advanced medical practice, pharmacology and psychotherapists to treat emotional disorders that affect interpersonal or occupational functioning. Services range from confidential mental health assessments to individual, group, and family therapy, and planning for care after hospitalization. 

Additional health services include:

• A nurturing, customizable and comfortable environment
• Acute psychiatric services for patients who are admitted voluntarily or involuntarily
• Staff psychiatrists, licensed mental health counselors and social workers
• Medication treatment
• Relapse prevention
• Post treatment planning and care coordination
• Licensed Baker Act receiving facility
• Assistance with insurance and referrals
• 24-hour availability

Outpatient Behavioral Health 
Outpatient Behavioral Health Services offers specialized, medically assisted programs for adults (age 18 and older) and adolescents (ages 13 - 18) managing acute mental disorders or dual diagnosis of mental health issue(s) and substance abuse, as well as help for adults transitioning back into the community after hospitalization.

Designed to address each individual’s unique needs, outpatient treatment plans center around one of two program tracks, the Partial Hospital Program (PHP) and the Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP). These tracks offer the most concentrated level of mental health services available on an outpatient basis.

Click here to learn more about SMH’s Outpatient Behavioral Health Services programs.

Electroconvulsive Therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a safe, effective treatment for those who suffer from significant mental health conditions, including severe depression, treatment-resistant depression, secondary depression for schizophrenic and bi-polar disorders, severe mania, catatonia, and agitation or aggression in people with dementia. To learn more, please call our ECT coordinator at 941-917-8133 or click here.

Behavioral Health Services Team

Under the leadership of Inpatient Behavioral Health Medical Director Matthew Thomas, MD, and Outpatient Behavioral Health Medical Director Jason Lorenzen, MD, the multidisciplinary Behavioral Health team includes board-certified psychiatrists, child and adolescent psychiatrists, psychiatric physicians specially trained in ECT and addiction treatment, licensed mental health counselors/therapists, psychiatric and advance practice registered nurses, psychiatric technicians, and other staff dedicated to customized treatment and patient-centered care.

Learn More 

For more information, a free clinical assessment, physician referrals or help connecting with local mental health resources, please call 941-917-7760.