Service Detail

We offer assessment and treatment for children up to and including 12 years of age, who have a an established or suspected mental health disorder which requires a period of intensive assessment and/or treatment. Referrals will be accepted from Tier 3 CAMHS services.

Our unit works closely with parents or carers to understand their child's needs, the impact of the child’s difficulties on other people around the child, and the effect of those changes upon the family on the child.

Treatment at Acorn Lodge is based around a weekly, five-day model, allowing the child to spend evenings and weekends home. This model is very important for both the child and the family to help minimise the time away from home, and also to undertake interventions within a community setting. Following assessment, children will be offered a six to eight week programme to engage in education and access one to one therapeutic support from nursing staff and multi-disciplinary team colleagues.

The education and clinical teams will provide a package of care which best meets the child’s holistic needs and one that can be continued in the community. Our staff are from a variety of specialist backgrounds, including child psychiatry, clinical psychology, nursing, social work and occupational therapy.

Education is provided on site by specialist teaching staff at the Maudsley and Bethlem Hospital School

ART provides nursing, residential and specialist care placements for people, aged 18-65, who have recently moved to independent living.

We provide care co-ordination, specialist assessment and rehabilitation services for people who live in the Borough of Lambeth. Where necessary we also provide clinical care for non-Lambeth residents who have been placed within the borough, as well as social care for people who have moved to more independent, out of borough placements.

Our team includes health and social care professions, including nurses, occupational therapists, psychologists, social workers, support workers and psychiatrists.

We promote the recovery of people who require care and support in a residential setting.

We aim to offer high quality CBT aimed at reducing symptoms of anxiety disorder and improve functioning and quality of life. This would lead to reduced need for local service provision.

The advantages of admission to a residential setting are the ability to deliver CBT in a more intensive format. Staff or residents may assist in frequent exposure or behavioural experiments in a supportive environment. There are more opportunities for modelling and positive reinforcement by others in the moment. There is increased flexibility in delivery of the therapy that can keep the momentum going. Sometimes there are advantages to removing a person from their home context.

We integrate occupational therapy into the therapy. Living in a residential unit increases responsibility that may not occur on an inpatient unit with nursing staff as well as the support and reinforcement from other residents. Lastly the unit can monitor any medication changes or adherence.

For patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), we operate at the highest level of stepped care in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. We do this by providing intensive CBT for the treatment of severe OCD and BDD.

For patients with other anxiety disorders (post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social phobia, agoraphobia/panic, specific phobias, generalised anxiety disorder) the service also operates at the highest level of stepped care in the respective NICE guidelines. We do this by providing intensive CBT and optimisation of medication for the relevant anxiety disorder. The service is for those who have severe symptoms and who have failed treatment locally.