Mental Health Inpatient Services

As part of the wider Mental Health and Substance Use Services at BC Children's Hospital, our Mental Health Inpatient Services include:

• Child Psychiatry Unit
• Adolescent Psychiatry Unit
• Consultation liaison psychiatry service

Child Psychiatry Unit   

This service provides specialized consultation and care for children from five to eleven years of age who have complex psychiatric concerns. The unit provides consultation and day treatment psychiatric services for children, families and caregivers. Children may be admitted to this unit voluntarily, or involuntarily under the BC Mental Health Act.  

This interdisciplinary team provides in-person and virtual care services, including:

• psychiatric consultation
• mental health assessments
• medication review
• initiation and short-term treatment
• psychoeducation for children and families/caregivers
• school support
• transition to community care

Adolescent Psychiatry Unit

The Adolescent Psychiatry Unit offers specialized consultation and care for youth from 12 to 18 years of age who are experiencing complex psychiatric concerns. We admit youth voluntarily, or involuntarily under the BC Mental Health Act.

This interdisciplinary team provides in-person and virtual care services.

These include:

• psychiatric consultation
• mental health assessments
• medication review
• initiation and short-term treatment
• psychoeducation for children and families/caregivers
• school support
• transition to community care

Referral information

• Child Psychiatry Unit: Community clinicians, such as family doctors, nurse practitioners or pediatricians, can refer children from five to 11 years of age, who have complex psychiatric concerns
• Adolescent Psychiatry Unit: Community clinicians can refer youth from 12 to 18 years of age with complex psychiatric concerns at a level of severity that community services cannot manage

Visit our Inpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Units Referral page to make a referral to either unit for care.

BC Children’s Hospital manages all referrals through our consultation program to determine the most beneficial services we can offer to each individual patient.  

Consultation process

Once BC Children’s Hospital accepts a child’s referral, the child or youth and their parent or caregiver will meet with our consultation team to discuss what has been going on, and the clinical care they may need.

The initial appointment usually lasts an hour to an hour and a half. It may be in-person or virtual.

Following the appointment, the team will provide recommendations on next steps for treatment. This may include an inpatient admission (a stay at BC Children’s Hospital) or day treatment.

During the consultation process, the child and parent or caregiver will meet with different team members to plan their care.  

Parents and caregivers are a vital part of the care team. We ask them to be present on the unit for the duration of their child's stay at BC Children’s Hospital. 

Depending on each child’s and family’s goals, patients may be on the unit for full or half days. Before admission, we offer virtual psychoeducational groups for parents/caregivers to support them during their child’s care journey. 

Hours of service 

The consultation team runs from Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  

Contact us  

Address:
4555 Heather Street
Healthy Minds Centre
Entrance #85
BC Children’s Hospital
Vancouver, BC
V6H 3N1  

Phone

• General reception: 604-875-2010
• Child Psychiatry intake clinician: 604-875-2345, extension 5608
• Adolescent Psychiatry intake clinician: 604-875-6939

Call for information on your referral, questions about the program or for support if you are awaiting your child's admission. 

Consultation Liaison Psychiatry   

The Consultation Liaison Psychiatry service helps children and youth, and their families and caregivers, who are admitted to the medical units at BC Children’s Hospital, and who have mental health concerns. 

The psychiatry team works alongside a child or youth’s medical care team to provide mental health care.  

Referral information 

This service is solely for BC Children’s Hospital patients who are staying in an inpatient unit at our hospital. We do not accept external referrals.  

Appointment details  

Once we have accepted a referral from a BC Children's Hospital provider, the child or youth and their family member or caregiver will meet with the consultation liaison team to discuss their mental health. 

This usually takes approximately an hour to 90 minutes.  

The consultation liaison team then provides recommendations on next steps for the child or youth’s mental health treatment. This may include medications, transfer a to mental health unit once medically stabilized, or community resource planning for when a child or youth is discharged or ready to leave hospital.  

The consultation liaison team meets with the child or youth and their family or caregiver throughout their time at BC Children’s Hospital, as needed.