Sheppard Pratt offers a comprehensive continuum of care for adults with mental health issues.

People Cared For

  • Young Adults
  • Adults
  • Older Adults

Level of Care

  • Day Hospital
  • Partial Hospitalization

Payment Type

  • Medicare
  • Medicaid
  • Private Insurance
  • Self Pay

In addition to robust crisis and inpatient services, our two hospitals located in Towson, MD, and Elkridge, MD offer partial hospitalization for adults experiencing mental illness.

Who the Adult Mood Disorders Day Hospitals Serve

  • Adults 18+
  • Diagnoses treated:
    • Major depressive disorders
    • Anxiety disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder
    • Bipolar disorders
    • Personality disorders, including borderline personality disorder 
    • Other mood-related disorders

About the Program

Most people are referred to our day hospital after they have stabilized or completed an inpatient treatment program, or through a treating clinician who feels they need more treatment than can be provided on an outpatient basis. Our day hospital provides treatment during the day, allowing patients to return to the comforts of their own home at night. Adult Day Hospital programming is offered on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.; the average length of care at the Adult Day Hospital is two to three weeks. Patients are generally referred to the location that is closest to their home.

Our Staff & Types of Treatment 

Our experienced, interdisciplinary treatment teams can include psychiatrists or nurse practitioners, therapists, mental health specialists, occupational therapists, and nurses. Patients engage in six and a half hours of therapeutic programming each day; care at the day hospitals is offered in a group therapy model. We offer:

  • Group treatment which can include modalities like:
    • Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
    • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
    • Psychoeducation
    • Recreation/activity
  • Supportive counseling
  • Medication and symptom management as needed
  • Treatment planning
  • Aftercare planning and coordination
  • Family meetings

Sample Schedule

Continuing Care

We ensure that care does not stop when an individual is ready to leave the day hospital. While a patient is enrolled at the Adult Mood Disorders Day Hospital, our interdisciplinary team will create a comprehensive aftercare plan to ensure that the appropriate community-based appointments have been arranged.  

How to Enroll

  1. Visit one of our Psychiatric Urgent Care walk-in clinics for a level of care assessment.
  2. If you are referred to the day hospital, a Day Hospitals Admissions Coordinator will contact you to share orientation information and schedule a start date.
  3. Depending on your insurance authorization requirements, you may need an assessment prior to admission. This assessment would be scheduled and performed by our program providers.

If you are a provider making a referral, click here.