Pathways to Clinical Integration
Clinical services stand at the center of the mission of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, alongside a strong commitment to excellence in teaching and research. The department’s strategy is to design innovative mental health care delivery and illness prevention models that will meet the needs of residents of Central Texas and that are scalable to the state and beyond.
Partners
The department and its community partners work to evolve the mental health care system in Travis County and help make Austin a model healthy city — improving patient outcomes, increasing patient and provider satisfaction, reducing health care costs and improving the functioning of the mental health system. Partners include:
- Austin Travis County Integral Care
- Ascension Seton Behavioral Health Care
- Austin State Hospital
- CommUnityCare
Mulva Clinic for the Neurosciences at UT Health Austin
Psychiatric services are offered through the Mulva Clinic for the Neurosciences. A range of skilled clinicians provide specialized care for medical conditions affecting the brain or central nervous system such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, women’s mental health and more.
Bipolar Integrated Practice Unit
Jointly operated by Integral Care, Travis County’s local mental health and intellectual and developmental disability authority, and Dell Med as part of the Mulva Clinic for the Neurosciences, the Bipolar Disorder Center serves people with low incomes living with the most complex mental health conditions. Dell Med faculty physicians and Integral Care professionals lead the practice team, and providers use team-based, data-driven models and processes employed by UT Health Austin clinics.
Women’s Reproductive Mental Health Program
Women’s Reproductive Mental Health at the Mulva Clinic for the Neurosciences at UT Health Austin provides psychiatric consultation, prevention services and treatment for mental health conditions, including pregnancy and postpartum mood, anxiety, trauma-related and substance use disorders; peri-menopausal disorders; and premenstrual dysphoric disorders. Care is also available to women and couples who experience pregnancy or infant loss.
Treatment-Resistant Depression
Major depression is a common condition that causes significant impairment in human functioning. The treatment goal for major depression is remission, defined as the relative absence of symptoms and restoration of function. The Mulva Clinic for the Neurosciences team offers multiple evidence-based strategies to help people with major depression and treatment-resistant depression, including medication optimization, depression-focused psychotherapy, brain stimulation and clinical trials.
Comprehensive Diagnostic Treatment & Evaluation Program
The department offers a unique comprehensive diagnostic treatment and evaluation program for people with psychiatric conditions. Each patient undergoes an individual evaluation by a team of board-certified psychiatrists and psychologists, including neuropsychological testing. Patients receive a comprehensive report and treatment referral.
Pediatric Psychiatry & Psychology
The UT Health Austin Pediatric Psychiatry at Dell Children’s team of experts — psychiatrists, psychologists, specially trained nurses and licensed social workers — diagnose and create personalized treatments for children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 17 years old for a variety of mental health conditions including thought, mood and anxiety disorders. Both inpatient and outpatient mental health services are provided at Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas.