What to expect when you are referred

After your child or teen has been referred to the First Episode Psychosis (FEP) Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and they meet program criteria (ages 12 to 18 at the time of intake and live in Philadelphia or Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania), you will be contacted to participate in a “phone screener.”

This is designed to help our team members know more about your child and whether or not our specific services will be helpful. After the screening call, the FEP team will meet and determine if your child needs a comprehensive evaluation appointment with one of the program’s two psychiatrists. At this in-person evaluation appointment, we will assess program criteria in-depth. Your child must be willing to engage in treatment; families must also be willing to engage.

Following the assessment, we will begin to create a collaborative plan to start outpatient treatment at CHOP or we will provide the best referrals for your child.

We coordinate with inpatient psychiatric units, partial hospitalization (daily, all-day) programs, intensive outpatient programs and current treatment providers, as needed, to support your child. This is particularly important if your child or teen has completed treatment at a higher level of care.

Our program is unable to treat individuals who are in the “prodrome phase” (pre-symptoms) or who are at “high risk” for developing psychosis. The CHOP FEP Program is not appropriate for patients with an intellectual disability or intellectual developmental disorder, as the specific treatment we use has not been shown to be effective for youth with these disorders.

What to expect during treatment

The FEP Program is a Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) program, which includes:

• Personalized medication management from our psychiatrists
• Family psychoeducation so family members can understand the illness and learn how they can help their child
• Weekly resilience-focused individual therapy from our licensed clinicians
• Specialized support with school or work and help with any needed accommodations
• Peer support from an individual with lived experience who is a graduate of a CSC program

Family-centered care

Family-centered care is a key component of our treatment philosophy. A young person’s first episode of psychosis affects the young person and also their family and loved ones. In the FEP Program, we encourage family members to be involved in their child's or teen's treatment.

Your child/teen and you, as parents/guardians, are involved in the evaluation process and care planning, following the model of shared decision making. The program also provides individual family psychoeducation sessions, supporting family members so they can better support their loved one.