For information and inquiries about the New Canaan / Weston Urgent Assessment Program, please visit its webpage.

The Center for the Treatment and Study of Neuropsychiatric Disorders

The Center for the Treatment and Study of Neuropsychiatric Disorders at Silver Hill Hospital treats patients with complex mental health illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar. It is one of very few of its kind in the United States and has a proven track record of obtaining positive outcomes for patients who experience persistent psychiatric symptoms that have been unresponsive to conventional care methods.

The Center provides a more personal and intense treatment plan necessitated by the complex nature of certain conditions. Participation in the program marks the beginning of long-term stability and care, and patients often leave the Center on a path to reintegrate into school, work, and other meaningful relationships.

Based on the extraordinary work of Rocco Marotta, MD, PhD, the Center is also dedicated to the research of these psychiatric conditions with the goal of sharing its findings to help people beyond Silver Hill.

Program Overview

The Neuropsychiatric Center is committed to offering the best care and treatment to help our patients on their paths to meaningful and productive lives.  

  • Minimum 6-week Residential Transitional Living Program
  • All genders, 18+
  • Serving those with psychosis, thought disorders, and mood disorders (with or without substance abuse)
  • Community living on the hospital campus with medical support always available
  • Working, eating, and preparing meals with other patients in the program

Treatments & Therapies:

  • Group therapy
  • Cognitive remediation
  • Wellness services including nutrition, diet, and exercise
  • Complex psychopharmacological interventions uniquely tailored to each individual
  • Family involvement (extensive contact with therapists), family support groups
  • Integrative team approach (weekly Rounds, collaborative discussions, responsive meetings)
  • Long-term trust and relationship with the treatment team (continued follow-up after discharge)

Returning to a meaningful and productive life:

After completing all stages of treatment, a high percentage of our patients resume their expected life paths with consistent aftercare support, they continue to carry out healthy, safe, and meaningful lives after discharge (which includes work, higher education, and greater integration into family life).

Goals of the Center

  • Improve early detection, diagnosis and treatment of severe mental health disorders.
  • Increase awareness among families, educators, health care providers, and others who can help identify young people experiencing mental health issues and find them appropriate assistance.
  • Advance and promote the use of high-quality, evidence-based, and scalable treatment of these disorders.
  • Facilitate communication and long term relationships between the treatment team and families/primary caregivers.
  • Foster and encourage other clinicians to emulate the compassionate, highly personal, team treatment approach that is the hallmark of Dr. Marotta’s work.
  • Achieve positive outcomes so that patients may reintegrate into school, work, and other relationships.

The Neuropsychiatric Program Brochure

'Rocky was my only hope,' says the father of one former patient, who went from 'catatonic to coherent' due to Dr. Marotta’s persistence, knowledge, and experience.

Conditions Treated

Schizophrenia – A psychiatric disorder characterized by a loss of appropriate emotional responses and the inability to organize thoughts and behaviors. It can also include delusional thinking and hallucinations. Read more about our treatment for Schizophrenia

Schizoaffective Disorder – A condition in which features of both psychosis and mood problems (depression or mania) occur together with the features of psychosis persisting beyond the episodes of mood disturbance. Read more about our treatment for Schizoaffective Disorder

Bipolar Disorder with Psychotic Features – A serious mental illness that causes changes in a person’s mood, energy, and ability to function. Read More about our treatment for Bipolar Disorder

Substance-Induced Psychosis – A condition with various psychotic symptoms stemming from long-term substance abuse.

Co-Occurring Disorders

Adults with a psychotic disorder often have more than one diagnosis. These “co-occurring disorders” require a special understanding and corresponding treatment.  Because Silver Hill is a true psychiatric hospital, we are uniquely qualified to provide comprehensive care for patients who need treatment for more than one disorder.

We find that one or more of these psychiatric conditions may co-occur with a psychotic disorder and require simultaneous treatment:

What to Expect

We offer two levels of adult care that correspond with a patient’s level of need. Treatment at the Center requires a commitment to the time it takes to achieve lasting results. 

Levels of Care:

Inpatient – Most patients begin their treatment at the Center in our inpatient level of care. The goals of this level of care are diagnostic assessment, crisis stabilization, medication management, and symptom reduction. The inpatient program at Silver Hill offers a high clinician-to-patient ratio so that patients can receive the individual attention they require and be prepared for subsequent levels of care.

Main HouseOur Main House Inpatient Service takes place at the Patricia Regnemer Main House building.

You will be assigned according to your diagnosis and the type of inpatient treatment that is best suited to assist in your recovery. The average length of stay varies by diagnosis. 

In this safe, supportive environment, you will strengthen your skills in:

  • Problem solving
  • Relapse prevention
  • Managing emotions
  • Self-esteem
  • Coping ahead
  • Health and medication education
  • Communication skills
  • Stress management

All inpatient units are locked for your safety and no personal computers or cellphones are permitted. Visits from family members twelve years of age and older are permitted during scheduled visiting hours.

Your 14-hour day will include:

  • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
  • Group therapy, including psychoeducational and skills groups
  • Medication education
  • Twelve-Step work, when appropriate
  • Psychopharmacology
  • Family program
  • Recreational activities
  • Nutritional consultation, when clinically indicated
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy
  • Visiting Hours (Family members 12 years of age and older)

Your schedule will include daily meetings with your psychiatrist and social worker.

Weekly Al-Anon meetings are also available on campus.

Visit Inpatient FAQs

Transitional Living – After a patient’s symptoms are stabilized in inpatient care, they enter our Transitional Living Program. Here they reside on campus to focus on cognitive remediation, psychosocial rehabilitation, and medication management. This program is designed as a step down from inpatient hospitalization, but they will continue to have access to an inpatient level of care, as needed at any time.

The LodgeDuring this Transitional Living Program you will reside at The Lodge, a gracious, white clapboard house that has been newly renovated. All bedrooms have private baths and accommodate two people. (Private rooms are available at an additional cost). Visit Being at Silver Hill for additional details.

Several times a week, residents prepare and eat meals together as a community. A dietitian is available to address weight management issues, and patients with addictions may participate in AA and NA meetings on campus.

Your 14-hour daily schedule includes:

  • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
  • Group therapy, including psychoeducational and skills groups
  • Medication education
  • Psychopharmacology
  • Psychosocial skills training
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Recreational activities
  • Nutritional consultation, when clinically indicated
  • Visiting Hours

View Transitional Living FAQs

Silver Hill Hospital
This hospital is a sacred space, an island where generations of people have come to heal. We never give up here. We use every means possible to help patients and their families. That is the magic of this place.
Rocco Marotta, MD, PhD
Director, Center for the Treatment and Study of Neuropsychiatric Disorders

The Care Team

Learn More

To learn more about the extraordinary work being done at The Center, including treatments that offer a combination of intensive psychopharmacological interventions tailored to the unique symptoms of each individual patient suffering from severe psychiatric disorders, please contact us at (866) 542-4455.

Let’s get started.

Allow us to help you get better. Contact us today to find out which program might be right for you, or to begin the process of arranging for treatment.

Call us at
1 (866) 542 4455

– OR – Contact Us