Our Programs
Lifeline Center for Child Development offers highly individualized, quality educational, therapeutic, and wellness services for children with special needs and other developmental challenges.
Psychiatric Day Treatment
Clinical
Lifeline is fundamentally a clinical program offering educational services designed to benefit students with behavioral challenges and promote academic success. We provide a range of supportive and educational services through our qualified staff, including psychiatrists, nurses, psychologists, social workers, and various therapists.
The Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) identifies each student's needs, determining the appropriate services to be delivered during school hours. While the NYC Department of Education (DOE) provides many of these services, Lifeline exclusively offers all mental health services, such as medical/psychiatric, social work, and psychology.
Our clinical team consists of licensed and/or certified professionals who are equipped to address the diverse challenges faced by our students. We maintain a family-centered approach, actively involving caregivers in our processes.
Academic
The NYC Department of Education runs a K-12 school on Lifeline's campus, catering to children aged 5-18. With small classes of 6-8 students, each class is led by a Certified Special Education Teacher and two Assistant Teachers. Every family is assigned a clinician (social worker or psychologist) and receives individual and group therapy.
Lifeline welcomes students with various psychiatric diagnoses, including those who are anxious, depressed, withdrawn, hyperactive, impulsive, or have language delays. Our primary goal is to offer comprehensive clinical services and special education classes to emotionally disturbed children with limited program options. We provide outpatient services, aiming to help children transition to regular or less restrictive programs.
Each child's daily schedule includes small, structured classes for individualized attention and instruction. Additional services may encompass Individual and Group Therapy, Speech, Physical and Occupational Therapies, Psychological Testing, Psychiatric Intervention, and Medication Management. A primary therapist oversees every child's care. In the school-age program, Lifeline staff provide social work, psychological, and psychiatric services, while the NYC Department of Education offers speech, physical, and occupational therapies.
Lifeline's therapeutic environment nurtures and addresses each child's pathology and disordered behaviors with sensitivity and professionalism. Our multidisciplinary clinical and educational staff collaborate closely, with frequent conferences.
Lifeline is highly regarded by professional and regulatory agencies. Since our inception, we have successfully integrated the majority of children we serve into public schools within their communities.
Wellness
Lifeline also offers yoga and mindfulness instruction as part of our Wellness Program, led by a certified trainer. These additional tools help children develop emotional self-regulation and cope with social, emotional, and behavioral issues. Mindfulness practices encourage children to nonjudgmentally focus on their surroundings, enabling them to respond thoughtfully to the present moment, reducing anxiety and its negative effects.
Benefits of the Wellness Program
Emotion regulation
Increase academic performance
Reduced anxiety and tension
Resilience to stress
Decrease behavioral problems
Children’s Care Management
The Children’s Care Management program provides students and families with various individualized services and support based on family needs, including:
Academic support
Social support within the community
Medical, dental, and mental health referrals
Our focus is to empower students and families, support positive physical and mental health, and provide the necessary assistance or referrals to increase positive behavioral decisions.
