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The Division

The Delaware Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (DSAMH) is located in the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS). DSAMH serves the adult (age 18 and older) population in need of publicly funded behavioral health services. DSAMH is organized into three operating units. These are the Delaware Psychiatric Center (DPC) and a variety of community-based Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment Programs.

Our mission is to promote health and recovery by ensuring that Delawareans have access to quality prevention and treatment for mental health, substance use, and gambling conditions.

Our vision: Always the Right Time, Always the Right Place, To Get the Right Service

• Operates Delaware Psychiatric Center, Delaware's only state-operated psychiatric hospital for adults.
• Provides community support services to adults with psychiatric disabilities through contracts with private agencies. These services include continuous treatment teams, group homes, and clinic-based services. The Division contracts for mental health counseling services and provides 24-hour mobile crisis intervention services statewide.

Substance Abuse   

• Provides public drug and alcohol treatment services for adults, primarily through contracts with private agencies. Services include: screening and evaluation; outpatient counseling; opioid treatment, including methadone maintenance; continuous treatment team programs for individuals with long-term, disabling alcohol and drug dependence disorders; less intensive case management services offered through the outpatient counseling agencies; detoxification; and residential services. The residential services include short-term/variable length-of-stay treatment (30 days or less), long-term treatment, and halfway houses. In addition to serving women in all of the residential treatment programs, one residential treatment program is targeted specifically to women, including pregnant women and women with infants. The Division also has specialized case management for adult offenders with alcohol/drug abuse problems who are involved in the Drug Courts. The case management is provided through the Division's Treatment Access Center (TASC)
• Provides alcohol and drug abuse prevention programs that address a number of high-risk and under-served populations and geographic areas in the State. These programs include Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Fetal Drug Effects prevention (statewide) and prevention activities in targeted areas of the City of Wilmington and in Kent and Sussex Counties.
• Provides services for persons with a dual disorder of mental illness and alcohol/drug abuse problem. Services are provided either concurrently by the mental health and alcohol/drug abuse treatment providers or by two programs targeted specifically to persons with a dual disorder. One program is a long-term residential treatment program that serves the entire State. The other program is a continuous treatment team that serves persons living in New Castle County.
• Provides compulsive gambling services. These services, which are provided contractually for persons with a compulsive gambling problem and their families, consist of public information, education, and awareness activities; a 24-hour help line; assessment; and outpatient treatment.
• State Service Centers and free standing locations in population centers throughout the State.

Cultural Competence

• Road Toward Cultural Competence   -DSAMH's commitment to establishing multicultural principles and practices throughout its system of services and programs Text Version of Brochure