Silver Hill Hospital Announces Appointment to New Position of Chief Clinical Officer

NEW CANAAN, Conn., April 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Silver Hill Hospital, a nationally-recognized leader in the treatment of psychiatric and addiction disorders, has announced the appointment of Michael D. Groat, MSc, PhD, to the newly-created position of Chief Clinical Officer. In this role, Dr. Groat will apply his extensive clinical and leadership experience to overseeing, coordinating and supporting Silver Hill's entire clinical operation – including inpatient care, transitional living, admissions and staff. His expertise and direction will advance Silver Hill's mission of providing a clinically coherent program to best serve patients.

"The quality of our clinical program is vital to ensuring the utmost excellence in patient care and as a psychologist, Dr. Groat's rare blend of clinical and leadership experience makes him uniquely qualified to bring a new era of excellence to Silver Hill," said Dr. Andrew Gerber, President and Medical Director of Silver Hill Hospital.

"His skills truly round out and enhance our leadership team and we're elated about his strong theoretical foundation," Gerber added. "Dr. Groat has trained and practiced in a variety of treatment settings and firmly believes, as we do, that there is no such thing as a 'one size fits all' model for treating patients. Research proves this and we need to continuously act on this – treating each patient as an individual, meeting them where they are and integrating their treatment into a larger whole to give them the best outcome."

Dr. Groat comes to Silver Hill from CooperRiis in Asheville, NC, a 100-bed residential treatment and transitional living program, where he has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since 2016. Prior to his role at CooperRiis, he rose through the ranks at Menninger Clinic, a leading specialty psychiatric hospital in Houston, over the course of eight years. Among his accomplishments during his tenure at Menninger, Dr. Groat led the Professionals in Crisis Inpatient Program and provided clinical leadership to the Division of Adult Services, the department's flagship specialty hospital and national referral center. During that time, he was a faculty member at Baylor College of Medicine, teaching Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

"It's incredibly exciting to join the leadership team of an organization with such a distinguished history and highly-dedicated and passionate staff – open to learning, growing and adapting in new ways to drive excellence and implement effective treatment with superior outcomes," said Dr. Groat. "I look forward to bringing the heart of what motivates me to Silver Hill: my love for caring for patients, helping them find a path forward and giving them increased hope and purpose."

Among the initiatives that Dr. Groat plans to prioritize at Silver Hill are overseeing the opening of a newly-renovated inpatient program that will offer facilities for managing detoxification and expanding Silver Hill's outpatient services. Long range plans include working with Dr. Gerber and the entire leadership team to develop and implement outcomes assessments to demonstrate Silver Hill's effectiveness of care.

Dr. Groat completed his psychology training at Albany Medical College and as a fellow at the American Psychoanalytic Association, the Anna Freud Center Program at Yale Child Study Center and at Austen Riggs Center. His four-year, post-doctoral fellowship at Austen Riggs included a strong emphasis on intensive treatment of people with complex difficulties. Dr. Groat received his doctoral degree in psychology from State University of New York and his master of science degree from Miami University, Ohio.

He has published numerous papers on topics ranging from suicidal crisis, attachment style, personality assessments and addictions to mentalizing-based approaches to treatment and impasses in treatment. He is actively involved in a number of professional societies and is a regular presenter at national professional meetings on approaches to mental health recovery.   

Silver Hill Hospital admits more than 3,000 adolescents and adults annually for disorders that include addiction, depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, personality disorders and schizophrenia among others. The Hospital is especially known for its expertise in treating complex conditions and co-occurring disorders. 

Established in 1931, Silver Hill Hospital has more than 14 full-time board-certified psychiatrists. Located on 44 scenic acres in New Canaan, Connecticut, it is widely recognized for the excellence of its psychiatric and addiction services. The Hospital is accredited by The Joint Commission and is licensed for 129 beds.

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SOURCE Silver Hill Hospital