Counseling & Social Work
Emotional Support & Ethical Guidance
Contact our social workers for counseling and discharge planning or consult our ethics committees for guidance on tough medical decisions.
Counseling
If you or a family member are having emotional or social difficulties related to a hospital stay, our skilled social workers are here to help. They also can assist you with discharge planning, counseling, general information and referrals to community agencies. Social Workers are available 24/7 by contacting the number below.
If you have an urgent need to speak with a Social Worker, please call the Hospital Operator at 734-936-4000 and ask to have the Emergency Room Social Worker paged.
Counseling & Social Work Services Information
For detailed information on counseling and social work services, view our Department of Social Work page for assistance and resources.
Help with Difficult Moral & Ethical Decisions
The University of Michigan Adult Ethics Committee and Pediatric Ethics Committee can help patients, families and staff to make difficult decisions about medical care. The committees include doctors, nurses, social workers, a lawyer, a chaplain, an administrator, members of the community and people specially trained in medical ethics.
If you’d like to meet with the Pediatric Ethics Committee, the first step is to contact the group in one of two ways:
- If you feel comfortable doing so, ask a member of the patient’s health care team to contact the PEC.
- If you’d rather contact the PEC directly, call the Ethics line at 734-615-1379. You can also call the main hospital at 734-936-4000 and ask them to page the clinical ethicist on call; Someone will get back to you promptly.
Adult & Pediatric Ethics Committee
Adult Ethics Committee
The University of Michigan Hospital and Health Centers Ethics Committee advisory groups are appointed by the Hospital's Office of Clinical Affairs. They review ethical or moral questions that may come up during an adult patient's care. Committee members include doctors, nurses, and social workers as well as a lawyer, a chaplain, a medical ethics professional, and a member of the community. They are available to meet with patients and families, doctors, nurses, and other members of the health care team when difficult decisions need to be made. The committee's goal is to help everyone decide the right thing to do. (There is a similar committee for pediatric care at the University of Michigan Mott Hospital, called the Pediatric Ethics Committee )
The Ethics Committee gives advice on moral questions in clinical care, educates clinical staff and the public on issues in medical ethics, and develops policies related to patient care.
Any health care team member, patient, or patient family member may request a consultation.
The patient's medical situation and treatment options are reviewed. In addition, concerns and feelings of the patient, family members, and the health care team are reviewed. Members of the committee may meet with patients, families and medical personnel to discuss these concerns.
Ethics Committee members discuss the information which has been gathered.
The Ethics Committee makes suggestions about the best course of action. Often there are a number of options available in the course of a patient's care. Final decisions are made by the patient, family and the health care team.
Pediatric Ethics Committee
Patients and families sometimes face troubling decisions about medical care. Learning medical facts is helpful but may not be enough. Sometimes decisions are difficult because they involve values, not medical science. We can do many things, but it is not always clear that we should. This is where the ethics committee may be helpful.
The University of Michigan has a Pediatric Ethics Committee (PEC) to help patients, families and staff with these questions and decisions. The committee may help you and your child’s medical team clarify facts, examine ethical issues, and assist in the resolution of disagreements about your child’s care. The committee includes people with additional training in medical ethics, doctors, nurses, social workers, a lawyer, a chaplain, an administrator, and members of the community.
The University of Michigan has a Pediatric Ethics Committee because the best medical care requires not only medical skill but good moral judgment. The Committee’s main purpose is to offer help and guidance on moral and ethical questions, such as:
- Should treatment be started or stopped?
- How much should a child be told about his or her disease?
- Is the promise of treatment worth the suffering it may cause?
- What is the best thing to do when we must face the end of life?
The committee is available for consultation to family members, patients, staff, and health care providers. When consulted, members of the committee will talk with the family and health care team treating the patient to gather the facts of the case and will review the medical record.
After a full discussion with the health care team and family and after gathering any other needed information, the consultants will meet to consider all the issues. They will recommend ethically acceptable options and a member of the committee will talk with the family and treatment team about them. The committee’s recommendation(s) will become a part of the patient’s medical record.
Child Psychologists
Seeking Pediatric Psychological Support?
Pediatric psychologists are available to help children cope with the emotional side of being hurt or sick. Our inpatient psychologists help hospitalized children handle feelings about the illness and hospitalization, assist in managing behavior issues, teach children how to take medicines, and help families manage other stressful aspects of being in the hospital.
In the hospital, pediatric psychology services are provided by physician referral.
Guest Assistance Program
The Guest Assistance Program at University of Michigan Health offers eligible patients support for medication costs, medical supplies, lodging, meals, transportation, and more. For a comprehensive list of services and assistance, please contact the program.
