Specialty Areas: Diagnostic Consultation, Adolescent Treatment, Public Sector Psychiatry

Dr. Havens is an associate professor and Vice Chair for Public Psychiatry of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine and Director and Chief of Service, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Bellevue Hospital Center. In this role, she oversees a continuum of comprehensive mental health services for children and adolescents at the Bellevue Hospital Center and the ACS Children's Center.

Dr. Havens completed her medical education at Tufts University School of Medicine, her residency in general psychiatry at the Payne Whitney Clinic/Cornell Medical Center, her fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at Columbia University and a NIMH Research Fellowship at the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies. Prior to joining the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU, Dr. Havens was the Deputy Director and Director of Clinical and Community Services in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Columbia University and the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York Presbyterian. There, she led a systematic expansion of the acute and routine outpatient mental health capacity in both hospital and community-based settings. This included the addition of over 1,200 new routine treatment slots in community-based settings (primary care clinics and local elementary schools) and the opening of the first dedicated Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP) for children and adolescents in New York State. In 2010, she oversaw the opening of a new $1.1 million Children's CPEP unit at Bellevue, a vital improvement in mental health care for city youth which she was instrumental in getting implemented.

In the 1990's, Dr. Havens was a local and national leader in the development of mental health care for children and families affected by HIV/AIDS. In 1992, Dr. Havens and her colleagues founded the Special Needs Clinic (SNC), the first comprehensive mental health program serving children and families affected by the linked epidemics of HIV and substance abuse. From 1992 to 2001, she served on the Mental Health Work Group of the HIV Health and Human Services Planning Council of New York City (Ryan White Title I CARE Act). In 1997 she received a mayoral appointment to the Planning Council and was appointed Chair of the Mental Health Work Group, where, from 1997 to 2001, she was responsible for overall leadership in the development of strategic plan priorities for mental health services to HIV-infected and affected New Yorkers.

Dr. Havens has been in the practice of psychiatry since 1989, providing psychotherapy and psychopharmacology to children, adolescents and adults. She has special expertise in the treatment of complex adolescents and young people dealing with grief and family disruption. In 2012, Dr. Havens was awarded with both the Doctor of the Year award from Bellevue Hospital and the William A. Schonfeld Award for Outstanding Achievement by the American Society for Adolescent Psychiatry.

In the News

'What do I say to someone with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?'
Dr. Jennifer Havens was featured on the Huffington Post and AOL in the video clip below. She describes what to say and do if someone close to you is experiencing symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder after being mugged or assaulted. The video is part of AOL's series "What Do I Say?" in which experts discuss what people should and should not say to a friend dealing with illness or other difficult personal issues.

You’re watching What Do I Say?: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). See the Web's top videos on AOL Video

Bellevue Psychiatrist Creates a Safe Place for Kids in Crisis
HHC Today, the newsletter of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, spoke to Dr. Jennifer Havens of Bellevue Hospital about  the creation of its new $1.1 million Children's Psychiatric Emergency Program. Dr. Havens understands the complexity of treating children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders. Throughout her career she has worked to identify children in crisis and give them a place where they can feel safe and get help. Click here for the full story.

New Psych Unit For Youth To Open At Bellevue
Jennifer Havens, MD, associate professor and vice chair of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine, and director and chief of service, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Bellevue Hospital Center, spoke to NY1 about the opening of the new Children's Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program at Bellevue.  Click here (latest version of Windows Media Player Series 9 required) and here to see NY1's video coverage of the event.

Bellevue Hospital's new $1.1M unit to tackle growing epidemic with psychiatric unit for kids
The New York Daily News reports that facing a dramatic increase in children in crisis, Bellevue Hospital is opening a special round-the-clock psychiatric unit for kids. The $1.1 million Children's Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program will be staffed by child and adolescent psychiatrists, nurses and social workers by the end of the month."This is going to be a big improvement to the existing system," said Dr. Jennifer Havens, director and chief of service of Bellevue's Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Click here to read the full Daily News story.

Celeb Opening for Bellevue Psych Center
Crain's Health Pulse reported on the opening of Children's Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (C-CPEP), stating "Bellevue Hospital Center is dedicating its $1.1 million, 3,400-square-foot Children's Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program facility. The new unit is expected to accommodate 1,500 emergency patients up to 18 years of age. Actress Uma Thurman, a Bellevue volunteer, was there to cut the ribbon. Funding for the unit comes from the Leon Lowenstein Foundation and the New York State Office of Mental Health."  The CPEP is part of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Bellevue Hospital Center, run by Jennifer Havens, MD Read the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation press release here.