Specialized Treatment for Adolescent & Children Ages 5-17

When a young person is struggling with a mental health concern or addiction, it’s important to identify the type and level of care that can best suit their unique needs and goals. Many of Acadia’s child and adolescent treatment centers provide a full continuum of age-appropriate services that can help each family find the care that’s right for their loved one.

The impact of mental health disorders and addictions can vary considerably based on the age and stage of life of the person who is living with the disorder. Children and adolescents can sometimes be at an increased risk for developing certain types of disorders, and the onset and progression of various behavioral health disorders can be significantly different among children and adolescents than among adults. For these reasons, it can be crucial for a young person to receive care at a child or adolescent treatment facility that can meet their unique developmental and emotional needs.

When your child or adolescent receives treatment in one of Acadia’s programs, age-appropriate services will be a feature of their care. The experienced professionals who provide care at Acadia’s adolescent treatment facilities understand the unique ways children and teens may be impacted by behavioral health challenges, and they have developed specialized services for the youths in their care. Acadia’s child and adolescent treatment facilities offer services for children at various ages, starting from as young as 5.

Another important component of age-appropriate care is the treatment setting. When you choose a children’s treatment center that’s part of Acadia’s network, your child can benefit from care that is delivered safely with similar-age peers. The expert care teams at Acadia’s adolescent and children’s treatment centers strive to provide safe and supportive healing environments within each of Acadia’s age-appropriate treatment units and programs.

It is not uncommon for children and teens to struggle with mental health concerns that become disruptive to their lives. Mental health disorders young people commonly suffer from include depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, trauma-related disorders, and eating disorders. Additionally, concerns like self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and disruptive behaviors can occur during childhood and have severe impacts on a young person’s safety and ability to function.

Seeking early, effective care at a reputable children’s treatment center can make a lasting difference for a young person’s long-term well-being. Child and adolescent mental health treatment centers offer therapies that can help young people develop skills to function better at home, at school, at work, and in social settings. A qualified adolescent treatment center can also provide other services to help young people manage the impacts of mental health disorders so that they can achieve happier and more productive futures.

Although it can feel overwhelming to seek mental health treatment for a child, the advantages can be significant. The following are some of the potential benefits of choosing an Acadia treatment facility for your child or teen:

Thorough assessments: Each of our behavioral health treatment centers for children and teens provides thorough assessments for the young people in their care. The assessment process typically involves gathering detailed information on the child’s specific needs and goals, which helps ensure that treatment is focused and effective.

Personalized support: At each adolescent treatment center in Acadia’s network, children and teens receive personalized care that is customized to suit their unique needs. Each young person follows an individualized treatment plan that includes the therapies and services that can empower them to achieve their goals.

Compassionate care: Although the care teams at each teenage treatment center follow a unique mission and philosophy, each one embraces similar values that promote safety and support long-term healing. These values include respect, dignity, compassion, and an appreciation for the strengths each child or teen brings to the treatment process.

Family involvement: At our treatment centers for children and teens, we understand how a young person’s struggles with a behavioral health disorder can impact the entire family. We also appreciate the vital role parents and caregivers can play during and after a child’s time in treatment. The facilities that deliver Acadia programs work diligently to incorporate parents and family members into the treatment experience whenever it is clinically appropriate.

Young people who participate in care at Acadia’s treatment centers for children and teens may receive support at a variety of levels. The specific programs that may benefit a young person can depend on their age and their individual needs.

Each adolescent treatment center provides a specific set of services that are unique to the facility. However, all facilities provide support and referrals to ensure a smooth transition from the Acadia program to the next phase of the child’s healing journey. Levels of care can include the following:

Inpatient treatment: The most intensive level of care, inpatient treatment is a short-term experience for a child or teen who is suffering from severe symptoms of a mental health disorder or an addiction. This level of care can help young people stabilize and enhance their well-being so that they can transition home or to a lower level of care.

Residential treatment: Children and adolescents may take part in residential treatment for several weeks or months, and this level of care can help them make significant progress toward long-term healing. Residential care is available for young people who have addictions, mental health disorders, or dual diagnosis concerns, depending on the adolescent treatment center.

Partial hospitalization programming (PHP): Partial hospitalization typically features full days of structured therapeutic services. Participants then return home or to alternative residences in the evenings. These programs offer intensive support while providing the flexibility for youths to live at home and remain engaged with their communities.

Intensive outpatient programming (IOP): At the IOP level, young people usually participate in treatment for about three hours per day about three days per week. This treatment option offers significant flexibility while allowing participants to benefit from continued therapeutic support.

Traditional outpatient services: In a number of Acadia’s pediatric outpatient programs, traditional outpatient services, such as individual therapy sessions, may be scheduled at the frequency that is best for your child. Traditional outpatient care can be a valuable source of ongoing support after a young person completes treatment at a higher level.

Acadia’s child and teenage behavioral health treatment centers offer expert care and well-rounded support for each young person they serve. Our facilities employ time-tested and evidence-based therapies and deliver care through multidisciplinary treatment teams to help young people achieve healthy and fulfilling futures. Our child and adolescent treatment centers may offer modalities like:

• Individual therapy
• Group therapy
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
• 12-Step programming
• Motivational interviewing

Additionally, family therapy is often a feature of programming at Acadia’s adolescent treatment facilities. Family therapy can provide the chance to improve family cohesion, build trust, and solve problems together as a group. These sessions are usually led by a qualified therapist or counselor who can provide guidance and support for the child and their loved ones.

Some children and adolescents may also benefit from taking medications as part of their treatment plans. For this reason, medication management services with qualified psychiatric providers are another feature of care across Acadia’s programs and child and teen treatment centers.

Many of Acadia’s youth programs also offer specialized academic services. These services can allow your child to continue meeting their educational goals while they are completing an intensive behavioral health treatment program. Furthermore, our experts understand that children may need help transitioning back to the school environment after receiving care. The treatment teams at our facilities are committed to developing aftercare plans that can support each child’s ongoing needs postdischarge.

At Acadia’s outpatient child and teen treatment centers, young people receive focused support in a flexible format while living off-site. This allows them to practice what they learn in treatment and benefit from family and social support on a regular basis. At Acadia, pediatric outpatient treatment for adolescents usually involves intensive group therapy sessions, where topics can range from emotion regulation and coping skills to anger management, acceptance, relapse prevention, and physical health.

The facilities in Acadia’s programming network understand the importance of providing child and adolescent treatment through a collaborative team approach. At our treatment centers for children and teens, care teams can include diverse professionals like psychiatrists, registered nurses, social workers, and recreational therapists.

Finding the right treatment center for your teenager or child can be an important step on the road to long-term healing for them. If you’re searching for appropriate care, you may have questions for your child’s potential treatment provider, including:

• How will you evaluate my child’s progress in treatment?
• Will you provide continuing care referrals?
• Do you use evidence-based therapies?
• What kind of professionals deliver care for children?
• How can my child keep up with their education while receiving care?

These are all excellent questions and ones the staff at each Acadia child or adolescent treatment facility is prepared to answer.

You may also want additional help navigating your child’s care journey and ensuring that they receive the highest level of personalized and comprehensive support. To help families find the right behavioral health treatment for their loved ones, Acadia offers free placement support services for children and young people ages 6-21. Our placement professionals can help with locating both acute treatment and pediatric outpatient care at Acadia, and they can also help with providing services like education coordination and aftercare planning.

If you would like additional information about the full continuum of age-appropriate care for children and adolescents within the Acadia Healthcare network, please contact an Acadia facility at your convenience. Representatives at each child or adolescent mental health or addiction treatment center will be happy to answer your questions so that you can make the best decision for your loved one and your family.