Inpatient Child and Adolescent Mental Health Treatment

If you believe your child or teen is experiencing an acute mental health crisis, the inpatient care unit at our Marillac Campus may be the option you need. Acute crises can include thoughts of suicide (suicidal ideation), plans to harm others (homicidal ideation), psychosis and concerning behaviors such as aggression, self-harm or taking excessive risks.

Inpatient pediatric mental health treatment provides access to psychiatric and medical care. Patients stay overnight for a short period – typically 3 to 5 days – to receive treatment. All programs at Marillac Campus are designed to help kids return to their homes and communities.

We can admit children between 4 and 17 years old for mental health treatment. They are split into preadolescent and adolescent groups. Roommates are paired by gender and kept close in age, or, where that isn’t possible, they will not have a roommate.

Many mental health conditions are treated in an inpatient setting. Some of the most common are behavioral disorders (usually seen in the preadolescent group), anxiety and depression (more common in the adolescent group). We are experienced at providing care for kids and teens at risk of suicide or following a suicide attempt.

Referrals are not required before admission to inpatient mental health treatment. If your child is in crisis, you can go to our Marillac Campus and walk in for a free assessment. The exceptions are for overdose, suspected overdose or aggressive behavior that requires restraint. If any of those apply to your child or teen, call 911 or go to an emergency department for treatment.

Use the parking lot on the west side of the building and go to the main entrance. There will be someone at the registration desk to assist you.

What to expect when you arrive

After you check in at the registration desk, you’ll be shown to a private room where a qualified mental health professional will conduct an admissions screening. If inpatient admission is not an appropriate course of treatment for your child, the provider will advise on the next best steps.

If the screening does result in admission, your child will be assigned a room. Within 24 hours of admission, your child will be seen by a child and adolescent psychiatrist to complete a psychiatric evaluation. The medical staff member who completes this evaluation will call you to discuss their findings and recommendations about treatment and medications, if applicable.

Inpatient services are provided by a team that delivers the highest level of intensive care for children and adolescents in need of urgent life interventions. Patients receive a full exam by a pediatrician within 24 hours of admission and have access to behavioral healthcare and daily visits with board-certified or board-eligible psychiatrists. They may also receive:

• A psychosocial assessment within 72 hours
• Comprehensive psychiatric evaluations
• Health and substance abuse assessments
• Pediatrician evaluations, lab and nursing assessments
• Safety planning and discharge support
• Trauma systems therapy, an evidence-based treatment that addresses emotional and behavioral concerns by identifying personal and environmental triggers

Expressive therapy

We provide expressive therapy to help children and adolescents achieve healthy goals. These therapies are based on individual assessments and delivered within the hospital treatment program. Expressive therapy includes:

• Art
• Drama
• Music
• Recreation

Insights Unit

Insights is a therapeutic care program for adolescents who suffer from anxiety, depression, adjustment disorder or suicidal thoughts. This 5-day inpatient program includes cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy. Therapists use the RESET model to help patients improve relationship-building skills and emotional intelligence, increase their sense of identity and learn relaxation skills. This unit also enables some patients to step down to our intensive outpatient program for treatment and skill building after discharge.

The acute hospital provides the highest level of intensive care available in psychiatric treatment for children and adolescents. Acute treatment stabilizes patients in need of urgent life interventions and addresses mental health and wellness.

Our care providers work exclusively with children and adolescents and understand their unique complexities. Our treatment team includes board-certified psychiatrists, nurses, therapists, social workers and youth care specialists. Patients receive 24-hour monitoring and have access to the full continuum of behavioral healthcare and daily visits with on-site psychiatrists.

A therapeutic and trauma-informed model of care guides our clinical decisions and treatment. We utilize a trauma-informed care model to support children, adolescents and families in learning about trauma and its impact, and to encourage positive change and growth.

An essential part of our treatment process includes exploring and scheduling community-based, outpatient services. Our goal is to reintegrate your child into the community as quickly as possible after the crisis that led to admission. For some patients, our intensive outpatient program may be an option.