Finding The Right Residential Treatment Center For Your Teen’s Depression

 

The Mayo Clinic defines teen depression as a serious mental health problem that is characterized by “a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest in activities.” Teen depression affects how a young person thinks, feels and behaves, and can lead to developing functional, physical and emotional problems. At some point during adolescence, nearly all teens are likely unable to avoid experiencing feelings of extreme sadness. Where teens without depression will be able to bounce back from their fleeting feelings of teenage despair, teenagers that suffer from teen depression will not. The symptoms of teen depression can be debilitating, and greatly interfere with a young person’s ability to function in his or her daily life. There are a variety of treatment options available for teens with depression. Each teenager will require a tailored treatment plan when it comes to learning how to manage the symptoms of teen depression. Depending on the needs of the teenager, in some situations attending a residential treatment center may be the best option. 

Finding The Right One

Locating a residential treatment center for your teenager that is an ideal fit can seem like an overwhelming task due to the vast number of different residential teen treatment facilities available. There are several elements that denote a high-quality residential teen treatment center. Remaining mindful of the following can assist in effectively narrowing down your options and help you to arrive at the right residential treatment center option for your teen’s depression: 

• The level of licensure that clinical staff members, group leaders, and residential staff members hold: it is important to have a general understanding of who makes up the therapeutic and the residential staff in a potential treatment center as well as their respective, professional qualifications. 

• The treatment modalities offered: Are there a variety of treatment modalities incorporate into treatment plans, such as talk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), interpersonal therapy, creative arts therapies, etc.?

• Family role: does the program offer too much family inclusion, not enough, or an amount that feels comfortable to you? 

• What does a daily schedule look like? The answer to this question will help you understand if the program provides customized treatment plans, which are a cornerstone of high quality teen treatment centers.

• The aftercare support and follow-up services offered: a high quality residential treatment center will offer a full continuum of care. 

• Availability: even if a residential treatment center checks all of your boxes and seems like the perfect fit for your teen, if the center is full and availability does not align with your timeframe, you must move on to another option. 

Every teenager is different and not all residential treatment centers will resonate with each teen. Identifying the right residential treatment center for your teen is not a process that should be taken lightly. The search should be thorough, deliberate and comprehensive; so as to make the most informed decision. 

For Information and Support

Seeking help is never easy, but you are not alone! If you or someone you know is in need of mental health treatment, we strongly encourage you to reach out for help as quickly as possible. It is not uncommon for many mental health difficulties to impact a person for the long term. The earlier you seek support, the sooner you and your loved ones can return to happy, healthy and fulfilling lives.

Our admissions team is available to answer any general questions regarding mental health issues, treatment, and/or specific questions about the program at Pacific Teen Treatment and how we might be able to help your family. We can be reached by phone 24/7 at 800-531-5769. You can also contact us via email at info@pacificrtc.com.