Partial Hospitalization Program

At Branches Reno, a service of Willow Springs Center, children and teens with mental health issues receive the care they need while living at home.

Comforting mother holds her teen daughter's hand as they sit on the living room sofa

Partial Hospitalization Program for Children and Teens

Some children and teens need intensive mental health care but don’t require 24-hour inpatient residential care. The partial hospitalization program (PHP) at Branches Reno helps children ages 8-11 and teens ages 12-17 meet their mental health goals. They receive intensive treatment during the day, living at home on nights and weekends.

Our PHP offers treatment intensity similar to our residential mental health program. But instead of living at the facility, your teen attends the program from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. After each day of structured mental health treatment, your child comes home.

Your child receives intensive, consistent, structured treatment, with more freedom and plenty of time with their family and friends.

PHP can serve as a “step-down” program after residential care to help transition back into life after treatment.

Goals of PHP

We help your child improve their mental health with compassionate support and therapies.

PHP is designed to help manage:

  • Anxiety and depression
  • Suicidal thoughts or self-harming behaviors
  • Impulsive behavior, such as aggression
  • Unsafe coping skills such as substance use
  • Difficulty in family, social and school settings

Our psychiatrist meets with your child in person, and they meet with you in person or over the phone. They listen carefully and use specially designed methods to better understand your unique challenges and needs. Then, they create a program focusing on your primary goals. The psychiatrist may also recommend therapy for parents and caregivers.

Mental Health Services for Children and Teens

PHP uses dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), a type of psychotherapy. DBT helps people learn ways to manage emotions, improve personal relationships and cope with challenges in healthy ways.  

Throughout the day, patients in PHP participate in a variety of DBT activities and skill-building:

  • Family and group therapy
  • Distress tolerance, which can help teens learn to accept and cope with some negative emotions
  • Emotional regulation, which helps people learn to respond to emotions in a healthy way
  • Interpersonal skills and communication, as well as opportunities to practice them among peers
  • Mindfulness, a practice that involves paying attention to the present moment without judgment or negative thoughts
  • Field trips to practice new skills

Your PHP Providers

Your loved one works with several providers who help throughout the PHP:

  • Psychiatrist, who meets weekly to discuss medications and side effects
  • Therapists who lead group counseling sessions
  • Nurses for those who have medical needs
  • Mental health techs, who provide extra support and help with daily activities
  • Office manager, to help with details such as transportation, school notes and insurance
  • After hours Phone Coaching from our staff clinicians, available 7 days a week.

Willow Springs PHP is a 5-week program. During weekly check-ins, your child and their care providers evaluate progress and set goals for the next week. We communicate with family regularly to provide updates and discuss next steps.

When it is time for discharge from the program, we develop a plan for ongoing care.

Get Help Now

Contact us to discover how Willow Springs Center can help your military family cope with mental health disorders.

If you believe your child is experiencing a mental health crisis, CALL 988 or seek the nearest emergency room.

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