Adolescent Program Founding Clinical Director, Jack Britton, discusses the Turnbridge EMPWR care model, behavioral metrics, and integrated family programming.
Giving girls and their family members the partnership, collaboration, and expertise to comprehensively assess and address mental health disorders and plan effective ongoing condition management.
The Turnbridge Adolescent Girl’s Residential Program provides thoughtful and comprehensive diagnoses of adolescent mental health disorders and dual-diagnosis conditions.
Adolescent and teen mental health challenges have never been greater. More young people than at any time in history are seeking help for problems including, suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders. Unfortunately, many more young people are suffering from these problems silently. Studies indicate that the mental health epidemic facing teens is especially pronounced among girls and people assigned female at birth. A multitude of factors plays a role in the increase in reported mental illness. Negative experiences with social media and online bullying, reduced in-person friendships, intense pressure to perform academically and get into colleges, and body image issues have been cited as factors, even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic which intensified these factors and reduced feelings of connection and belonging.
As parents who need to find high-quality mental healthcare for their daughters may have experienced, finding adequate treatment resources can be a long and complicated process. Primary care providers and private mental health practitioners, while crucial members of one’s care team, often lack the time, resources, and expertise needed to accurately diagnose and adequately address these complex diagnoses. Oftentimes, a residential level of primary treatment is needed to give children and family members the attention, close observation, and comprehensive and integrated therapies to understand these multifaceted create the conditions for lasting positive change.
The Turnbridge Girl’s Adolescent Residential Program is gender-specific and specializes in diagnosing and treating behavioral health problems facing adolescent and teen girls 14 to 17 years of age and their family members. This residential program closely partners with clients and families and provides an immersive and highly coordinated regime of medical care and psychiatry, psychotherapy, proprietary experiential therapies, milieu therapy, and recreation to rapidly improve safety, relieve symptoms, and build the skills of self-care and self-advocacy.
Many factors influence the development and presentation of mental health disorders. Each Turnbridge Girl’s Adolescent Residential Program client receives thorough assessments including medical. psychiatric, psychological and neurological functioning, and more. Family histories and family system information is also included in assessments as this information can provide valuable insights into underlying conditions or background helpful in diagnosing and treating each client’s unique conditions.
Without adequate assessment, we cannot know if we’re treating the right conditions. Accurately diagnosing adolescent patients is essential to being successful in this program, and in later life. Taking appropriate time to thoroughly develop and verify a diagnosis for young patients and begin appropriate treatment can prevent years of damaging trial-and-error, significantly increase the quality of life, and allow patients to better engage in productive living.
— Dr. Cutter
Adequate time in treatment is a distinguishing characteristic of all Turnbridge programs. As a pioneer of the extended care model, Turnbridge espouses the philosophy that clients need time to become acclimated and comfortable in their treatment environment in order to become trusting of their caregivers and peers and open to the possibility of change. They also need time to respond to any prescribed medications and practice acquired skills to become proficient at managing their conditions and advocating for support. Given the time, space, and collegial engagement with caregivers and peers, adolescent clients become better able to disclose, discuss, and process experiences, emotions, and traumas that may be at the heart of their mental health disorder or perceived need to self-medicate with substances.
Establishing a rounded, accurate, and thorough diagnosis is a central part of the work performed during a client’s stay at the Adolescent Residential Program. Once we understand the issues clients are experiencing and potential contributing factors, we establish holistic treatment plans that use every means at our disposal and the coordinated talents of that nation’s leading experts to provide comprehensive treatment, education, and support.
