Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)

Our experts in adolescent mental health will support you and your adolescent throughout their time in the program. Your adolescent will learn skills and actions to help them manage their emotions and behaviors.

• Program hours and length

  Participants typically meet for several hours a day, Monday through Friday, except federal holidays, at Seattle Children’s main campus in the Ocean 5 clinic. The length of the program depends on your adolescent’s treatment goals and could range from 1 to 6 weeks. The treatment team will talk with you about the program days, hours and length for your child.

• Patient treatment and participation

  This is an intensive program that requires consistent participation. Treatment includes:

  • Daily DBT-focused therapy groups and skills practice for the child
  • Individual and family therapy
  • Interdisciplinary groups, such as movement, music, art and education (supplemental education or dedicated time for outside schoolwork is not provided)
  • 1-on-1 peer coaching for caregivers and a Caregiver Connection Group 
  • Consultation and medicine management with an adolescent psychiatrist

  It’s important for your adolescent to attend the program regularly and to have a reliable way to get to the program. If your family needs help with transportation, please let us know when we reach out about scheduling an intake evaluation. Adolescents who keep arriving late or miss multiple days of the program may not be able to stay in the program.

  Our case manager helps you find and connect with resources in the community to match your family’s needs when your adolescent completes the program. 

• Family involvement

  Parents or caregivers are not onsite for the program each day, but you play an important role in your adolescent ’s treatment. You need to be available to attend group meetings and therapy (about 3 to 4 hours total per week) and may need to take some time off work.

  You will be asked to join family therapy sessions with your adolescent and our therapy staff at least 1 time a week during the program. We also offer and strongly recommend 1-on-1 peer coaching (support from caregivers who have experienced their own adolescent’s mental health challenges) and caregiver groups. A case manager also works with you to connect your family to community resources, help you build skills and have the information you need to support your adolescent’s care. We strongly encourage you to attend the Caregiver Connection Group to better understand the DBT skills your adolescent is learning. 

  If your adolescent needs psychiatric medicine, we will involve you in conversations and decisions about their medicine.

• Monitoring your adolescent's progress

  While your adolescent is in the program, we will talk with you about their treatment goals. If they are not making progress toward their goals, we will talk with you about next steps and help you connect with other treatment options or community resources that might better fit your family’s needs. 

• Additional offerings

  Our program also provides:

  • Snacks and meals
  • Coordination with transportation services such as Hopelink, when available, for your child to come to the hospital campus
  • Coordination with our case manager to help arrange outpatient follow-up care, as needed

Formats for adolescent mental health care include:

• Outpatient treatment

  Outpatient treatment usually means meeting with a therapist or psychiatrist once or twice a week. As symptoms improve, your adolescent may have appointments less often until it’s safe to stop or only go once in a while.

• Intensive outpatient program

  This is a step up from typical outpatient care. An intensive outpatient program is usually 2 to 4 hours a day, 3 to 7 days a week, for several weeks. The frequency and duration may vary. The program may be in person or virtual.

• Partial hospitalization program

  Your adolescent gets care in person 5 to 8 hours a day, 5 to 7 days a week, typically for several weeks. People often join a PHP after staying in a residential treatment facility or after a hospital stay.

• Residential treatment facility

  In residential care, people live at a facility while getting intensive treatment. This option is for people who are medically stable (any physical health conditions are being treated and are under control). It’s designed so they can focus on building the skills they need for long-term recovery.

• Inpatient hospitalization (overnight stay in the hospital)

  This is the highest level of care, which your adolescent may need if they have severe mental health symptoms and intend to harm themselves or others. A hospital stay is for emergencies and is usually short term.