Levels of Care

Mental health services range from outpatient to inpatient settings. Learn the difference between the settings and the level of care most appropriate for your adolescent.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is a form of outpatient mental health services, which typically include weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly psychotherapy sessions with a therapist. In addition, there are settings in which you can meet with a therapist more often, if deemed appropriate based on the level of symptomatology. You may also meet with a psychiatrist for medication management as part of your treatment plan.

Outpatient

Other outpatient mental health services include settings in which you can meet with a therapist and multiple mental health professionals both individually and in group settings 3-5 days per week. These higher levels of care are known as Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) and Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP).

Inpatient

Inptatient settings are the highest level of care in a hospital setting, often allowing the individual to work with a treatment team including therapists, psychiatrists, and medical staff. These settings typically include individual and group treatment modalities. The length of stay can vary from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the severity of symptoms. Of note, these admissions are often necessary if the individual is in crisis and their safety is at risk due to suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

Example

References

Beck AT, Haigh EA. Advances in Cognitive Theory and Therapy: The Generic Cognitive Model. Annual review of clinical psychology. 2014;10(1):1-24. doi:10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032813-153734

Bowen M. Family Therapy in Clinical Practice. J. Aronson; 1988.

Crowley RA, Kirschner N. The integration of care for mental health, substance abuse, and other behavioral health conditions into primary care: executive summary of an American College of Physicians position paper. Annals of internal medicine. 2015;163(4):298-299. doi:10.7326/M15-0510

Freud S, Jung CG, McGuire W, et al. The Freud/Jung Letters : the Correspondence Between Sigmund Freud and C.G. Jung. Harvard University Press; 1988.

Linehan MM, Wilks CR. The Course and Evolution of Dialectical Behavior Therapy. American journal of psychotherapy. 2015;69(2):97-110. doi:10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.2015.69.2.97

Martinez Tyson D, Arriola NB, Corvin J. Perceptions of Depression and Access to Mental Health Care Among Latino Immigrants: Looking Beyond One Size Fits All. Qualitative health research. 2016;26(9):1289-1302. doi:10.1177/1049732315588499

Thornicroft G, Mehta N, Clement S, et al. Evidence for effective interventions to reduce mental-health-related stigma and discrimination. The Lancet (British edition). 2016;387(10023):1123-1132. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00298-6