Partial Hospitalization
Partial Hospitalization
Partial Hospitalization Programs are offered for children and youth ages 5-18 and offer a safe, structured environment while enabling the children or youth to return home at night and maintain important family and community relationships. Services provided include individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy, psychiatric evaluation, and medication management.
The child/adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program provides short-term, clinically-based crisis stabilization services to children and adolescents with emotional or behavioral challenges impacting their day-to-day functioning in the home, school, and community setting.
This provides an intensity of treatment similar to that available on an inpatient unit, in a less restrictive, clinically-based setting. In the Acute Partial Hospitalization Program, this is done through a short-term 15 to 30-day intensive outpatient level of care which allows children and adolescents to benefit from consistent, structured treatment while maintaining their usual living arrangements with their families. In the Non-Acute Partial Hospitalization Program, the goal is to discharge the youth to a less restrictive mental health/educational environment that can support their needs once they have demonstrated stability. The Partial team, in collaboration with the client, family, and any outside service providers, will make this determination. Level of care is assessed by the treatment team each week and the treatment plan will be reviewed with the team, to include the client and family every 20 treatment days. Projected length of stay is based on medical necessity and progress within the program.
The Acute and Non-Acute Partial Hospitalization Programs can provide a “step down” level of treatment for children discharged from inpatient programs, or a “step-up” level when outpatient treatment is not effectively meeting the child or adolescent’s needs.
Eligibility
The Acute Partial Hospitalization Program services children ages 5 to 11 with acute psychiatric symptoms and/or behavioral problems that interfere with their ability to function in family, school, or community settings. The Non-Acute Partial Hospitalization Program services youth ages 5 and up, Kindergarten through 12th grade. Youth must be enrolled in school to be eligible for either the Acute or Non-Acute Partial Hospitalization Program. You must have current insurance for mental health coverage.
Programming
Acute Partial Hospitalization provides three hours of psychoeducational groups daily, individual therapy weekly, psychiatric oversight and medication management weekly, family therapy weekly, and crisis intervention as needed. Non-Acute Partial Hospitalization provides two hours of psychoeducational groups daily, individual therapy weekly, psychiatric oversight and medication management monthly, family therapy monthly, and crisis intervention as needed. Our program utilizes evidenced-based clinical practices for group and individual therapy. Some of these programs include BrainWise, Seeking Safety, Zones of Regulation, Aggression Replacement Therapy (ART), Drum Therapy, The Ophelia Project, and Character Education.
Education
Full-time certified special education teachers are provided by the local Intermediate Unit #5 to instruct Bethesda students in all academic areas to prevent a child from getting behind academically while addressing their mental health needs.
Each treatment room has the capacity of 12 children and is staffed with one full-time teacher and one full-time mental health worker. One mental health professional is assigned to each client for individualized treatment and individual therapy weekly, or more often as needed.
Staffing
This program utilizes a multi-disciplinary team approach to treatment. The team includes a clinical director, program supervisor, special education director, child psychiatrist, bachelor’s-level mental health workers, and master’s-level therapists.
Referrals
Referrals can be made by a variety of sources, including parents/guardians, primary care providers, case managers, school personnel, and community agencies.
A child entering the program must have a psychiatric or psychological evaluation recommending Partial Hospitalization level of care. In an emergency situation, a child may be accepted without an evaluation at the discretion of the clinical director, program supervisor, and county designee after receiving the referral.
Referral packets can be obtained via our website (see below) or by contacting the agency directly at (814) 724-7510 ext. 291.
Location and Hours of Operation
Acute and Non-Acute Partial Hospitalization Programs are located at 15487 State Highway 86, on the Meadville, PA campus of Bethesda Lutheran Services. Treatment days are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The program offers flexible evening hours for family therapy.
Bethesda Lutheran Services15487 State Hwy 86
Meadville PA 16335(814) 724-7510Fax: (814) 724-6237
Trinity Center462 West 18th St.
Erie, PA 16502(814) 724-7510Fax: (814) 455-8861
Leadership Center349 West 18th St
Erie, PA 16502(814) 724-7510Fax: (814) 453-5790
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