McLean-Franciscan Child and Adolescent Inpatient Program

If Your Child Is in Crisis, We Are Here to Help

Child and adolescent inpatient services are offered at Franciscan Hospital for Children in Boston, Massachusetts.

The McLean-Franciscan Child and Adolescent Inpatient Program operates 24 hours a day and offers high-quality individualized psychiatric crisis care for youth, ages three through nineteen, of all developmental abilities and diagnostic categories. The focus of treatment involves restoration of safety, targeting high-risk behaviors, and most frequently, reduction of suicidal behaviors.

It is a place for hope and healing for children in psychiatric crisis, offering expert acute stabilization, assessment, and inpatient mental health treatment in a safe and nurturing environment. The goal of the program is for each child and adolescent to successfully return to his or her home, school, and community.

Help your child feel like a kid again. Call us today at 617.855.2820 to talk to our admission staff about treatment options at McLean.

The McLean-Franciscan mental health programs are a joint effort which combine the strengths of a premier mental health provider with a nationally recognized leader in pediatric rehabilitation and special education.

Treatment Approach

The goal of our strength-based treatment program is to promote safety and a sense of hope and stability. We encourage active child and family involvement in treatment within the inpatient program and after the child leaves our program.

The program’s cognitive behavioral treatment focus includes expert diagnostic assessment, medication treatment as appropriate, and mobilization of the child’s family and support system. Individual, group, and family therapy, as well as school and symptom education services are hallmarks of the program.

Using a range of techniques, including positive behavioral support, our treatment model is designed to help stabilize children in crisis, reduce high-risk symptoms, and support children and teens as they build skills related to overcoming mental health challenges.

Structured daily programming is designed to engage each child in a range of developmentally appropriate therapy, school, and daily living experiences. Therapeutic activities help organize children in a time of crisis, provide opportunities to learn and practice important coping skills, and offer a measure of each child’s response to different situations.

We Are Here to Help

Young boy plays with fidget ball

Learn more about our unique approach to child and adolescent mental health care.

Young boy plays with fidget ball

Treatment Team

Program Leadership

Ralph J. Buonopane, PhD

Ralph J. Buonopane, PhD, Program Director

Throughout his career, Dr. Buonopane has focused on developing compassionate and effective mental health care programs for children and adolescents in crisis. He has led the McLean-Franciscan Child and Adolescent Inpatient Program since 2000. He also directs the McLean-Franciscan inpatient graduate training program and collaborates in training of psychiatry fellows from the McLean/Massachusetts General Hospital Child Psychiatry Residency Training Program.

Andrew M. Stromberg, MD

Andrew Stromberg, MD, Medical Director

An expert in child and adolescent psychiatry, depression, and psychotic disorders, Dr. Stromberg, has been involved with the McLean-Franciscan Child and Adolescent Inpatient Program since 1992. He works with the McLean/Massachusetts General Hospital Child Psychiatry Residency Training Program and has won teaching awards through that program. He was recognized with a Partners in Excellence Award in December 2015.

Thrassos S. Calligas, MD

Thrassos S. Calligas, MD, Associate Medical Director

Dr. Calligas specializes in working with a multidisciplinary team in inpatient psychiatry. He is particularly interested in children with complex psychiatric and psychosocial presentations, co-occurring diagnoses, and cross-cultural psychiatry. Dr. Calligas is also actively involved in teaching medical students and residents. He has been affiliated with McLean Hospital since 1977.

Robert L. Doyle, DDS, MD

Robert L. Doyle, DDS, MD, Assistant Medical Director

Dr. Doyle brings over 30 years of experience to his role. He began his career focusing on research while maintaining an active outpatient practice at Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital. He then spent five years working with faculty and staff at Harvard University Health Services before changing direction to primarily inpatient child and adolescent psychiatry.

More Information

Additional information may also be found on the Franciscan website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the McLean-Franciscan program located?

The McLean-Franciscan Child and Adolescent Inpatient Program is located at Franciscan Hospital, in Boston. For more information on directions, parking, and local accommodations, please visit our Maps & Directions page.

Who benefits most from the program?

The McLean-Franciscan Child and Adolescent Inpatient Program focuses on treating children and adolescents, ages 3 to 19, with an array of psychiatric symptoms, including those in crisis, who are in need of care.

Is family involved in treatment?

Family involvement, including family therapy and family meetings, is integral to our treatment approach. We focus on open and honest communication between the family and their child’s treatment team and encourage parents and family to participate in the child’s healthcare.

Is smoking permitted?

Franciscan Hospital for Children is a smoke-free campus and the program is non-smoking.

When are visiting hours?

Visiting hours are 6:15-8pm Monday through Friday and 1-3pm and 6-8pm on weekends and holidays. If necessary, alternative arrangements may be made with the clinical social worker.

Are cell phones and other electronics allowed?

To protect confidentiality and privacy of other patients, phones or games with cameras and all types of cameras are not allowed, but children have access to unit phones. Computers, laptops, DVD players and electronics with power cords, including all plug-in radios, hair dryers, hair curlers, fans, etc., are not allowed.

Battery operated electronics, including iPods, MP3 players and handheld DVD players are allowed, but must be stored in the locked electronics cabinet and signed in and out and by staff. There is supervised computer access in classrooms, but please note that there is no access to Facebook.

Are academics offered?

While our first priority is treatment, we recognize the importance of education. Each weekday, our clinical educators provide individualized instruction based upon the unique needs of each child, as part of their assessment and treatment.

With parental consent, the program is in contact with the child’s local school system to assist in keeping up with current schoolwork.

Is aftercare planning a part of the program?

The treatment team works closely with the individual as well as with family, significant friends, and outside providers to develop a personalized aftercare plan. Recommendations by staff are made based upon clinical needs, progress made during treatment, and long-term treatment goals.

Can former patients access their medical records?

All requests for medical records should be directed to Franciscan Hospital’s Clinical Information Systems/Medical Record Department.

Are support groups offered?

To complement our programs’ services and encourage individuals’ initiatives in their own treatment course, many self-help groups are hosted by McLean, on the Belmont campus.

Does McLean gather patient feedback?

McLean is dedicated to maintaining high-quality and effective patient care. To ensure that those standards remain at the highest level, we utilize a number of feedback instruments and quality indicators.

Among these tools are the Perceptions of Care survey which monitors patient satisfaction and BASIS-24™, a psychiatric outcomes measurement tool created at McLean and widely used in the U.S. and around the world, which delivers feedback on the patient care experience.