Child and Adolescent Partial Hospital Programs
Structured day treatment to help children and teens manage their mental health. Contact us today to learn more about treatment options.
McLean’s Child and Adolescent Partial Hospital Programs provide intensive, short-term, and highly focused psychiatric care for children, teens, and young adults ages 7 to 19 with emotional and behavioral difficulties. Our expert clinicians teach youths effective ways of coping with life stressors.
With a length of stay of approximately two weeks, our insurance-based partial hospital (day) programs aim to stabilize children and adolescents who need more intensive care than outpatient treatment. We offer an intensive, structured treatment environment for young people who are experiencing mental health challenges but can safely reside at home.
For more information or to make a referral, call 617.855.2820 (teens) or 617.674.5360 (children).
The Adolescent Partial Hospital Program is located on McLean’s main campus in Belmont, Massachusetts, and is geared toward teens and young adults ages 13 to 19. The Child Partial Hospital Program is located nearby at our Child Outpatient site in Cambridge and is aimed at children ages 7 to 13.
Groups and structured activities involve skills training, team building, and recreational therapy. These pursuits enhance daily living skills, build self-mastery and esteem, and provide a sense of autonomy and membership in a community. There is a focus on stabilization and safety.
The programs are available as a step-down option from an inpatient or residential program or as a direct admission from the community.
The adolescent program is ideal for:
- Teens who are struggling with mental health diagnoses, such as major depression, bipolar disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder
- Young people seeking expert consultation when a mental health challenge is complicated by a co-occurring substance use disorder
The teen program operates Monday through Friday from 9am to 3pm.
The child program is ideal for:
- Children who struggle with irritability and emotion dysregulation, anxiety and mood disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD, suicide ideation, and/or non-suicidal self-injury
- Children of caregivers who are seeking expert guidance regarding how to better support the child as they navigate mental health concerns and day-to-day stressors
The child program operates Monday through Friday from 8:20am to 2:30pm.
Treatment Approach
With more intensive supervision and treatment than the traditional outpatient setting, the Child and Adolescent Partial Hospital Programs offer a full range of services. Our multidisciplinary approach includes assessment and consultation, structured group programming, individual therapy, skills training, rehabilitation therapy, medication evaluation, case management, and family therapy.
Each patient completes a thorough assessment that informs an individualized treatment plan. The care team then works with the patient to help them toward stabilization and to achieve their treatment goals.
When indicated, specialty consultations are available in neurology, eating disorders, personality disorders, autism spectrum disorder, and trauma. Following any specialty consultation, the patient’s multidisciplinary clinical team incorporates the care recommendations into the customized treatment plan.
Group therapy programming encourages skill development to teach young people how to navigate emotional and behavioral challenges. Groups also provide a forum for symptom education, building healthy habits, and more.
Throughout all aspects of treatment, we strive to create a welcoming environment that allows patients and families to feel seen and respected in all their various identities. To that end, we embrace the diversity of each patient and family and work to provide equitable, affirming care to all.
Learn more about McLean’s approach to child and adolescent mental health care.
About the Programs
Growing up is hard, especially when a young person is struggling with mental health challenges. Our partial hospital programs support young people ages 7 to 19, with an array of symptoms and difficulties.
Adolescent Partial Hospital Program
The primary goal of treatment at the Adolescent Partial Hospital Program is to help teens develop adaptive ways of coping with life stressors and symptoms of mental health conditions so that they are better able to live and function safely and effectively at home, in school, and in their respective communities.
Treatment is available for an array of mental health challenges, including mood and anxiety disorders and their associated behaviors, family and school difficulties, and alcohol and drug misuse.
Every adolescent entering our program undergoes an initial assessment with a psychiatrist and a psychologist or clinical social worker. The evaluation takes into account biological, psychological, and social strengths and vulnerabilities and informs the patient’s customized treatment plan.
For teens and young adults prone to self-destructive behaviors, including self-injury and suicidal ideation, dialectical behavior therapy and cognitive behavior therapy—treatment models that help patients connect thoughts and actions—are used to help develop coping skills to deal with emotionally overwhelming circumstances, interpersonal conflicts, and self-destructive urges.
Additional components of treatment include case management, classroom-based skills training, individual and family meetings, expressive music and art therapies, skills coaching, group therapy, recreational therapy, and medication evaluation.
Families are integral to treatment. We ask that they participate in family meetings, and we also offer parent support groups. Clinical social workers and/or psychologists are available for telephone feedback and consultation.
As a resource and partner within the community, we also make extensive efforts to involve community providers—including therapists, agencies, and schools—in treatment and aftercare planning.
For families on the South Shore of Massachusetts, learn more about our intensive treatment options for teens in Middleboro.
Child Partial Hospital Program
The Child Partial Hospital Program is designed to support children by addressing issues pertaining to safety, promoting stabilization, developing skills, and improving their ability to tolerate difficult emotions via exposure therapy. We also assist caregivers to gain the tools and confidence needed to skillfully navigate their child’s emotional and behavioral challenges.
Consistent engagement and commitment to the program are essential for enhancing the likelihood of achieving the desired outcomes.
Programming includes group-based exposure therapy, skills and recreational groups, and outdoor time. Groups cover a broad range of topics, including navigating emotions, distress tolerance, mindfulness, relationship skills, identity exploration, health and hygiene habits, and internet safety.
Given the age of our patients, we use varied forms of instruction methods, including didactic, experiential, and sensory learning, play-based activities, and movement.
At the outset of treatment, children and caregivers participate in a comprehensive initial assessment with their treatment team. The evaluation aims to identify biological, psychological, and social areas of strength and challenges as well as the child’s and caregivers’ primary goals for treatment. From there, we develop a treatment plan specific to each child’s and family’s needs.
We prioritize safety, such that all related behaviors take precedence. Program staff collaborate with patients to identify and address the various factors impacting safety. Similarly, we work together to strengthen the child’s and caregivers’ abilities to communicate clearly, directly, and calmly about these concerns. Safety plans are evidence-based interventions we often use to support our patients.
The program places a strong emphasis on exposure therapy, a proven treatment that involves learning to face emotions or tasks that we may normally try to avoid. Ultimately, learning to approach safe but feared emotions or tasks can foster greater confidence and allow more meaningful engagement in our day-to-day lives.
Groups and structured activities promote skills development. We teach evidence-based cognitive behavioral and select dialectical behavioral therapy skills to address self-destructive or otherwise unhelpful behaviors in moments of feeling intense emotions.
Our program also emphasizes the important role of parents/caregivers. Caregivers participate in a daily 30-minute check-in group with their child in addition to attending family therapy and a 2-hour educational group once per week. Parents are also encouraged to attend a virtual caregiver mindfulness group once per week.
Case management, including aftercare planning, is an important aspect of supporting children and their caregivers. It typically includes collaboration with outpatient providers and schools.
Admission & Cost
Admission
The Adolescent Partial Hospital Program focuses on treating teenagers ages 13 to 19 who are struggling with mental health diagnoses such as ADHD, anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. With a length of stay of approximately 14 days, the program also offers expert consultation for teens whose illness is complicated by co-occurring drug or alcohol misuse.
The Child Partial Hospital Program treats children ages 7 to 13 who are struggling with emotional and behavioral challenges, including irritability and emotion dysregulation, anxiety and mood disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD, suicide ideation, and/or nonsuicidal self-injury. The program’s length of stay of 2-3 weeks promotes safety and stability for those who need comprehensive care but are able to live at home.
For more information or to make a referral to the program, please contact our admissions coordinators:
Adolescent Partial Hospital Program
Phone: 617.855.2820
Email: @email
Child Partial Hospital Program
Phone: 617.674.5360
Email: @email
Referral Form
Prospective teen patients and their families should fill out the form below. Once the form is returned to the program, we can help determine if the Adolescent Partial Hospital Program is an appropriate option.
The Child Partial Hospital Program does not require a referral form.
Cost
We understand that navigating the insurance system can be challenging, which is why we assist prospective patients to help determine eligibility. We welcome your questions and concerns and have a dedicated staff to help you.
The Child and Adolescent Partial Hospital Programs are covered by most insurance providers. McLean Hospital accepts Medicare, Massachusetts Medicaid, and many private insurance and managed care plans.
More information on insurance providers accepted by McLean Hospital may be found on the Mass General Brigham website. You may also find it beneficial to review McLean’s patient billing and financial assistance information.
Treatment Team
Program Leadership
Jessica E. Feinberg, LICSW, Program Director, Adolescent Partial Hospital Program
Ms. Feinberg came to McLean after completing a clinical fellowship at the Yale Child Study Center. She has worked as a therapist and clinical social worker in the ART program since 2002. Ms. Feinberg is trained in dialectical behavior therapy and has extensive experience treating adolescents and their families, with a particular interest in treating those who struggle with substance use and self-injury.
Wendy P. Bamatter, PhD, Program Director, Child Partial Hospital Program
Dr. Bamatter is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). She works with individuals struggling with pervasive emotion dysregulation and high-risk behaviors and is dedicated to providing gender-affirming care to transgender and non-binary individuals. Dr. Bamatter has extensive training in delivering culturally sensitive individual and family therapy in Spanish. As a therapist, she likes to balance mindfulness, warmth, and humor with change-oriented interventions.
Bryan Pridgen, MD, Medical Director, Adolescent Partial Hospital Program
Dr. Pridgen is a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist experienced in a wide range of therapeutic techniques, including psychodynamic psychotherapy, dialectical behavior therapy, family therapy, and medication evaluation and management. An instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, he is skilled at working with individuals with mood and anxiety disorders, developmental delays, personality disorders, suicidality/self-injurious behavior, acute and complicated grief, chronic medical illness, and histories of interpersonal trauma.
Rajvi Broker-Sen, MD, Medical Director, Child Partial Hospital Program
Dr. Broker-Sen has extensive experience in providing psychiatric assessments and treatment to children, teens, and young adults while working in both community-based and hospital-based settings. She specializes in anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and attentional disorders and provides psychiatric evaluation and medication management for children and adults. Dr. Broker-Sen takes a holistic approach to each patient, taking care to only prescribe medication when it is medically indicated.
Munya Hayek, MD, Associate Medical Director, Adolescent Partial Hospital Program
Dr. Hayek specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of adolescents with a range of diagnoses, including depression, anxiety, chronic suicidality and self-injury, emotion dysregulation, trauma, personality disorders, and developmental disorders. She is also a board-certified pediatrician with a particular interest in working with children with co-occurring mental and physical illnesses.
Staff and Associates
Our staff is composed of a multidisciplinary group of board-certified psychiatrists, licensed psychologists and clinical social workers, registered nurses, and expressive art therapists.
The team specializes in making sophisticated assessments, diagnoses, and treatment recommendations in complex situations. Staff members have experience working with patients from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
The Child and Adolescent Partial Hospital Programs are part of the Simches Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry led by Daniel P. Dickstein, MD, FAAP.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the programs located?
The Adolescent Partial Hospital Program is located in the Academic Center on McLean’s Belmont campus.
The Child Partial Hospital Program is located at the Sancta Maria Nursing Facility at 799 Concord Avenue, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
For more information on directions, parking, and local accommodations, please visit our Maps & Directions page.
Who benefits most from the program?
The Adolescent Partial Hospital Program focuses on treating teens who have mental health challenges, including substance use issues, and are able to safely manage in a day program and at home when not in treatment. Patients must be willing to participate in treatment.
The Child Partial Hospital Program provides proven, intensive, short-term, care for children who are struggling with emotional and behavioral challenges, including irritability and suicidality. Caregivers play an integral role in treatment.
Is family involved in treatment?
Families are integral to treatment. We ask that they participate in one or two family meetings each week and also offer parent support groups. Clinical social workers and/or psychologists are available for phone feedback and consultation.
Is smoking permitted?
Smoking is not permitted. The adolescent program allows nicotine replacement therapy, such as gum or the patch, while in the program.
Are cell phones allowed?
Cell phones and other internet-connected devices are not allowed. Individuals may bring them to the program and will be asked to leave them with staff while the program is running.
Is aftercare planning a part of the program?
The treatment team works closely with the patient, their family, 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 McLean’s Health Information Management 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.
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.
