Belmont Adolescent Partial Hospital Program

Structured day treatment to help teens manage their mental health. Contact us today to learn more about treatment options.

The Belmont Adolescent Partial Hospital Program provides intensive, short-term, and highly focused psychiatric care for teens and young adults through age 19 with emotional and behavioral difficulties.

With a length of stay of approximately two weeks, this insurance-based partial hospital (day) program aims to stabilize adolescents who need more intensive care than outpatient treatment. Our expert clinicians teach teens effective ways of coping with life stressors.

The coeducational program is designed to maximize the individual’s personal responsibility and capacity for self-control. A commitment and willingness to engage in treatment is essential to achieving as much as one can from the program.

For more information or to make a referral, call 617.855.2820.

This 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 for patients whose psychiatric illness is complicated by a co-occurring substance use disorder
  • Adolescents who require intensive, structured treatment but can manage living at home

Located on McLean Hospital’s main campus in Belmont, Massachusetts, we offer a structured intervention for individuals who are experiencing emotional difficulties but can safely reside in the community.

The program is available as a step-down option from an inpatient or residential program or as a direct admission from the community.

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.

We offer a full range of services, including assessment and consultation, group therapy, skills training, medication evaluation, and family therapy. As part of the Simches Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the program offers access to care and services throughout McLean Hospital.

Teens in mental health treatment

Program components include a robust group therapy schedule

With more intensive supervision and treatment than the traditional outpatient setting, the partial hospital program utilizes a multidisciplinary approach including case management, rehabilitation therapy, structured group programming, and psychiatry. The day program operates Monday through Friday from 9am to 3pm.

Learn more about child and adolescent mental health care at McLean.

Treatment Approach

The primary goal of treatment at the Belmont Adolescent Partial Hospital Program is to help teens to develop adaptive ways of coping with life stressors and symptoms of psychiatric illness 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. To provide the best care possible, we develop an individualized treatment plan tailored to the specific needs of each of our patients.

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.

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.

Teens in mental health treatment

Customized treatment plans help teens make and meet care goals

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.

When needed, additional 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.

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 effort to involve community providers—including therapists, agencies, and schools—in treatment and aftercare planning.

Admission & Cost

Admission

The Belmont 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 two weeks, we also offer expert consultation for those whose illness is complicated by co-occurring drug or alcohol misuse.

For more information or to make a referral to the program, please contact our admissions coordinator:

Phone: 617.855.2820
Email: @email

Referral Form

Prospective patients and families should fill out the form below. Once the form is returned to the program, we can help determine if the program is an appropriate option.

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 Belmont Adolescent Partial Hospital Program is 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

Jessica E. Feinberg, LICSW, Program Director

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.

Bryan Pridgen, MD

Bryan Pridgen, MD, Medical Director

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.

Munya Hayek, MD

Munya Hayek, MD, Associate Medical Director

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 Belmont Adolescent Partial Hospital Program is part of the Simches Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry led by Daniel P. Dickstein, MD, FAAP.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Belmont Adolescent Partial Hospital Program located?

The program is located in the Academic Center on McLean’s Belmont campus. For more information on directions, parking, and local accommodations, please visit our Maps & Directions page.

Who benefits most from the program?

Our 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.

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?

Our program is non-smoking. We do allow 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 individual as well as with 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.