Women’s Mental Health Treatment

Supporting girls and women throughout the life span. Contact us today to learn more about treatment options.

Research underscores that gender is an important factor in determining risk, occurrence, presentation, course, and treatment of mental illnesses.

McLean is dedicated to promoting wellness for girls and women throughout the life span by considering the biological, sociocultural, and environmental factors that are unique to women.

McLean offers a wide spectrum of treatment services for girls and women. These programs utilize state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic techniques to treat symptoms and restore health.

Learn more about treatment options focused on women’s mental health.

Treatment at McLean

McLean Hospital offers comprehensive mental health care options, from short-term acute care for individuals in psychiatric crisis to outpatient appointments. Services for women and girls cover a range of symptoms and diagnoses, including borderline personality disorder, addiction, eating disorders, trauma-related disorders, and more.

Customized treatment plans can include individual, group, and family therapy, behavioral therapies, diagnostic assessment, consultation services, medication evaluation and management, and aftercare planning. We emphasize evidence-based treatment and therapy models informed by cutting-edge research conducted at McLean and around the world. By incorporating various approaches, treatment can be customized for each individual to help ensure recovery.

Robust patient and family education and support including informational materials, support groups, and assistance with community resources are also incorporated into patient care.

McLean’s Treatment Programs for Women

At McLean, we offer treatment options focused on women and girls on our main campus in Belmont, Massachusetts and other satellite locations nearby.

3East: Adolescent DBT Programs
McLean’s adolescent dialectical behavior therapy programs, collectively known as 3East, provide specialized care for teens and young adults who require treatment for depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and emerging borderline personality disorder. The programs in the 3East continuum are specifically designed to accommodate patients in different phases of the treatment and recovery process, from highly focused residential treatment to outpatient care. We have intensive treatment tracks for both boys and girls, and our day program (partial hospital) and outpatient program are coed.

Gunderson BPD Programs
The Gunderson programs—Gunderson Residence and Gunderson Outpatient Program—offer highly specialized therapeutic approaches for individuals with borderline personality disorder and other severe personality disorders, including those who experience co-occurring psychiatric conditions such as substance use, eating disorders, depression, or anxiety. These self-pay programs are best suited to those who have BPD and other complex personality disorders, who are seeking treatment for core issues related to personality disorders such as emotion dysregulation, self-harm, suicidality, and relationship difficulties, and who struggle with self-image problems, feelings of self-doubt, intense fear of abandonment, and low self-worth.

Young women in group therapy outside
McLean is at the forefront of mental health care for women and girls

Trauma-Focused Mental Health Care
This insurance-based program offers psychiatric and psychological services for individuals with histories of trauma and related disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, and dissociative disorders. Empathy, compassion, collaboration, and empowerment are emphasized in order to help people build strength and regain control of their lives. Partial hospital (day program) services are available.

Klarman Eating Disorders Center
Founded with the generous support of the Klarman Family Foundation, the program provides state-of-the-art treatment for young women. Our residential and partial hospital program specializes in the treatment of anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. Recognizing that each young woman has a distinct set of issues that contribute to her eating disorder, we also understand that many also struggle with co-occurring mental health problems such as substance use, depression, mood and anxiety disorders, as well as trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Dissociative Disorders and Trauma Inpatient Program
At the Dissociative Disorders and Trauma Inpatient Program, we provide comprehensive treatment for adults who live with the effects of childhood abuse or other painful traumatic events. If you struggle with intrusive thoughts and feelings related to traumatic events, emotional numbing and social isolation, memory difficulties, altered perceptions and personality fragmentation, our insurance-based program may be right for you.


Learn More About Women’s Mental Health

Find articles, news, videos, and more about mental health and well-being for girls and young women.

WOMEN’S MENTAL HEALTH


Additional Treatment Options for Women

Many of McLean’s treatment programs treat men and women together.

Addiction
McLean provides comprehensive support for individuals who want to reduce chemical dependency and regain control of their lives. Knowing that substance use is often seen alongside other psychiatric disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and trauma, our programs leverage the expertise and wide-ranging mental health and evaluative services throughout McLean Hospital. With treatment options from short-term detox to insurance-based and self-pay around-the-clock residential care, individuals have access to the care that best suits their needs.

Anxiety
Over 40 million American adults are affected by anxiety, making anxiety disorders the most common mental health conditions in the United States. At McLean Hospital, we are committed to providing support for individuals with anxiety disorders through world-class treatment, innovative research into causes and cures, and robust education for patients and families, clinicians, and the broader community.

Bipolar Disorder
McLean offers high-quality inpatient, residential, outpatient, and community-based programs for patients who live with bipolar disorder. Our staff have specialized expertise in treating this patient population and in providing individualized support and education to family members and help to coordinate care with community clinicians, social service agencies, families, and other support systems.

Borderline Personality Disorder
McLean has specialized residential and partial hospital (day) programs and outpatient care for BPD—as well as an array of treatments for coexisting diagnoses and symptoms such as depression, anxiety, addiction, and trauma. Our specialized therapeutic approaches, including dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and mentalization-based treatment (MBT), help patients with the goal of improving interpersonal and relationships skills and reducing self-destructive behaviors.

Depression
From short-term crisis care to ongoing outpatient services, depression treatment at McLean includes behavioral therapies and medication consultation. McLean specializes in treating coexisting mental health diagnoses that may accompany depression, and patients benefit from the expertise and consultative services throughout the hospital.

Eating Disorders
Our residential and partial hospital program for women specializes in the treatment of anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. Recognizing that each young woman has a distinct set of issues that contribute to her eating disorder, we also understand that many also struggle with co-occurring conditions such as substance misuse, mood and anxiety disorders, trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, and medical issues. We work to help individuals through the mental and physical challenges on the pathway to recovery.

OCD
We are committed to providing robust care, support, and education resources for adults and children OCD. Our residential, day, and outpatient programs focus on providing skills for patients to manage their illnesses on their own.

Schizophrenia
Staff in our inpatient, residential, outpatient, and community-based programs for patients who live with schizophrenia have specialized expertise in treating this patient population and in providing individualized support and education to family members. McLean is dedicated to continuity of services during transitions and helps to coordinate care with community clinicians, social service agencies, families, and other support systems.

Trauma and Dissociative Disorders
McLean provides exceptional care for trauma and trauma-related disorders such as PTSD and dissociative identity disorder. Our inpatient and day program services for women experiencing the effects of childhood abuse or other traumatic events maintain a strong reputation for their balanced emphasis on stabilization and healing. We also offer outpatient care for an array of trauma symptoms and diagnoses, including specialty services for first responders.

Clinical Resources
McLean provides an array of clinical resources for patients, including diagnostic and testing services, the McLean Imaging Center, care for individuals seeking outpatient treatment, and more.

About the Conditions

Though men and women alike struggle with every type of mental health disorder, there are a few conditions that occur more often in women and girls. Learn more about these conditions, including definitions and helpful resources.

What Is Borderline Personality Disorder?
Mental health experts agree that the name “borderline personality disorder” can be misleading; however, a more accurate term does not yet exist. The good news is that when BPD is accurately diagnosed, treatment can be successful and individuals can go on to lead meaningful and productive lives.

What Is Dissociative Identity Disorder?
During a traumatic experience, one way a person can cope is to dissociate or compartmentalize the experience onto another level of awareness. By doing this, one can move through life, to a certain extent, without constant reminders of distressing events.

What Are Eating Disorders?
Eating disorders happen as a result of severe disturbances in eating behavior, such as unhealthy reduction of food intake or extreme overeating. These patterns can be caused by feelings of distress or concern about body shape or weight, and they harm normal body composition and function. A person with an eating disorder may have started out just eating smaller or larger amounts of food than usual, but at some point, the urge to eat less or more spirals out of control.

Learn more about other mental health conditions and McLean’s public education efforts on our Education Initiatives page.