When someone with bipolar disorder arrives for residential care, families often expect the first week to be about medication. What they usually notice instead is how much gets written down. Bedtime. Wake time. Whether the person seemed “up,” flat or irritable at breakfast. How many hours they actually slept versus how many they said they slept. This daily record, often called a mood chart or life chart, is one of the most practical tools in bipolar care, and it is one of the few that a person can keep using for the rest of their life.

This guide explains how a mood and sleep chart is typically kept during residential mental health treatment, why two specific timeframes shape how it is read and what to ask the team before and during admission.

What a Bipolar Mood Chart Is, in One Paragraph

A bipolar mood chart is a daily, one-line record of mood, sleep and a few other signals, kept over weeks and months so that a person and their clinicians can see patterns that are invisible day to day. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) defines bipolar I disorder by manic episodes lasting at least 7 days, or symptoms severe enough to need hospital care, and notes that depressive episodes typically last at least 2 weeks. Because those thresholds are measured in days and weeks, not moments, a written chart is often the only reliable way to tell a real episode from an ordinary bad week. NIMH also lists keeping a life chart or mood journal among the things people can do to help recognize their own mood swings.

Why the 7-Day and 2-Week Timeframes Matter

According to the NIMH overview of bipolar disorder, several timeframes help define the condition:

• Manic episodes in bipolar I: at least 7 days, most of the day, nearly every day, or any length if symptoms are severe enough to need hospital care.
• Depressive episodes: typically at least 2 weeks.
• Rapid cycling: four or more episodes of mania or depression within a year.
• Bipolar II: a pattern of depressive and hypomanic episodes, with hypomania less severe than full mania. Many people with bipolar II spend long stretches in a persistent, low-grade depressive state.

Here is the practical consequence. Memory is a poor timekeeper, especially during a mood episode. Someone recovering from depression may remember “a few good days” that were in fact ten days of short sleep and racing plans. Someone coming down from a high may not recall when the low began. A chart replaces “I think it was a while” with dates.

What Gets Recorded Each Day

Formats vary between programs, and your team will show you theirs. Most daily charts cover a similar handful of items, and each one is there for a reason:

Mood rating: a single number or position on a scale from very low to very high, recorded at about the same time each day.

Hours of sleep: bedtime and wake time, because NIMH lists a decreased need for sleep among the signs of a manic episode and trouble sleeping or sleeping too much among the signs of depression.

Energy and activity: a short note on whether the day felt slowed down, normal or unusually busy, since changes in energy and activity often show up before a person names a mood change.

Medication taken: a simple yes or no, so the team can see whether a change in mood lines up with a missed dose or a schedule change. Specific medication decisions are always made with the prescribing clinician.

Life events and stressors: a few words such as “family visit,” “bad news call” or “first weekend pass,” because a spike that follows a stressful event is read differently from one that appears without a trigger.

Alcohol or other substances: NIMH notes that alcohol and drugs can mimic or worsen mood symptoms, so the chart records any use honestly and without judgment.

How It Works in Residential Care

In a residential setting, the chart is usually built from two sources: what the person reports and what staff observe. That combination is part of what makes a residential stay useful for bipolar disorder.

During the first days, many people find the routine itself unfamiliar. Lights-out and wake-up happen at set times. Overnight staff may note whether someone was awake or up and about during the night. Mood is often checked at a morning group or a one-on-one check-in. Some people find this reassuring; others feel watched at first. Both reactions are common, and it is fine to say so to the team.

By the second week, most residents are filling in at least part of the chart themselves. The goal is not a perfect record. The goal is a habit that will continue after discharge, when there are no overnight staff and no morning group.

One operational truth families are rarely told up front: a residential stay is often shorter than a single full mood cycle. If a manic episode is defined by a week and a depressive episode by two weeks, a few weeks of charting may show only one phase, or only the tail end of one. That is why the chart is most valuable when it leaves with the person and continues into outpatient care, where months of entries can finally show the pattern.

What Families Often Notice

Family members frequently spot changes before the person does. Common observations include texts sent at unusual hours, a sudden burst of new projects, unusual spending, talking faster than normal or, on the other side, canceled plans and long stretches in bed. With the person’s written consent, a family member’s observations can be shared with the treatment team and added to the picture. Ask the team how they prefer to receive this kind of information, and keep your own notes dated.

One Thing You Can Do Today

You do not need to wait for admission to start. Tonight, take a sheet of paper and draw seven columns, one for each day of the coming week. Make five rows: bedtime, wake time, mood from 1 to 10, energy (low, normal, high) and one event. Fill in one column each morning. At the end of the week, bring the sheet to your next appointment or to the intake call and ask, “Does anything on this page concern you?” Seven days of real numbers gives a clinician far more to work with than a general description.

Questions to Ask Before and During Admission

• What mood chart format do you use, and can I keep a copy each week?
• Who records overnight sleep, and will I see those notes?
• How will my chart be used in treatment planning meetings?
• Can a family member’s observations be added, and what consent form does that need?
• What warning signs on the chart would prompt a call to my prescriber after discharge?
• Will my chart be sent to my outpatient therapist and psychiatrist when I leave?
• How does my insurance handle residential care for bipolar disorder? You can start that check through our insurance verification page.

If you would like help working out which questions matter most for your situation, or which programs might fit, the Bodhi team can be reached at 877-883-0780.

When a Chart Is Not Enough: Crisis Safety

A mood chart is a planning tool, not an emergency plan. Severe depression and mixed episodes can bring thoughts of suicide, and severe mania can lead to dangerous decisions. If you or someone you love is thinking about suicide or is in emotional crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day. SAMHSA explains how the 988 Lifeline works. If there is immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Bodhi Mental Health is not an emergency service and cannot respond to a crisis in progress.

Getting Support in Northern California

Bodhi Mental Health helps adults and families in Northern California, including the Aptos and San Jose areas, find residential and outpatient care for bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD and panic disorder. Treatment itself is provided by licensed, independent programs. When you speak with a program, ask how it uses mood and sleep charting and whether the chart continues after discharge. To talk through options or what admission typically involves, call 877-883-0780.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Only a qualified clinician can diagnose bipolar disorder or recommend treatment. Do not start, stop or change any medication without talking to your prescriber. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency.

Many people who end up in residential mental health treatment had a free, confidential resource sitting in their employee benefits the whole time and never used it. An Employee Assistance Program, or EAP, will not replace residential care. But it can be a useful first phone call: it can get you a short-term counselor quickly, help sort out what level of care makes sense, and point you toward the next step. This guide walks through how an EAP call usually runs, what it can and cannot do for someone who may need residential treatment, and the specific questions worth asking.

The Short Version

An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a free and confidential service paid for by an employer that can help employees with mental health concerns, alcohol or drug use, grief and trauma. For someone considering residential mental health treatment, an EAP is best treated as a fast, no-cost starting point: a counselor can do a brief assessment and suggest a level of care, but an EAP referral is not the same as insurance approval, and a residential stay is still authorized and paid through your health plan. If you have no EAP, or want help finding a program yourself, SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 answers any time, day or night, in English or Spanish.

The description of an EAP above comes from the National Institute of Mental Health’s guide to finding help, last reviewed in April 2026, and the helpline details come from SAMHSA’s guidance for people with their own insurance. We checked both pages at the source on October 29, 2026.

What an EAP Call Actually Looks Like

Most people find the EAP number in a benefits guide, an HR portal or an onboarding packet they skimmed years ago. When you call, the first person you reach is usually an intake coordinator rather than a therapist. Expect a few minutes of logistics: your employer’s name, whether you are the employee or a family member, a callback number, and a short description of why you are calling. You do not need to have the right words. “I have not been able to work for two weeks and my psychiatrist mentioned residential care” is enough.

From there, the EAP typically schedules you with a counselor for a set number of short-term sessions. The number of sessions, whether they are by phone, video or in person, and whether household members are covered all depend on the contract your employer bought, so they vary a great deal from one company to the next. The counselor’s job is usually brief assessment, short-term support and referral, not ongoing treatment.

For someone who has spent months hiding how bad things are at work, simply saying it out loud to a calm, unhurried counselor can bring real relief, even before anything else changes.

What an EAP Can and Cannot Do Before Residential Care

An EAP can be a good place to talk through what is happening, get an outside opinion on whether outpatient, intensive outpatient or residential care fits, and get names of programs. Some EAP counselors are experienced at recognizing when someone needs more support than weekly therapy can offer.

What an EAP generally cannot do is admit you to a residential program, approve your health plan’s coverage, or keep treating you for the weeks a residential stay may take. Those steps happen separately: the residential program does its own admission assessment, and your health insurance decides on authorization. If you want to understand your coverage before calling anyone, our team can check your insurance benefits for you, or you can call 877-883-0780.

Why EAP Referrals Stall

An EAP call that goes well can still leave someone stuck a week later. These are the most common reasons:

• Session limits: The EAP’s short-term sessions can run out while you are still waiting to start the next level of care, leaving a gap with no one checking in.
• Referral lists built for outpatient care: Many EAP referral lists lean toward weekly therapists, so you may need to ask specifically for residential or intensive programs.
• Two separate systems: The EAP and your health insurance are usually different services, so an EAP recommendation does not carry over automatically as an insurance authorization.
• Confidentiality worries: Fear that a manager will find out keeps some people from calling at all, even though EAPs are designed to be confidential.
• Unclear next owner: When the call ends without a named next step and a date, the person who is struggling is left to do the hardest part alone.

What Your Employer Can and Cannot See

EAPs are built around confidentiality. In general, employers receive overall usage numbers, not the content of individual conversations or the names of the people who called. There are usual exceptions, such as an immediate safety risk, a legal requirement to report, or a formal referral from a supervisor where you agree in writing to let the EAP confirm attendance. If confidentiality matters to you, and it reasonably might, ask the intake coordinator to explain their policy before you share details.

Using an EAP is also separate from requesting time off. Arranging leave for a residential stay is a conversation with HR or your benefits administrator, and you usually only need to share as much as the leave process requires.

What to Do Today: Five Questions for the EAP Call

If you are considering residential treatment and have an EAP, you can do this today. Find the EAP phone number in your benefits portal or benefits guide, set aside 20 minutes somewhere private, and keep a note open to write down the answers to these five questions before you hang up:

1. How many sessions does my employer’s plan include, and do they cover my spouse or other household members?
2. Can the counselor tell me whether my symptoms sound like they need more than weekly therapy, and will they put that recommendation in writing if I ask?
3. Do you have residential or intensive programs on your referral list, or only weekly therapists?
4. What exactly is shared with my employer, and under what circumstances?
5. If my EAP sessions run out before I start residential care, who will check in with me in between?

Then make one more call: to your health plan or a residential program’s admissions team to start the coverage check. Doing both on the same day keeps the EAP’s momentum from fading.

What Families Notice

Family members are often the ones who remember the EAP exists. A spouse may find it in the benefits paperwork; a parent may know their adult child’s company offers one. Many EAPs also serve household members, so a worried family member can sometimes call for their own guidance on how to bring up treatment or support someone who is struggling.

What families tend to notice after that first EAP call is a small but real shift: the person has said it out loud to a professional, has a name to call back, and has a next step. Families also notice when that momentum stalls, which is why the five questions above belong in the first call.

When Residential Care Is the Next Step

Residential mental health treatment provides round-the-clock structure, daily therapy and psychiatric care in a live-in setting for adults whose depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, OCD or panic symptoms have not improved enough with outpatient care. You can read more about how our residential mental health program works and compare it with our other treatment programs, including outpatient options for people stepping down or not yet needing a residential level of care.

If you already spoke with an EAP counselor who suggested a higher level of care, it can help to share that recommendation with our admissions team. Call 877-883-0780 to talk through the next step for you or a family member.

If You Are in Crisis

An EAP and a residential program are not emergency services. If you are thinking about suicide or are in emotional distress, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which offers free, confidential support 24 hours a day. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is an EAP the same as my health insurance? Usually not. An EAP is a separate, employer-paid service. Residential treatment is generally billed to your health plan, which makes its own coverage decisions.

What if my employer does not offer an EAP? You can start with your primary care provider, your health plan’s behavioral health line, or SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. EAP benefits, confidentiality policies and insurance coverage vary by employer and plan; confirm the details with your EAP, HR department and health insurer. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency.

In the last few days of a residential stay, a familiar question comes up at discharge planning: “Is there an app I should use when I get home?” It is a reasonable question. The structure of a residential program, with scheduled groups, daily check-ins and staff close by, ends on a single day, and a phone is the one tool almost everyone carries out the door. This guide explains how to vet a mental health app before discharge, what the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) says about the evidence, and what to ask your care team so an app supports your aftercare plan instead of quietly replacing it.

What NIMH Says About Mental Health Apps

The National Institute of Mental Health states on its technology and mental health treatment page, last reviewed in August 2024, that there are currently no national standards for evaluating the effectiveness of mental health apps, that most apps do not have peer-reviewed research to support their claims, and that NIMH has not developed and does not endorse any app, even though some developers have used the NIMH logo without permission to market their products. The same page notes that NIMH has awarded over 400 grants for technology-enhanced mental health interventions, so the research is active, but an app store listing alone tells you very little about whether a specific app works. For anyone leaving residential mental health treatment, that means an app should be chosen with the care team, checked for privacy and crisis features, and treated as a support to outpatient care rather than a substitute for it.

NIMH also points out that research has found internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be as effective as conventional CBT for several conditions, including depression, anxiety, social anxiety disorder and panic disorder. That is a finding about a tested treatment approach, not an endorsement of any particular product. You can read the full guidance on the NIMH technology and mental health page, and a broader overview of evidence-based talk therapies on the NIMH psychotherapies page.

Why App Questions Usually Come Up Late in a Residential Stay

Most residential programs limit phone and device use, especially in the first days, so that people can settle into the routine and focus on treatment. A practical result is that apps are rarely discussed until discharge planning begins. By then the conversation is crowded: follow-up appointments, medication refills, a safety plan, a step-down level of care. An app recommendation can end up as a quick line on a handout rather than a plan.

Families often notice this from the outside. A person comes home with a meditation app, a mood tracker and a therapy-skills app all downloaded on the same afternoon, and by the second week none of them are being opened. That is not a personal failure. It usually means the apps were never connected to anything the outpatient team actually reviews.

Why Apps Often Get Dropped After Discharge

Knowing the common reasons in advance makes it easier to plan around them:

• No one looks at the data: A mood tracker that nobody on the outpatient team reviews can start to feel like homework with no audience.
• Too many apps at once: Installing several tools on discharge day spreads attention thin at a time when energy is often limited.
• A mismatch with the treatment plan: An app built around one therapy approach may use different language and exercises than the skills practiced in residential groups.
• Notification fatigue: Frequent reminders can feel like pressure rather than support, and people often silence them within days.
• Privacy worries: Uncertainty about who can see sensitive entries leads some people to stop writing anything honest in the app.

The 15-Minute App Check to Run Before Discharge

NIMH suggests asking a trusted provider for recommendations, checking whether an app explains what to do if symptoms get worse, researching the developer’s credentials and trying an app for a few days. You can turn that into a concrete check that takes about 15 minutes per app. If possible, do it during the last week of a residential stay or the first week of outpatient care, with a staff member or family member beside you.

1. Find the crisis information. Open the app and look for a help or crisis section. A responsible mental health app should tell you what to do in an emergency, including how to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. If you cannot find it within a minute or two, note that.
2. Read the privacy policy for three words. Search the policy for “sell,” “share” and “third party.” Write down what the app says it does with your entries, your location and your contact list. Many consumer apps are not run by your health care provider, and they are generally not covered by the same privacy rules that apply to your medical records.
3. Look up the developer. Check who built the app and whether licensed clinicians or researchers were involved. Be cautious of any app that displays a government agency logo as an endorsement.
4. Match it to a skill you already practiced. If you learned thought records in CBT groups or diary cards in DBT skills groups, look for an app that uses the same format, so practice at home feels familiar.
5. Decide automated or human. NIMH suggests deciding whether you want a fully automated app or one that offers contact with a trained professional. Each has trade-offs, and your care team can help you weigh them.
6. Bring your notes to your next appointment. Show your outpatient therapist or psychiatric provider what you found and agree on one app, or none, before committing.

Questions to Ask Your Care Team Before You Leave

Bring these questions to your discharge planning meeting or your first outpatient session:

• Is there one app, or none, that you recommend for the skills I worked on here?
• Will anyone on my outpatient team look at what I track, and if so, how should I share it?
• If my mood ratings drop or I notice warning signs, who do I contact first, and is that written on my safety plan?
• Should I keep any of this off my phone because of privacy, and use paper instead?
• How long should I try an app before we decide whether it is helping?

The last question matters. Agreeing on a specific review point, such as your second or third outpatient appointment, turns “try this app” into something with a beginning and an end.

Where Apps Fit in a Step-Down Plan

For many people, the move from residential mental health treatment to a lower level of care such as partial hospitalization or intensive outpatient treatment is when an app can be most useful. Sessions are scheduled a few days a week, and a simple tracking tool can bridge the days between them. In that setting, the app supports clinical care; it does not stand in for it.

An app is not the right tool for everyone. Some people find that constant tracking increases anxiety or rumination. Others prefer a paper journal, a printed safety plan on the refrigerator or a regular call with a trusted friend. Choosing not to use an app is a legitimate part of an aftercare plan.

If you are planning ahead for residential care and want to understand coverage before admission, you can verify your insurance or call our admissions team at 877-883-0780.

When an App Is Not Enough

No app is a crisis service. If you or someone you love is thinking about suicide or self-harm, call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. SAMHSA describes 988 as offering 24/7 support for mental health and substance use concerns by call, text or chat; you can learn more on the SAMHSA 988 page. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. A residential treatment program is not an emergency service.

If symptoms are building over weeks rather than hours, and outpatient support no longer feels like enough, that is a reason to talk with your provider about a higher level of care. Our team can walk you through what residential treatment in Northern California involves and what the next step could look like. Call 877-883-0780 to talk it through.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does NIMH recommend specific mental health apps? No. NIMH states that it has not developed and does not endorse any apps, and it encourages people to ask a trusted health care provider for recommendations.

Can an app replace therapy after residential treatment? An app is best treated as a support between sessions, not a replacement for outpatient care, medication management or a crisis plan.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always talk with a qualified health care provider about your specific situation. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 or call 911.

When a young adult needs residential mental health treatment, the family often discovers that the rules changed quietly on an 18th birthday. The parent who used to book every appointment, sign every form and get every phone call may now be waiting by the phone with no automatic right to hear what is happening. At the same time, the parent may still hold the insurance policy and be paying the bills. This guide walks through how consent, information sharing and coverage usually work for adults aged 18 to 25 entering residential care, and the questions worth asking before admission day.

Why This Age Group Deserves Its Own Plan

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, citing 2022 national survey data from SAMHSA, young adults aged 18 to 25 had the highest past-year prevalence of any mental illness of any adult age group, at 36.2 percent, yet only 49.1 percent of young adults with any mental illness received mental health treatment that year. In other words, roughly one in three people in this age range lived with a diagnosable mental health condition in 2022, and about half of them got no treatment at all. Those figures come from the NIMH mental illness statistics page, checked on October 28, 2026.

SAMHSA makes a similar point on its young adults page: many people in this stage of life either do not recognize the signs of a mental health condition or do not seek help. For families, the gap between needing care and getting it is often less about willingness and more about logistics: who can call, who can sign, who gets told and who pays.

Why the Path Into Treatment Often Stalls at This Age

Families describe the same handful of sticking points again and again. Each one is fixable once it is named.

• Consent moves to the young adult at 18: an adult generally agrees to their own treatment, so a parent cannot admit an adult child to a voluntary residential program on the parent’s signature alone.
• Information follows consent: a treatment team generally needs the young adult’s written permission, usually a release of information form, before sharing clinical details with parents.
• Coverage often sits with a parent: when the young adult is a dependent on a parent’s health plan, insurance paperwork and statements may go to the policyholder, which can affect privacy.
• The calendar fights back: semesters, first jobs, leases and training programs all run on fixed dates, and young adults often delay care to avoid losing their place.
• Independence is the developmental task: many young adults are working hard to prove they can manage on their own, so accepting help can feel like going backward, even when it is the right step.

Who Signs the Consent Forms

For a voluntary residential stay, the young adult is the person who reviews and signs the admission paperwork, including consent to treatment, program rules and financial agreements. A parent can help gather documents, sit in on the pre-admission phone call if the young adult agrees, and drive them to the program. But in most situations the decision to enter, and the decision to stay, belongs to the adult receiving care.

This catches many parents off guard. A parent who has been making medical decisions for 18 years may expect to be handed the paperwork at intake. Instead, staff will usually address the young adult directly, and may ask the parent to step out for part of the assessment so the young adult can answer questions privately. That is standard practice, not a sign that the family is being shut out.

If a young adult has a legal guardian or conservator, or has signed a power of attorney or psychiatric advance directive, bring copies of those documents. They can change who is involved in decisions, and the program will want to see them before admission.

What Parents Can and Cannot Be Told

Once a young adult is admitted, the treatment team generally cannot confirm details about their care to a parent unless the young adult has signed a release of information naming that parent. Privacy rules do allow some limited sharing without a signed form in specific circumstances, such as an emergency, but families should not count on that for routine updates.

A release of information does not have to be all or nothing. Many young adults are more comfortable with a partial release. Options commonly include:

• Confirming attendance only, so a parent knows their child arrived and is still in the program
• Sharing logistics, such as visiting times, family session schedules and the expected discharge date
• Sharing clinical information, such as the treatment plan, progress and medication changes, in general terms
• Including a parent in discharge planning meetings

A young adult can usually revoke a release in writing at any time. Parents who understand this tend to have easier conversations, because the release becomes an agreement the young adult controls rather than a demand. Paying for treatment or holding the insurance policy does not, by itself, give a parent access to clinical information. That is one of the most common surprises families raise on the first call.

How Insurance Works When You Are on a Parent’s Plan

Many young adults entering residential care are covered as dependents on a parent’s employer or individual plan. That usually helps with cost, but it creates two practical issues to plan for.

First, the policyholder may receive Explanation of Benefits statements that list the provider and dates of service. If the young adult has not told the parent about the stay, a statement in the mail can reveal it. Second, prior authorization calls, appeals and billing questions may be easier for the policyholder to handle, which means the young adult may want to sign a release that covers billing and insurance contacts even if they keep clinical details private.

Bodhi Mental Health can check benefits before admission. You can start with our insurance verification form or call 877-883-0780 to talk through coverage, including whether out-of-network benefits apply.

What to Do This Week: A Five-Step Checklist

If a young adult in your family may need residential care, these steps can be done in the next few days, before anyone has to make a final decision.

1. Find the insurance card and note who the policyholder is. Write down the member ID, group number and the behavioral health phone number on the back of the card.
2. Call the plan and ask one specific question: “If my dependent receives residential mental health treatment, where will the Explanation of Benefits be sent, and can they request confidential communications?”
3. Have the young adult decide, in writing, what they want shared. A short list such as “attendance and discharge date yes, therapy details no” makes the release of information form quick to complete at intake.
4. Gather calendar commitments. List class dates, work schedules, lease deadlines and any leave paperwork that will be needed, so the admissions team can help plan around them.
5. Put the crisis numbers in both phones. Save 988 and the program’s admissions line so they are there if things change quickly.

Questions to Ask Before Admission

Whether you are the young adult or the parent, these questions help clarify how a program works with this age group:

• Who signs the admission paperwork, and can a parent be present for the pre-admission call if the young adult agrees?
• What does your release of information form cover, and can it be limited to specific types of information?
• How are family sessions scheduled, and are parents included only with the young adult’s permission?
• How does the team help with school or work paperwork, such as letters confirming dates of treatment?
• What does discharge planning look like for someone returning to campus, a new job or a parent’s home?
• Which levels of care are available after residential, such as partial hospitalization or intensive outpatient?

You can read more about how our residential mental health program is structured and compare the treatment programs available after a residential stay. When you are ready to talk it through, call 877-883-0780. The young adult can call directly, or a parent can call to ask general questions about how admission works.

When Things Feel Urgent

Residential treatment is planned care, not an emergency service. If a young adult is talking about suicide, has thoughts of harming themselves or others, or is in a psychiatric crisis, call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Once the immediate crisis is handled, the questions in this guide can help with the next step.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical, legal or insurance advice. Privacy, consent and coverage rules vary by situation, plan and state. Talk with a licensed mental health professional, your health plan and, where needed, an attorney about your specific circumstances.