Inpatient Treatment Program for Adolescent Girls in Missouri – Ages 14 to 17

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a thoroughly researched and widely documented therapeutic approach that can lead to significant positive improvements in the lives of adolescent girls. Also commonly referred to as CBT, this form of therapy is focused on helping participants change their thought and behavior patterns in order to achieve a specific objective.

The “cognitive” element of CBT addresses the ways that negative thought patterns may be undermining your daughter’s ability to experience positive outcomes in her life, while the “behavioral” component will focus her attention on the self- defeating actions that may result from her self-defeating thought processes.

During CBT sessions at Lakeland Behavioral Health Hospital, your daughter will work with compassionate and nurturing professionals who have specific expertise helping adolescent girls. In addition to better understanding the relationship between her thoughts and her behaviors, she will also learn how to exert positive control over how she thinks and acts.

Many of the adolescent girls who are entrusted into our care come to us with a history of problematic behaviors.

However, at Lakeland Behavioral Health System, we know that inappropriate or otherwise unacceptable behavior patterns are often symptoms of underlying issues, including but by no means limited to poor coping skills, low self-esteem, the effects of unresolved trauma, or various forms of mental illness.

Thus, our inpatient program for adolescent girls is designed not merely to improve behaviors, but to identify and address the factors that have contributed to past behavior problems. By effectively treating any mental or behavioral health disorders and resolving other issues that your daughter may be struggling with, we will help her to change her behavior and develop a more positive outlook.

More importantly, we will enable her to experience true and lasting healing, and prepare her to make continued progress long after she has completed her time with us.

Our inpatient program is designed to provide your daughter with comprehensive care in the manner that best meets her specific needs. In a relatively short period of time (typical length of stay in the inpatient program is about 17 days), we will help your daughter achieve stabilization and establish a solid foundation upon which she can build a healthier future.

Our ability to provide your daughter with an intensive personalized treatment experience is based upon the thorough assessment that she will complete prior to starting care. The assessment process ensures that the members of your daughter’s treatment team have identified and are prepared to address all of the issues that have been preventing her from achieving to her greatest potential.

The initial assessment will inform the development of our daughter’s personalized treatment plan. Depending upon her needs, and goals, this plan may include medication management services, individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy, and a host of experiential therapeutic activities.

We will continue to evaluate your daughter’s progress and the appropriateness of her personalized treatment plan throughout her time in our care, and will adjust the services that she receives whenever such changes are necessary.

Group therapy is an important part of the treatment experience for adolescent girls who are receiving inpatient care at Lakeland Behavioral Health System. Multiple groups are offered on a typical treatment day. Depending upon the topic of the groups, sessions may be led by a psychologist, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), or a licensed professional counselor (LPC).

Participating in group therapy will help your daughter to gain a greater understanding of the challenges that she is facing and develop the skills that will support long-term recovery. In groups, your daughter will have the opportunity share her experiences, learn from the insights of others (including both peers and professionals), and practice productive interpersonal communication skills.

The following are examples of the types of groups that your daughter may have the opportunity participate in during her time at Lakeland Behavioral Health System:

Anger management:  In this group your daughter will learn to identify sources of anger and gain insights into how these sources may prompt her to engage in self-defeating behaviors. She  will also learn how to control her emotions and engage in healthier behaviors in response to potential triggers.

Self-image/social skills:  This group is designed to improve your daughter’s self-esteem by focusing her attention on her innate strengths and talents. It will also focus on the negative impact of relying on peer validation for self-worth. Success in this group will minimize your daughter’s risk for family conflict, anger outbursts, aggression, and self-harming behaviors.

Coping skills: Adolescence can be a time of significant stresses, pressures, and other triggers. The coping skills group will help your daughter and other participant to respond to these negative stimuli in healthier and more productive ways. Your daughter will develop skills for avoiding and/or addressing conflict, and positively managing her thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

To learn more about group therapy topics or any other aspects of inpatient programming for adolescent girls at Lakeland Behavioral Health System, please feel free to contact us at your convenience. We look forward to answering all of your questions and helping you decide if our program is the perfect place for your daughter.