ADOLESCENTS

Skyland Trail in Atlanta is one of the best mental health treatment programs for adolescents ages 14 to 17. Skyland Trail has 30 years of proven success with specialized psychiatric treatment. Our approach combines the best evidence-based mental health care with a curriculum focused on coping skills and healthy habits that provides teens with a roadmap to succeed in life long after treatment.

Our psychiatric residential treatment program for teens helps young people develop the resilience and life skills needed to navigate the academic challenges of school and changing social and family relationships. Family-focused programming helps parents learn new strategies to support their teens as they prepare to leave home for college or life's next adventure.

Programs for Adolescents

Residential Treatment

teen talking to therapist

Residential treatment usually is the best level of care for adolescents leaving a hospital or locked psychiatric acute care facility. Residential treatment may also be appropriate for teens who have found the demands of daily life to be unmanageable without a high level of support including students who are no longer in regular attendance at school, students who have switched to homeschool or virtual school due to the severity of mental health difficulties, or students who have dropped out of school.

Located in Atlanta, our adolescent campus offers around-the-clock staff supervision and support. Teens receive private bedrooms with private bathrooms. Welcoming spaces encourage continued school participation, peer connections, and family engagement.

Day Treatment

group of teens talking

After participating in residential treatment for 12 weeks, adolescent clients may step down to the day treatment program. Clients return home to their families and continue to come to Skyland Trail for treatment Monday through Friday. Clients who meet clinical criteria may admit directly to day treatment.

  • 12 Week Residential Length of Stay

  • Family Involvement

  • Psychological Testing

  • Academic Support

  • Private Patient Rooms

  • Expressive Therapies

Diagnoses We Treat

DEPRESSION

Many adolescents with major depressive disorder experience persistent sadness and/or irritability, lose interest in activities and relationships, and often isolate from family and friends. Our treatment model for teens with depression includes specialized medication therapy when necessary and evidence-based psychotherapy including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), behavioral activation (BA), and and ecological systems theory (EST) to help teens develop broader healthy coping skills and start to feel better.

ANXIETY DISORDERS

Adolescents with an anxiety disorder often experience fear, panic attacks, and physical symptoms like stomachaches and headaches. Teens with anxiety tend to avoid situations or places that induce stress and withdraw from activities they used to enjoy. Adolescent clients work with our dedicated psychiatrist to learn how to use medications appropriately. Teens build resilience through evidence-based skill-building sessions using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), behavioral activation (BA), and ecological systems theory (EST) .

BIPOLAR DISORDER

Adolescents with bipolar disorder, also called manic depression, may exhibit extreme behavior changes or shifts in mood. These changes may also affect a teen's sleep patterns, energy levels and ability to think clearly.  As part of the Skyland Trail treatment program for teen bipolar disorder, young people work with a dedicated psychiatrist to establish an effective medication strategy. Adolescent clients also learn skills to prevent and cope with symptoms. Residential treatment helps teens reset with a healthy sleep routine and structured daily schedule.

ADOLESCENT ADMISSION CRITERIA

Teen clients and their families must be willing to positively participate in the treatment program.

All adolescent clients must be fully vaccinated for Covid-19 prior to the day of admission.

Our Campus

The J. Rex Fuqua Campus for adolescents offers a welcoming environment where teens feel respected, protected, and at home.

The Glenn Family Residence Hall includes 26 private patient rooms as well as a common living area, and nurses’ station.

The adjacent Rollins Family Clinical Building includes:

  • individual and group therapy rooms classrooms
  • art and music therapy rooms
  • learning lab
  • fitness studio
  • dining hall
  • game room and recreation spaces

Unique outdoor spaces include an outdoor dining terrace, sports pavilion, courtyard with gardens, walking trails, outdoor classrooms, and outdoor fitness spaces.

How Our Program Works

The Skyland Trail adolescent program address the whole ecosystem surrounding a teen who is struggling with a mood or anxiety disorder. Comprehensive programming engages the family, the school, and other key support systems. This approach ensures that, as the adolescent begins to make progress through evidence-based treatment, the people and systems surrounding the teen adjust to help the young person continue to grow.

Individualized treatment meets the specific needs of each adolescent based on diagnoses, symptoms, history, background, and identified struggles in school or relationships. Treatment begins with a robust diagnostic assessment to clarify the psychiatric diagnoses as well as to identify strengths that can be leveraged as part of the treatment process.

Our length of stay - about 12 weeks - gives adolescents and families time to heal and focus on developing a new path forward. Structured daily schedules and integrated wellness programming helps adolescents understand their diagnoses and learn how to effectively care for themselves while pursuing their goals and dreams.

Our Multidisciplinary Treatment Team

Teen patients in residential treatment benefit from the expertise and compassionate care from a team of professionals:

  • staff psychiatrist
  • primary therapist
  • family therapist
  • group counselors
  • care coordinator
  • psychologist
  • primary care & wellness physician
  • dietician
  • education specialist
  • nurses
  • residential counselors
  • music specialist
  • recreational therapists
  • art specialist

How We Work with Schools

The Skyland Trail adolescent mental health treatment program offers an educational needs assessment at admission and academic education services year-round. Academic education promotes intellectual development and helps teens maintain progress in school. Certified educators provide daily instruction throughout residential treatment and help adolescent clients develop future goals for continued success after treatment.

Our certified educators work with each adolescent client's school of enrollment to:

  • work on an individual academic plan developed by the school of origin if available
  • ensure client is working toward meeting requirements to maintain academic progress
  • communicate with teachers and parents about the client's academic progress
  • share strategies that helped the client achieve educational goals with the client's teachers and parents so those strategies or accommodations can be employed to promote future success in school

Program Fees

Adolescent Residential Program Fees

The adolescent residential treatment program at Skyland Trail is in-network with many plans offered by Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield/Anthem, Carelon Behavioral Health, Cigna, ComPsych, Magellan, Optum/United Behavioral Health/Oscar Health, and Humana Military / TRICARE East. Families with non-contracted private insurance plans may be able to use out-of-network benefits to receive reimbursement for a portion of program costs. Medicare and Medicaid do not cover our services at any level. The private pay program fee cost for a 30-day stay in residential care is $36,000. Clients typically participate in the residential level of care for about three months before stepping down to the day treatment program.

Financial aid is available to families who demonstrate financial need. Please contact us to speak to a financial counselor about program fees and your overall financial responsibility.

Client Stories