At Turnbridge, we strongly believe that successful treatment addresses every aspect of adolescent life. Each client’s treatment plan is founded upon an in-depth diagnosis and assessment of medical and mental health history, family history, any substance use history, and an assessment of academic and social status. When indicated, Turnbridge may refer clients to receive specialized neuropsychological or neurological testing and evaluation to improve diagnostic clarity and identify conditions that may impact executive functioning and academic performance. Identifying and treating previously undiagnosed cognitive health issues is vital because these conditions can cause anxiety and depression and limit academic performance. Finding and treating these issues not only reduces barriers to better mental health but makes vital academic accommodations available to assist in learning and improve academic opportunities.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), an evidence-based treatment mode, is central to our adolescent intensive outpatient treatment program. DBT focuses on helping people understand their emotional responses to stimuli and learn skills to regulate these responses to reduce symptoms of mental health disorders.
Turnbridge helps adolescent IOP clients learn and practice the five core DBT skills:
- Mindfulness – thoughts and feelings at the moment and realizing there’s a choice in how to respond
- Emotional Regulation – learning to control more effectively the emotion and become less reactive to people and situations
- Interpersonal Effectiveness – how to maintain relationships, meet personal needs and keep self-respect.
- Distress Tolerance – an “acceptance strategy” to help tolerate intense emotions without engaging in problematic behaviors
- Middle Path: more effectively managing extreme patterns of thought and behavior to achieve greater balance in life
Turnbridge therapists use a number of therapeutic modalities in addition to DBT to meet a wide range of needs and provide effective coping strategies. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and other approaches are combined to help teens develop positive images of themselves and others and to enhance their worldview.
Facilitating a holistic approach that achieves improved mental healthcare takes more than a single treatment episode. Turnbridge collaborates with clients and their other care providers and supporters to provide a network of support and a detailed aftercare plan that helps clients and families access the ongoing treatment and other resources they need to ensure continued clinical, social, and emotional wellness.
