At University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital, we have one of the largest inpatient mental-health programs for children and teens in the nation. In addition, we have a behavioral unit with services exclusively for children ages 12 and younger. We offer care to stabilize your child’s mental or emotional condition. Working with children and adolescents is our sole focus.

The Behavioral Health Services staff has credentials, certification and/or licenses  to work with children who have a a full range of mental-health and chemical-dependency issues. The staff collaborates with physicians from the University of Minnesota and with Behavioral Healthcare Providers (BHP), a large network of psychologists, therapists and psychiatrists, to provide services. Within our network of providers are nurses, clinical supervisors, chemical-dependency counselors, special-education teachers, recreational therapists, chaplains, family therapists and cultural liaisons.

We provide specialty care

• Anxiety
• Behavioral or adjustment difficulties
• Depression
• Learning or coping disorders
• Psychotic disorders
• Schizophrenia
• Substance abuse
• Chemical dependency
• Mental health

A variety of programs and services

Emergency care

• Emergency Information: Mental Health/Chemical Dependency

• Adolescent Dual Diagnosis Program
• Adolescent Lodging Plus Program (Residential Chemical Dependency) - Chisago City, MN

Inpatient programs (for children and teens who will benefit most from intensive therapy)

• Adolescent Mental Health Inpatient Services
• Children’s Mental Health Inpatient Services

Partial-hospitalization/day mental health therapy program

• Adolescent Partial and Day Therapy Program
• Children's Partial and Day Therapy Program

Short-term crisis assessment and stabilization
 

• Adolescent Crisis Lodging, Assessment and Stabilization Services

“At this point, her parents were exhausted and desperate. They felt their lives were out of control, and that they had failed as parents,” says Christy Zabel, child/adolescent psychotherapist at University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital.

With Anna now suicidal, her parents brought her to our in-patient unit. Once stabilized, she entered the Children’s Day Therapy Program, one of the only programs in Minnesota dedicated to patients 12 and younger. In this program, children spend full days in the hospital unit and return to their families at night.

Anna's individualized treatment plan included art and music, and mindfulness programs such as yoga, meditation and deep-breathing exercises. She also attended school in the unit for two hours each day. To deal with her anxiety and not bottle her concerns inside, Anna learned to list her worries in her own record called a “Worry Book.” Occupational therapists worked with Anna on her sensory overload — when overwhelmed, she would overheat. The therapists taught her to use ice packs to cool down. Anna learned to sit in a swing because the rocking motion would calm her.

We include the whole family in the assessment and treatment. Anna’s parents attended family sessions once a week. “Anna’s parents were very committed to implementing the parenting strategies we taught them, as well as what Anna was learning. Their involvement was crucial to her success,” says Zabel.

When Anna left the Children's Day Therapy Program, she moved to a community-based therapy program to continue her work. She regularly checks in with Zabel and continues to make progress. “Anna made tremendous progress in our program. When she left, her violent outbursts had completely dissipated,” says Zabel. “She now has the coping strategies she needs to avoid the behaviors that were common before she participated in our program.”

*Name has been changed