Caring for a teen with significant mental health needs can impact the entire family. Parents might find themselves coordinating appointments, monitoring safety, managing crises, supporting school attendance, and trying to meet the needs of other family members at the same time.
Mental health respite care in Minnesota is designed to provide a safe, temporary setting for teens with serious mental health needs while giving caregivers time to rest or attend to other responsibilities.[1]
Respite is intended to reduce family stress and help support stability at home. But it helps to know more about what it can be used for and how to access it. For this reason, this page covers:
Minnesota’s children’s mental health system defines respite as a service that is intended to help children who have emotional or behavioral needs remain with their family or long-term caregiver by providing the caregiver a temporary break.[2]
Depending on the program and child’s needs, respite care in Minnesota may involve:
Supporting a teen with significant psychiatric symptoms can require close attention and monitoring. Parents might be supporting a teen with suicidal thoughts, severe anxiety, repeated crisis calls, and emotional outbursts. Even when a parent deeply loves their child and wants to provide care, sustained caregiving can become exhausting.
A short period of relief can give parents time to:
In fact, the Minnesota Department of Human Services notes that the central goals of children’s mental health respite programs are to reduce family stress and improve child and family functioning.[2]
Caring for a child with serious mental health conditions can be emotionally and logistically demanding.
Recognizing caregiver strain and knowing what resources are available can help families maintain stability. Teen mental health family support tends to work best when caregivers are treated as part of the system because supporting parents can ultimately support the teen as well.
Respite care can provide support for a parent who is feeling chronic exhaustion, irritability, resentment, or social withdrawal. However, while respite can provide caregivers temporary relief, families might also need additional support when stress becomes ongoing, or respite services are difficult to access.
Parents experiencing these signs may also consider:
Respite services eligibility can depend on the specific program and available funding. However, Minnesota’s children’s mental health respite grant law identifies respite services for children with mental illness or serious mental illness who:[1]
Sometimes, families might misunderstand respite care as a different level of support, which is why we define what it is in comparison to residential care and intensive rehabilitation services below.
Adolescent respite care differs from residential treatment in its purpose and intensity.
Children’s mental health respite is temporary and intended to support continued community living. Residential mental health treatment is a higher level of care where the child or teen lives at a treatment facility and receives mental health support within the facility.
Respite care, on the other hand, typically does not replace services like therapy, psychiatry, or crisis stabilization. But it can complement those services.
Families with a teen who needs significant community-based mental health support may also qualify for intensive rehabilitative mental health services, or IRMHS.
IRMHS provides supports to those ages 8-20 who have serious mental illness or co-occurring mental illness and substance use concerns and require intensive services to prevent residential placement.[3]
IRMHS is different from respite because it is an intensive treatment and rehabilitation service. Respite is temporary relief focused on family stability.
Families can start by reviewing Minnesota DHS respite care information or asking their local county or tribal human services agency or treatment provider about local programs.
When inquiring about respite care services, be ready to describe your child’s:
Minnesota’s respite statute notes that children with mental illness or serious mental illness may be eligible for support, while the DHS grant page describes support for children with emotional disturbance or severe emotional disturbance.[1][2] Because terminology and program requirements may vary, parents should ask the local provider:
Additionally, case managers can help connect families with community-based Minnesota resources, but they are not required in order to receive respite services through the grant program.[1]
However, a case manager may still be helpful for:
Under Minnesota’s respite grant statute, a child cannot be required to receive case management as a condition of receiving respite.[1]
A teenager may interpret respite behavioral health services as a form of rejection or worry that their parents do not want them around. Of course, this is likely not the case.
Parents can support their teen during this time by explaining that respite is a way to get support so they can be more present for their child. It may also be helpful to avoid framing respite as a punishment and instead normalize the idea that all families need different kinds of support from time to time.
Further, you might consider giving your teen information about:
Mission Prep is here to help you or your loved one take the next steps towards an improved mental well-being.
Respite is not just for emergencies. Minnesota law says that counties must work to provide access to regularly scheduled respite care.[1]
Preventative respite can be scheduled regularly, around predictable stressors, during especially tough treatment periods, or when another caregiver is unavailable. This can create breathing room before family strain escalates into an emergency.
Sometimes parents wait until they are at a breaking point before asking for respite. But using this support before a crisis may help reduce the chances that a family reaches the point where emergency or out-of-home treatment becomes necessary.
While some youth crisis respite services in Minnesota may offer support, it’s important to note that crisis respite is not the same as emergency psychiatric treatment. Families should ask whether the respite program can safely manage the teen’s current symptoms or behaviors and inquire about what happens if the teen’s condition escalates.
Unfortunately, knowing that respite exists in the state does not always mean a family can get immediate access to it. Different factors contribute to whether respite is accessible, including availability, funding, geography, and wait lists.
If your county does not currently have available respite options, consider asking about:
You may also consider asking your teen’s treatment team if another service could meet the same underlying need. Just because one program is not available does not mean the family has to figure out how to manage it all on their own.
Respite is designed to be a temporary support, but it is not always the right resource for every situation. Consider seeking a higher level of care if your teen:
If there is immediate danger, call 911 or go to the emergency room. Families can also call or text 988 for crisis support.
Take a tour of our teen residential mental health facilities located in Minnetonka, MN. Our locations offer peace & comfort within a residential environment where teenagers, aged 12-17, can relax and focus on themselves.
Our well-appointed facilities are located in on the west side of the Metro area and serve teens from across Minnesota.
Minnesota’s respite system depends on local programs and grant availability, so services may not look exactly the same across the state. If accessing respite feels difficult, or if your teen’s mental health concerns need structured support, Mission Prep Teen Treatment can help. We offer residential treatment programs that include evidence-based therapy services to support teens and families navigating complex mental health concerns.
Our Minnesota locations are an important part of the treatment process at Mission Prep Teen Treatment. We believe it’s critical for teens to have a safe and welcoming environment to build the tools they need to facilitate healing. We maintain modern, well-appointed homes where teens are able to develop and practice strategies that help lay the foundation for sustainable healing.
Mission Prep Teen Treatment accepts insurance and is in-network with most major providers. We are happy to help you check your insurance coverage for mental health care.
Start the admissions process online or call 866-901-4047 to speak with a caring member of our team who can answer any questions you might have. Reach out for a free, no-obligation conversation.
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