Preparing to step down from residential mental health treatment in Minnesota can be a major milestone. But it is rarely the end of a teen’s mental health journey. A successful step down after residential mental health treatment usually consists of moving from 24-hour structured care into lower levels of support that can help the teen use their new skills in the community.
Depending on the teen’s clinical needs, discharge follow-up might include a partial hospitalization program (PHP), intensive outpatient program (IOP), outpatient therapy, psychiatry, school accommodations, or family therapy. A strong discharge plan should start before residential treatment ends so that families know exactly what services are in place, who is responsible for follow-up, and what to do if symptoms begin escalating again.
To help your family understand how to step down from residential treatment successfully, this page explores:
Residential treatment gives teens a highly structured environment with consistent mental health support and few outside stressors. But returning home can shift that structure.
For instance, a teen might be expected to manage:
For Minnesota Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities, the Department of Human Services (DHS) specifically states that treatment discharge planning should begin at admission and involve the:[1]
This means that residential treatment aftercare in Minnesota should involve more than just scheduling one therapy appointment after discharge, and parents should confidently know who is responsible for making each referral. In fact, Minnesota DHS emphasizes that children should receive the right level of mental health care at the right time, and those supports may include outpatient care, community-based programs, or partial hospitalization.[2]
A sufficient teen residential step-down plan considers the teen’s:
The discharge plan should include:
It’s important to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all step-down plan. A teen who entered residential care after numerous suicidal crises will likely need more support than a teen whose symptoms have stabilized and who has strong outpatient treatment already in place.
The appropriate level of step-down care for your teen will depend on their diagnoses, symptoms, and support system. The following are overviews of the options available.
Two common forms of teen mental health aftercare are partial hospitalization programs (PHP) and intensive outpatient programs (IOP). When preparing for your teen to step down from residential mental health treatment, it’s important to know the difference between these two programs.
A partial hospitalization program, or PHP, typically provides structured mental health treatment for several hours during the day while the teen continues to live at home. An intensive outpatient program, or IOP, usually provides fewer hours than a PHP but still more support than weekly outpatient therapy.[3]
A PHP after residential treatment may be a good choice when the teen no longer needs 24-hour care but still does need significant structure and support throughout the day. An IOP after residential treatment may be a better choice if a teen can tolerate more independence but still benefits from multiple treatment sessions each week.
Both of these programs can help teens continue practicing coping skills, adjust to being home, maintain regular therapeutic contact, and reestablish daily routines.
However, availability and structure can vary, so families should confirm which services are available in their area and whether the program treats adolescents.
Minnesota offers additional youth mental health resources and services that may be helpful for some teens when transitioning home.
For instance, Children’s Therapeutic Services and Supports, or CTSS, provides rehabilitative services for teens who meet the criteria and can include skills training, therapy, and behavioral aide services.[2]
For teens who have a serious mental illness or a co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder and need a higher level of community support than what CTSS can offer, Minnesota also offers Intensive Rehabilitative Mental Health Services, or IRMHS. IRMHS can support 8- to 20-year-olds who need intensive services to step down from inpatient or residential care to community-based care.[4]
Returning home after residential treatment can bring feelings of relief, excitement, discomfort, and uncertainty.
Once a teen returns home, the structure they had in residential care usually changes. This means that there are no staff members to help structure meals, schoolwork, therapy, medication, and bedtime. There is also no 24/7 clinical support in the same building as the teen.
Parents may expect that because a teen learned coping skills in treatment, they will be able to use them at home with no problems. But learning and using a skill in a controlled treatment environment is very different from using it during a bad day at school or a breakup.
Some setbacks should be expected as your teen adjusts to being home. But it’s important to look at the overall pattern and recognize that a difficult evening doesn’t mean that residential treatment failed. The following steps can help you support this transition.
Some parents experience anxiety surrounding their teen’s discharge from residential treatment, and they may respond to that anxiety by trying to recreate the residential treatment environment at home. This could look like building rigid schedules or closely monitoring every situation. But while some structure is helpful, constant surveillance is usually not sustainable.
A more sustainable transition may involve predictable scheduling and expectations around:
To improve the continuum of care for teens, parents might also consider asking the residential team which parts of the treatment environment seemed to be helpful for their teen. Then they can use that information to help create realistic routines.
Returning to school can be one of the biggest stressors a teen faces after residential treatment. A teen may worry about:
Families should coordinate with the school before the return and develop a reentry plan that could include:
If the teen was admitted to residential treatment due to self-harm, suicidal thoughts, or another safety concern, then the discharge plan should clearly address what happens if those concerns return.
A useful safety plan may contain information about:
And families should know what level of symptoms require immediate support.[5]
If there is immediate danger, families can call or text 988 for support, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room.
Mission Prep is here to help you or your loved one take the next steps towards an improved mental well-being.
When a teen is discharged from residential mental health treatment, parents may feel the need to closely monitor the teen and assess whether the transition is working.
Signs that the step-down plan is moving in a positive direction can include:
The goal of Minnesota teen aftercare is to catch changes in behavior while there are still a number of options for interventions. Parents may be able to refer to the teen’s discharge paperwork to identify warning signs that more support is needed. A broad overview of these signs can include:
A step-down plan can be adjusted if needed, and needing more support after residential care does not indicate a failure. For instance, a family might learn that weekly therapy is not enough and decide that an IOP will be more supportive. Further, a teen in IOP might transition to PHP for the short term, or another teen may need IRMHS for additional support.
Minnesota Department of Human Services emphasizes a range of service intensities so children can receive care that is fitting to their current needs instead of staying in one level indefinitely.[2]
Parents who are unsure whether their teen needs increased support can notice if:
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.
A successful step-down after residential treatment in Minnesota is not about removing as much support and structure as quickly as possible. Instead, it is about moving back into daily life while also keeping enough support in place for the teen to continue making progress.
Mission Prep Teen Treatment provides residential mental health treatment for teens in Minnesota, which includes individual therapy, family involvement, academic support, and discharge planning designed to prepare teens for continued recovery in the community.
Our expert clinical team incorporates evidence-based therapeutic approaches and innovative interventions to foster sustainable change for adolescents and their families. 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.
Parents who are preparing for discharge from residential care or who are questioning whether their teen still needs structured care after returning home can call us at 866-901-4047. Our team will be more than happy to discuss available treatment options that may fit your teen’s current needs.
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