Looking into PHP for teen - thoughts on Embark or Newport Academy?

[Anonymous]

My daughter is in crisis (she has ADHD w/ depression and anxiety and the depression in very bad right now). We are looking into getting her into a partial hospitalization program asap. Does anyone have any experiences to share with either Embark in Cabin John or Newport Academy in Rockville?

[Anonymous]

No experience, but I also called Embark when my DD (adhd) dropped out of college in April and was depressed and lonely. Embark called daily, and I really hated the hard sell they were doing, and turned me off big time.
She got significantly better when she had a summer job, which was a day camp counselor. She was getting sunshine and meeting people, and came home exhausted.
Sorry I can't help, but be prepared for a hard sell.

[Anonymous]

My niece attended Newport in Rockville a few years ago and had a very positive experience. I would consider it for my DC who is currently struggling, if things were to worsen. Of course, these places are only as good as their current staff and the outcome will depend heavily on individual needs, the cohort there at the time, willingness to “buy-in” to the program, etc. The one big complaint I heard was the cost.

[Anonymous]

Personal experience with Newport: They have one off-the-shelf program. Ask a lot of questions and see if it will work for you. Some families were happy. We discharged DC early and moved on because it was not helping at all.

[Anonymous]

We are looking for a PHP program as well. Any other recommendations?

[Anonymous]

Wow, this was a timely post. Just discussing this possibility for my 12 year old. Please keep the recs and experiences coming. Sounds like a few of us need a holiday lifeline.

[Anonymous]

It's an IOP, not PHP, but we had a very positive experience with Helix Center in McLean.

[Anonymous]

My DC was in Newport Rockville PHP recently. We have nothing but good things to say about their staff and programs. My DC is doing much much better, thanks to them.

[Anonymous]

We looked at Newport Rockville and Embark Cabin John. Ended up at Embark Cabin John. We did not find Embark to be any more of a hard selling program than Newport. For both, we found the initial phone communications in whatever central office to be the least impressive. Once we got past that part, both Embark and Newport seemed good and interacted well with us. We chose Embark Cabin John bc the location was better for us and their PHP is from 9-2:30 pm which was more palatable for our kid. Newport’s day is 8:15 am - 4:30 pm and we knew our kid could not handle such a long day. That may be something for you to think about. As a previous poster mentioned, at the end of the day, buy-in by your kid is critical - it took us a very long time and getting the right medications in place, before our kid began to open up to the possibility that a program could help.

[Anonymous]

Not a fan of either profit driven company, both will say they are full and ask if yo could transfer to Utah or another state that removes parental rights to avoid lawsuits

[Anonymous]

Look into Shepard Pratt for another option!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not a fan of either profit driven company, both will say they are full and ask if yo could transfer to Utah or another state that removes parental rights to avoid lawsuits

I don’t know what you mean about “removing parental rights” but there is nothing about treatment or laws in Utah that facilitates this. The reason people seek treatment in Utah is that in most states, a child at age 14 or older has to consent to treatment. In Utah, the age is 18. So if you have a child with a serious mental illness or substance use disorder, who is not capable of making good decisions regarding consent to care, Utah is one of the only places parents can make that decision for a minor after age 14.

OP, if your DC does a program, please post your impressions. I feel like this question is asked often but not usually answered. It would be nice to know more about the limited options for higher levels of care in this area.

[Anonymous]

Embark-Cabin John PHP and IOP were both a very good fit for my teen daughter with suicidal thoughts/depression/school refusal. Her emotional dysregulation has been a major issue and the dialectical behavior therapy at Embark worked well for my daughter to teach her coping skills and give her tools to manage. She developed trusting relationships with the group therapists, the other teens, and her psychologist which helped her do the hard work towards recovery. She learned so much about herself. It is a family systems based program as well, so parent/guardian meets weekly with the child’s psychologist during PHP and every other week during IOP. The staff was skilled and caring. I felt like I, as a parent, was kept informed of how things were going throughout.

[Anonymous]

Sheppard Pratt was amazing for us

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Embark-Cabin John PHP and IOP were both a very good fit for my teen daughter with suicidal thoughts/depression/school refusal. Her emotional dysregulation has been a major issue and the dialectical behavior therapy at Embark worked well for my daughter to teach her coping skills and give her tools to manage. She developed trusting relationships with the group therapists, the other teens, and her psychologist which helped her do the hard work towards recovery. She learned so much about herself. It is a family systems based program as well, so parent/guardian meets weekly with the child’s psychologist during PHP and every other week during IOP. The staff was skilled and caring. I felt like I, as a parent, was kept informed of how things were going throughout.

How long was the PHP at Embark? I thought most of them were 10 days. Thx.