Bipolar Disorder Treatment Center for Adolescents & Teens in Utah

Youth Care Treatment Center and school has helped teens with bipolar disorder all over the United States for 30 years. Our unique approach is based off of solid morals and beliefs to help adolescents be successful in turning their lives around.

Bipolar Disorder Treatment

Learn more about bipolar disorder treatment at Youth Care Treatment Center in Utah

Bipolar disorder can have a devastating impact on the lives of adolescents or teens who are afflicted by this serious mental health issue. Adolescents or teens who are subjected to the extreme emotional highs and crushing lows that are associated with bipolar disorder may feel as though they have lost the ability to exert even minimal control over their thoughts and emotions. Though the specific experiences will vary depending upon the type of the disorder (bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, or cyclothymic disorder) that the afflicted adolescent or teen is dealing with, the all-too-common outcome of untreated bipolar disorder is that the adolescent or teen is left with the overwhelming sense that they are engaged in a daily struggle to remain present and focused.

At Youth Care Treatment Center in Utah, we recognize how troubling it can be for young people who are plagued by the symptoms of bipolar disorder, and we have developed specialized bipolar disorder rehab programming that incorporates both research-supported clinical advances and the specific insights that we have developed through more than 25 years of providing life-affirming mental and behavioral health services to adolescents or teens.

How to Help a Loved One

Helping a loved one get treatment for bipolar disorder

The impact of bipolar disorder is hardly limited to the person who has been diagnosed with the disorder. When the afflicted individual is an adolescent or teen, parents and siblings are likely to be particularly affected. The steps described in the following can be valuable for parents of adolescents or teens who are dealing with bipolar disorder:

  • First, it is important for you to understand that the bipolar disorder symptoms that your adolescent or teen is demonstrating are the result of a serious yet treatable mental health condition that impacts many adolescents and families throughout the nation and around the world. Once you realize that you are dealing with a mental health issue and not merely “bad behavior,” you will be prepared to pursue effective solutions at a treatment center.
  • As is the case with most challenges, education is essential. Learn about how bipolar disorder impacts adolescents or teens, research the types of bipolar disorder treatments that have helped other young people, and locate bipolar disorder rehab centers that provide the treatment that seems best suited to meeting your adolescent’s or teen’s specific needs. Though your child’s pediatrician may not specialize in adolescent mental health, they can be an excellent resource for both information and potential referrals.
  • Prepare yourself and your adolescent or teen for the realities of dealing with this challenge. The path of recovery from bipolar disorder is neither short nor straightforward, and you will experience both successes and setbacks along the way. Maintain focus on long-term progress, and leave no doubt in your child’s mind that they have your full support and undying love.

Why Consider Treatment

Why consider treatment for bipolar disorder at Youth Care Treatment Center in Utah

Bipolar disorder, when left untreated, can have a devastating impact on any person’s life. For adolescents or teens who are struggling with bipolar disorder, life can be a daily struggle. If these young people do not get the professional help that they need, the impact can resonate far beyond the immediate challenges of day-to-day life. For example, an adolescent or teen with untreated bipolar disorder may find it difficult to maintain healthy friendships and perform to their potential in school. These setbacks can undermine their ability to make academic progress and learn social lessons that can be critical to a healthy transition into adulthood. Also, adolescents or teens who experience bipolar disorder are at an increased risk for abusing alcohol or other drugs, behaving in a reckless or dangerous manner, developing an impaired sense of self-worth, engaging in self harm, and experiencing thoughts of suicide. Although these potential negative effects can be devastating, with proper treatment, it is possible for adolescents or teens to minimize or avoid many of these painful and disruptive outcomes.

Our Philosophy

Youth Care Treatment Center philosophy and benefits

At Youth Care, we believe that teens in crisis are best served in a home-like setting that emphasizes personalized interactions, close supervision and comprehensive professional support.

In this supportive therapeutic environment, students benefit from the guidance of caring professionals who know them not merely as clients, but as unique individuals with specific strengths, weaknesses, hopes and fears.

The Youth Care environment is built upon a foundation of mutual respect. Our students are expected to treat staff and peers with respect and in return they can expect to be treated with respect.

Staff members are trained to apply consequences and provide feedback for students in a respectful manner without demeaning or belittling the adolescent.

We feel strongly about the value of long-lasting family relationships, and we believe that family involvement is critical to the success of the child, both while in treatment and following placement.

To support these beliefs, our program is designed to help students develop a greater appreciation for their own families – and we strive to include the family in the therapeutic process as much as possible.

Here are our five core values:

  • Respect – for our patients, our employees, and our community
  • Integrity – in our dealings with all those whose lives we touch
  • Accountability – to our patients and their families, and to our colleagues
  • Responsibility – for the decisions we make and the actions we take
  • Excellence – in every task we perform

Types of Treatment

Types of bipolar disorder treatment offered at Youth Care Treatment Center in Utah

Youth Care, a bipolar disorder rehab center in Utah, offers residential treatment for adolescents or teens who are battling the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Here at Youth Care, we are dedicated to providing treatment in a structured, home-like setting that offers a family atmosphere for adolescents or teens as they work towards recovering from the concerns that plague them. At our bipolar disorder rehab center, we are pleased to offer individualized bipolar disorder treatment tailored to meet each adolescent’s or teens unique needs and enhance their already-existing skillset.

Treatment at our bipolar disorder rehab center is based on respect, accountability, and responsibility. Our staff uses a level system with adolescents or teens so that they can provide constructive feedback as students learn how to demonstrate respect and behave in appropriate ways. In doing so, students earn various privileges and increased levels of trust. We believe that the connection between privileges, accountability, trust, and responsibility is an invaluable lesson that will serve to benefit our students for the rest of their lives.

When adolescents or teens are entrusted into our bipolar disorder treatment center, they will be provided with various therapeutic interventions, which may include the following:

Medication management: When treating the symptoms of bipolar disorder, the use of certain psychotropic medications is an instrumental part of alleviating the distress that an adolescent or teen is experiencing. The use of any medication, however, is always determined on a student-by-student basis, depending on each adolescent’s or teen’s individual circumstances. Meetings with a psychiatrist occur on a weekly basis, and nursing and medical teams at Youth Care will assist in handling all medication management needs.

Individual therapy: The use of individual therapy is a very important aspect of the bipolar disorder rehab offered at Youth Care. Adolescents or teens will meet with their primary therapists three times every week and can also meet with an addictions counselor once each week if they are also struggling with substance abuse and addiction.

Group therapy: At Youth Care, the use of group therapy is a major component of our students’ bipolar disorder rehab plans. Various group sessions are held on a daily basis and can play an instrumental role in helping our adolescents or teens learn to manage the symptoms of bipolar disorder. The different types of groups that are offered as part of programming include the following:

  • Process groups
  • Dialectical behavior therapy groups
  • Music therapy groups
  • Recreational therapy groups
  • Addictions groups

Family therapy: The role of our students’ families is crucial in helping them recover from or learn how to manage the symptoms of bipolar disorder. At Youth Care, we are dedicated to ensuring that the family members of our students are actively involved in the therapeutic process. The primary therapist for each student will conduct family therapy sessions once each week, and Parent Days are held every 6 to 8 weeks. Parent Days include a variety of therapeutic activities, including multifamily group therapy, parent support groups, family recreational activities, family therapy sessions, and educational seminars.

Recreational therapy: Recreational therapy plays another integral role in the therapeutic experience at Youth Care. Throughout our years of experience, we have found that participation in recreational rehab activities gives adolescents or teens a valuable opportunity to learn important life skills, including problem solving, communication, teamwork, and trust. Additionally, we have found that recreational rehab therapy can enhance the self-esteem of our students as they develop new interests and discover talents that they did not previously know they possessed. Participating in these recreational activities also aids in enriching other types of skillsets as well, including coping skills, interpersonal skills, communication skills, and social skills. Our licensed recreational therapist guides and supervises adolescents or teens as they participate in both community and in-house recreational activities 3 to 7 times each week.

Experiential therapy: Students who are receiving treatment for bipolar disorder may also participate in various experiential bipolar disorder therapies throughout the duration of their time spent at Youth Care. Examples of the experiential treatment options that adolescents or teens may engage in include situational therapy, expressive therapy, and exposure therapy. Their primary therapists will work with them to determine when these bipolar disorder rehab therapies may be most appropriately implemented.

Community service activities: Participation in community service activities occurs at least twice every month for students at our bipolar disorder treatment center. Adolescents or teens will have the opportunity to take part in various types of activities, which may include visiting the elderly, caring for animals at the Humane Society, and filling shelves at the Food Bank. These experiences allow adolescents or teens to develop a sense of empathy towards and an understanding of others. This, in turn, can aid them as they continue to grow and progress in their bipolar disorder treatment.

Academics: A central tenet to our center’s depression rehab is the commitment to providing adolescents or teens the ability to achieve academic success. Knowing how important education is, Youth Care has a fully accredited academic program that meets from 9:00am to 5:00pm each weekday. This program allows adolescents or teens to receive all of the benefits of a traditional education while also having therapeutic interventions included in their daily schedules. The curriculum is led by special education teachers and secondary education teachers, all of whom have experience and have been trained in working with adolescents or teens who have varying learning abilities. When adolescents or teens receive rehab for bipolar disorder at our treatment center, they will not have to worry about falling behind academically because they will be able to earn school credits and achieve any academic goals they have, including graduating high school.

In addition to our residential bipolar disorder rehab center, we pride ourselves on offering partial hospitalization programming (PHP) for adolescents or teens suffering from the symptoms of bipolar disorder. This option for daytime treatment allows adolescents or teens to experience the same type of daily programming that students in residential bipolar disorder rehab receive, while being able to return home at the end of the day.

If your adolescent or teen is battling the symptoms of bipolar disorder and is in need of comprehensive treatment that will be tailored to meet their specific needs, our bipolar disorder rehab center may have the solutions you have been looking for. Our caring and compassionate staff at Youth Care in Utah dedicate themselves to ensuring that your child develops the skills necessary to successfully overcome the struggles associated with bipolar disorder that are plaguing them and move forward towards the bright and happy future that they deserve.

Marks of Quality Care
  • American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)
  • Cognia
  • National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP)
  • The Joint Commission (JCAHO) Gold Seal of Approval

Now I can sleep at night. My son is safe and finally moving forward after three other residential facilities and weekly therapies of all kinds - for years - in three different countries.

– Linda C.