Call for a free assessment: 1-800-665-4769
What Teens Look Like at Each Level of Care
How do you know whether your teen may need outpatient therapy, IOP, PHP, residential treatment, or inpatient stabilization? This guide explains some of the symptoms, behaviors, safety concerns, and changes in daily functioning parents may notice at each level of care.
Clinically reviewed and approved by Megan Johnston, LMFT
Last reviewed: September 3, 2026
Find The Right Level of Treatment Support for Your Teen
Every teen’s needs are different, and the right level of care depends on several factors, including symptoms, safety, daily functioning, substance use, family stress, school challenges, and how much structure and supervision a teen needs to stabilize.
Sometimes it can be difficult for parents to know when their teen is going through a difficult period and when their symptoms or behaviors may be signs that they need more support. The descriptions below are intended to help parents understand what a teen may generally look like at different levels of mental health and substance use treatment, from weekly outpatient therapy through inpatient hospitalization.
This guide is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose your teen or determine the appropriate level of treatment. Symptoms can look different from teen to teen, and experiencing one or more of the signs below does not necessarily mean a particular level of care is appropriate. A clinical assessment is always needed to understand your teen’s individual needs and determine the safest and most appropriate treatment recommendation.
Not sure what level of care your teen may need?
You do not have to figure it out on your own. Evolve offers free assessments to help families better understand what is going on and what type of support may be appropriate. Reach out today to
Outpatient
What Might a Teen Who Needs Outpatient Look Like?
Outpatient therapy and psychiatry may be appropriate for teens who are experiencing mental health, substance use, behavioral, family, and/or emotional challenges but are generally able to function safely and consistently in everyday life.
Teens at this level of care are typically able to live at home, attend school, participate in relationships and activities, and manage most daily responsibilities without intensive supervision.
Outpatient therapy gives teens a regular space to work on emotions, behaviors, coping skills, relationships, and life challenges. Outpatient psychiatry focuses on evaluating symptoms, considering whether medication may be helpful, monitoring treatment progress, and coordinating care with the teen’s therapist, parents, primary care provider, or other providers when appropriate.
Some teens may benefit from therapy alone, while others may benefit from both therapy and psychiatric care.
What Parents May Be Seeing
Parents may notice that their teen is struggling with certain symptoms or areas of life but is still generally functioning.
This may include:
- Depression, anxiety, irritability, stress, or mood changes
- Difficulty coping with school pressure, relationships, family conflict, or other stressors
- Changes in motivation, sleep, appetite, or energy
- Increased withdrawal from family, friends, or activities
- Difficulty managing emotions or communicating effectively
- Emerging concerns related to substance use
- Difficulty with self-esteem, identity, friendships, or life transitions
- Difficulty concentrating, staying organized, completing schoolwork, or keeping up with daily responsibilities
- Symptoms that are distressing but are not significantly preventing the teen from participating in daily life
What School and Daily Life May Look Like
A teen receiving outpatient therapy or psychiatry is generally still able to attend school consistently and participate in normal routines.
They may be having a harder time academically, socially, or emotionally, but they can usually complete daily responsibilities with a reasonable amount of parent support.
Safety & Supervision Needs
Teens receiving outpatient should generally be able to remain safe at home and in the community without intensive monitoring or supervision.
Parents may still provide support, structure, and check-ins, but the teen does not require significant intervention throughout the day to maintain safety or stability.
Learn More About Evolve's Outpatient Therapy and Psychiatry
Virtual Sessions
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
What Might a Teen Who Needs IOP Look Like?
An Intensive Outpatient Program, or IOP, may be appropriate for teens who need more support than weekly therapy but do not require full-day treatment or 24/7 supervision.
Teens at this level of care are typically able to live safely at home, attend school, and participate in some daily responsibilities while receiving structured therapeutic support several days per week.
IOP is often appropriate for teens who are struggling to make progress in weekly outpatient therapy. It can also be an important step-down for teens who are becoming more stable after a higher level of care, such as PHP or residential treatment.
What Parents May Be Seeing
Parents may notice that their teen is still functioning in some areas of life, but doing so has become increasingly difficult.
This may include:
- Depression, anxiety, irritability, mood swings, symptoms related to ADHD, or emotional dysregulation
- Suicidal thoughts without current intent or an immediate safety crisis
- Self-harm urges or occasional superficial self-harm behaviors that do not require medical attention
- Substance use concerns that can be safely managed while the teen continues living at home and don’t require detox (such as marijuana)
- Difficulty coping with stress, conflict, school pressure, or family challenges
- Declining school performance, avoidance, or attendance concerns
- Increase in compulsive or problematic electronic use
- Family conflict or difficulty maintaining healthy relationships
- Withdrawal from friends, activities, or family
- Difficulty consistently using coping skills outside of therapy
- Limited progress in weekly therapy alone
- A need for more accountability, coping skills, and therapeutic structure
When IOP May Be Appropriate
IOP may be appropriate when a teen needs more support than weekly outpatient therapy but is still able to live safely at home, participate in school or other daily responsibilities, and function with support from their family.
The need for IOP is often based on the overall picture. Parents may want to consider questions such as:
- How well is my teen functioning at home, at school, and in daily life?
- Are symptoms beginning to interfere more consistently with school, relationships, family life, or daily responsibilities?
- Can my teen remain safe at home without 24/7 supervision?
- How much structure, accountability, and adult support does my teen need to stay on track?
- Is my teen able to use coping skills outside of therapy, or do they need more frequent support to practice and apply them?
- Has weekly outpatient therapy provided enough support, or does my teen need treatment several times per week?
- Can concerns such as self-harm urges, suicidal thoughts without immediate intent, substance use, or emotional dysregulation still be safely managed at home?
- Are my teen’s psychiatric symptoms stable enough to be monitored while they continue living at home and participating in school?
When several of these areas are becoming more difficult, but the teen can remain safe and function in the community with support, IOP may provide the additional structure and treatment they need.
What School and Daily Life May Look Like
Teens in IOP are generally still able to attend school or participate in another structured daytime routine.
They may be missing more school than usual, falling behind academically, having difficulty concentrating, or becoming increasingly overwhelmed by everyday responsibilities, but they are still able to participate in daily life with support.
Safety & Supervision Needs
Teens in IOP must be able to remain safe at home without 24/7 supervision.
Parents may need to provide more support, structure, safety planning, and accountability than they would for a teen in weekly outpatient therapy, but the teen should generally be able to participate in normal daytime activities and remain safely at home outside treatment hours.
Psychiatric Stabilization Needs
Some teens in IOP also need ongoing psychiatric support while they continue living at home and attending school. This may include monitoring symptoms, evaluating whether current medication is helping, making medication adjustments when clinically appropriate, and determining whether symptoms are stable enough to continue being managed with medication maintenance.
Learn More About Evolve's Teen IOP
After School Program
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
What Might a Teen Who Needs PHP Look Like?
A Partial Hospitalization Program, or PHP, may be appropriate for teens who need significant clinical support and daytime structure but do not require 24/7 supervision.
Teens at this level of care are generally able to live safely at home, but their mental health, substance use, or behavioral challenges are significantly interfering with their ability to function consistently at school, at home, or in relationships.
PHP can be an important step– down for teens coming from residential treatment or inpatient hospitalization who need continued intensive support. It may also be appropriate when a teen’s symptoms are worsening, and they need more support than IOP can provide.
What Parents May Be Seeing
Parents may notice that their teen’s symptoms are making it increasingly difficult to get through a typical day.
This may include:
- Depression, anxiety, mood instability, trauma-related symptoms, or emotional dysregulation that significantly interfere with daily functioning
- Thoughts of suicide without an immediate need for inpatient hospitalization
- Self-harm behaviors or urges that do not require medical attention
- Cravings for substances or difficulty maintaining sobriety
- School refusal
- Declining grades or frequent absences
- Difficulty staying in school for a full day
- Difficulty managing family conflict, peer relationships, or daily responsibilities
- Withdrawal from activities, friends, or family life
- Difficulty getting out of bed, leaving the house, or participating in normal routines
- Symptoms that have not improved enough with weekly therapy or IOP alone
Parents may find that a significant amount of the family’s time is being spent helping the teen regulate emotions, manage symptoms, address school difficulties, maintain safety, or get through everyday responsibilities.
When PHP May Be Appropriate
The need for PHP is often based on how significantly symptoms are affecting the teen’s ability to function and how much support they need to remain stable. Parents may want to consider questions such as:
- How well is my teen functioning at home, at school, and in daily life?
- Is my teen having significant difficulty attending school consistently or getting through a full school day?
- Are symptoms affecting several areas of life, including family relationships, friendships, activities, and daily responsibilities?
- How much parent involvement, monitoring, and support does my teen need outside of treatment hours?
- Can my teen remain safe at home during evenings and weekends without 24/7 supervision?
- Is my teen able to use coping skills with some support, or do they need intensive therapeutic intervention throughout the day to maintain stability?
- Has outpatient therapy or IOP provided enough support?
- Are my teen’s psychiatric symptoms stable with their current medication regimen?
- Do medication changes require more frequent psychiatric observation and monitoring than can reasonably occur in outpatient care?
When several of these areas are significantly affected but the teen can still safely return home outside treatment hours, PHP may provide the intensive daytime structure and clinical support they need to stabilize.
What School and Daily Life May Look Like
School is often significantly affected at the PHP level of care.
A teen may be attending inconsistently, leaving school early, frequently missing classes, refusing school altogether, or struggling to manage the emotional demands of a full school day.
Other areas of daily life may also be affected. The teen may withdraw from activities, struggle with basic responsibilities, experience frequent conflict, or have difficulty maintaining relationships.
Safety & Supervision Needs
Teens in PHP must still be able to remain safe at home outside of program hours without 24/7 supervision in a treatment setting.
They may need significant parent involvement, safety planning, monitoring, structure, and support during evenings and weekends.
One of the important differences between PHP and residential treatment is whether the family can safely and realistically provide the structure and supervision the teen needs outside treatment hours.
Psychiatric Stabilization Needs
Some teens who need PHP are also struggling to find a medication regimen that adequately manages their symptoms. Their depression, anxiety, mood instability, impulsivity, sleep difficulties, or other psychiatric symptoms may continue despite outpatient medication management, or recent medication changes may require closer monitoring.
At this level of care, a teen may need more frequent psychiatric assessment and observation of how symptoms and functioning change during treatment while still being stable enough to live safely at home.
Learn More About Evolve's Teen PHP
Full Day Program
Residential Treatment
What Might a Teen Who Needs Residential Treatment Look Like?
Residential treatment may be appropriate for teens who are experiencing significant mental health, substance use, or behavioral challenges that are interfering with their ability to function safely and successfully in daily life.
Teens at this level of care often need a highly structured environment with 24/7 supervision, support, and clinical care.
Residential treatment can be appropriate when a teen is struggling too much to remain safe or stable at home, in school, or in the community with outpatient support alone. Many teens also transition to residential treatment after inpatient psychiatric hospitalization once the immediate crisis has stabilized, so they can receive ongoing therapeutic support and structure.
What Parents May Be Seeing
Parents may notice that their teen is struggling across multiple areas of life, including home, school, relationships, emotional regulation, substance use, and personal safety.
This may include:
- Suicidal thoughts, recent suicidal behaviors or attempts, or ongoing safety concerns
- Self-harm or frequent urges to self-harm
- Depression, anxiety, mood instability, trauma-related symptoms, or emotional dysregulation that significantly affect daily functioning
- Feeling unable or nervous to leave your teen unattended, in fear they may hurt themselves
- Impulsive or unsafe decision-making
- Aggression, threatening behavior, or destructive behavior
- Substance use that is interfering with family life, school, relationships, or safety
- School refusal, major academic decline, or inability to participate consistently in school
- Difficulty maintaining healthy relationships with family members or peers
- Poor judgment that puts the teen in dangerous or high-risk situations
- Repeated emotional or behavioral crises
- Difficulty following safety plans
- Hearing or seeing things that aren’t really there
- Difficulty using healthy coping skills without significant adult support
- Symptoms or behaviors that have not improved enough with outpatient treatment, IOP, or PHP
- Current medication does not appear to be adequately controlling symptoms and/or multiple medication changes have been tried without improvement
- The teen’s symptoms are changing quickly enough that more frequent psychiatric observation may be needed alongside close monitoring of side effects
At this level of care, parents may feel that much of family life revolves around monitoring their teen, responding to crises, maintaining safety, managing conflict, or trying to prevent unsafe behaviors.
When RTC May Be Needed
Residential treatment may need to be considered when a teen’s symptoms, behaviors, substance use, psychiatric needs, or safety concerns are significantly disrupting daily life, and less intensive treatment has not been enough.
The need for residential treatment is often less about any single diagnosis or symptom and more about the overall picture. Parents may want to consider questions such as:
- How safe is my teen at home and in the community?
- How well is my teen functioning at home, at school, and in daily life?
- How frequently are crises or significant emotional or behavioral escalations occurring?
- How much adult supervision and support does my teen need to remain safe and stable?
- Is my teen able to use coping skills outside of therapy without significant adult support?
- Is our family able to safely and realistically maintain stability at home?
- Has less intensive treatment, such as outpatient therapy, IOP, or PHP, provided enough support?
- Are my teen’s psychiatric symptoms stable with their current medication regimen?
- Do medication changes require closer observation and monitoring than can reasonably occur in outpatient care?
When several of these areas are significantly affected, residential treatment may provide the higher level of structure, supervision, and clinical support a teen needs to stabilize.
What School and Daily Life May Look Like
A teen who may need residential treatment is often struggling to function consistently across several areas of life.
They may have stopped attending school, be experiencing major academic decline, have difficulty completing normal daily responsibilities, withdraw significantly from relationships and activities, or experience symptoms that make it difficult to maintain a normal routine.
The concern is not simply that the teen is having symptoms. It is that those symptoms or behaviors are significantly affecting their ability to function safely and consistently.
Safety & Supervision Needs
They may need consistent structure, monitoring, and therapeutic intervention throughout the day and/or night.
Parents may find themselves frequently checking on their teen’s safety, intervening during crises, managing access to potentially unsafe items, preventing dangerous behaviors, or providing a level of supervision that is difficult to realistically maintain at home.
Residential treatment may be appropriate when a teen cannot reliably stay safe or function successfully at home without a high level of supervision and support.
Psychiatric Stabilization Needs
Some teens enter residential treatment without a medication regimen that is adequately controlling their symptoms. Alternatively, they may have tried multiple medications, continue to experience significant symptoms despite outpatient medication management, or need medication changes that require much closer observation.
For these teens, one reason a residential level of care may be appropriate is the need for a controlled, highly supervised setting where psychiatric symptoms and response to medication can be closely monitored throughout the day and night.
Nurses, clinical staff, and residential staff can observe changes in mood, behavior, sleep, energy, emotional regulation, safety, and possible side effects in real time and communicate those observations to the treating psychiatrist. This gives the psychiatrist significantly more information than may be available through periodic outpatient appointments and allows medication to be adjusted based on how the teen is actually functioning throughout the day.
The goal is not simply to “change medications.” It is to help stabilize symptoms, determine what medication and dosage are most effective and well tolerated, and eventually reach a point where the teen can safely transition to less intensive psychiatric monitoring and medication maintenance.
Learn More About Evolve's Teen Residential Treatment Centers (RTC)
24/7 Support & Supervision
Inpatient Psychiatric Hospitalization
What Might a Teen Who Needs Inpatient Hospitalization Look Like?
Inpatient psychiatric hospitalization is the highest level of psychiatric care and is generally intended for teens experiencing an acute psychiatric or safety crisis that requires immediate stabilization.
Unlike residential treatment, which is designed to provide ongoing therapeutic support after a teen is medically and psychiatrically stable enough to participate in treatment, inpatient hospitalization is focused on addressing an immediate crisis.
What Parents May Be Seeing
A teen may need an immediate psychiatric evaluation or inpatient hospitalization if they are experiencing concerns such as:
- An immediate risk of suicide
- A current or recent suicide attempt or serious suicidal behavior
- Suicidal thoughts with a plan, intent, or inability to maintain safety
- Severe self-harm requiring medical attention
- Severe psychiatric symptoms that make it difficult for the teen to remain safe
- An immediate risk of seriously harming another person
- Behavior or symptoms requiring urgent medical or psychiatric stabilization
- An inability to safely remain at home, even with intensive parent supervision
Not every teen experiencing suicidal thoughts or self-harm needs inpatient hospitalization. The appropriate level of care depends on the nature and immediacy of the safety concern, along with many other clinical factors.
A qualified mental health professional or emergency provider should evaluate acute safety concerns and determine the appropriate next step.
Important Safety Information!
Evolve does not provide inpatient psychiatric hospitalization.
If your teen is in immediate danger, experiencing a medical or psychiatric emergency, or cannot safely remain at home, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
Once a teen has stabilized, a clinical assessment can help determine what level of ongoing treatment may be appropriate next.
How Do You Know What Level of Care Your Teen May Need?
The right level of care is not determined by a diagnosis alone. Two teens with the same diagnosis may need very different amounts of support depending on how significantly their symptoms are affecting their safety and ability to function in daily life.
When determining how much support a teen may need, clinicians consider several factors, including:
- Safety: Is the teen experiencing suicidal thoughts, self-harm, aggression, unsafe behavior, or other safety concerns?
- Psychiatric and medication needs: Are the teen’s symptoms stable with their current treatment, or do they need closer psychiatric monitoring, medication evaluation, or medication adjustments to help stabilize?
- Daily functioning: Can the teen get through normal daily routines and responsibilities?
- School: Is the teen attending school consistently and able to participate throughout the school day?
- Emotional regulation: Can the teen manage difficult emotions and recover from distress with reasonable support?
- Substance use: Is substance use interfering with safety, family life, school, relationships, or the teen’s ability to function?
- Relationships: Are symptoms significantly affecting relationships with parents, siblings, friends, or others?
- Supervision: How much monitoring, structure, and adult support does the teen need to remain safe and stable?
- Response to treatment: Has weekly therapy or another level of care provided enough support, or are symptoms continuing to worsen?
In general, the more a teen is struggling with safety, daily functioning, school, emotional regulation, substance use, or the ability to remain stable at home, the more structure and support they may need.
You Don’t Have to Determine the Right Level of Care on Your Own
Choosing the right level of care can feel overwhelming, especially when your teen’s symptoms are changing quickly or you are worried about their safety.
You do not need to know whether your teen needs weekly therapy, IOP, PHP, residential treatment, or another type of support before you reach out.
If you recognize your teen in several of the descriptions above, a clinical assessment can help your family better understand what is going on, how much support your teen may need, and what the safest and most appropriate next step may be.
Evolve’s team can talk with you about what you are seeing, answer your questions, and help determine whether Evolve or another treatment option may be appropriate for your teen.
Common Questions About Teen Levels of Care
When is weekly therapy no longer enough for a teenager?
Weekly therapy may no longer be enough when a teen’s symptoms are becoming more frequent, are affecting several areas of daily life, or require more support than can be provided during one therapy session each week.
Changes in school attendance, increasing family conflict, self-harm, substance use, worsening emotional dysregulation, or a need for significantly more supervision may indicate that a more intensive level of care should be considered.
How do I know if my teen needs IOP or PHP?
One important difference is how much symptoms are interfering with daily functioning.
A teen in IOP is generally still able to participate in school and normal daytime activities while living safely at home. A teen who may need PHP is often having much more difficulty participating consistently in school and daily life and needs intensive therapeutic structure during the day.
Both levels require the teen to be able to remain safely at home outside treatment hours. Think of the IOP program as after school support multiple days a week, where the PHP program is an all day program, as it would not make sense for the client to attend school regularly due to their current symptoms and behaviors.
How do I know if my teen needs PHP or residential treatment?
The amount of supervision and support a teen needs outside treatment hours is an important consideration.
A teen in PHP can generally remain safe at home during evenings and weekends with appropriate parent involvement and safety planning.
Residential treatment may be considered when a teen needs much more structure, monitoring, and support throughout the day and night than the family can safely or realistically provide at home.
Does having suicidal thoughts automatically mean my teen needs residential treatment?
No. Suicidal thoughts can occur at different levels of care.
Clinicians consider factors such as the frequency and intensity of the thoughts, whether the teen has a plan or intent, recent suicidal behavior, ability to follow a safety plan, access to means, protective factors, and the amount of supervision available at home.
An immediate safety crisis may require emergency evaluation or inpatient hospitalization, while other teens experiencing suicidal thoughts may be safely treated at another level of care.
Can a teen move directly from outpatient therapy to residential treatment?
Yes. A teen does not need to progress through every level of care in order.
The appropriate recommendation depends on the teen’s current symptoms, safety, functioning, treatment history, substance use, and supervision needs. If a teen’s needs significantly exceed what outpatient treatment can safely provide, a higher level of care may be recommended.
What if my teen seems to fit more than one level of care?
That might be the case. The differences between levels of care are not always clear from symptoms alone, and teens may have characteristics that overlap across several levels.
A clinical assessment looks at the full picture, including safety, daily functioning, school, family relationships, substance use, previous treatment, and how much support the teen needs to remain stable. Our assessments are reviewed by a licensed clinician to determine the appropriate level of care.
What are signs your teen may need more support than outpatient therapy or psychiatry?
A teen may need more support if symptoms become more frequent, harder to manage, or begin affecting multiple areas of daily life.
Parents may notice:
- Symptoms are becoming more frequent or harder to manage
- School, relationships, or daily responsibilities are starting to be affected
- Suicidal thoughts, self-harm, or substance use concerns begin or increase
- The teen needs more structure or support than weekly therapy can provide
- Progress remains limited despite consistent outpatient treatment
- Psychiatric symptoms or medication changes need closer monitoring
When outpatient therapy or psychiatry is no longer providing enough support, a more intensive level of care such as IOP may be appropriate.
What are signs your teen may need more support than IOP?
A higher level of care may need to be considered if:
- Suicidal thoughts or self-harm increase
- Parents are becoming increasingly concerned about their teen’s ability to stay safe
- Substance use becomes more frequent, dangerous, or difficult to manage at home
- The teen stops attending school or becomes unable to participate consistently
- Emotional or behavioral crises become significantly more frequent
- The teen needs much more parent supervision throughout the day
- Symptoms continue worsening despite participation in IOP
- The family is having difficulty maintaining safety or stability outside treatment hours
- Psychiatric symptoms or medication changes require closer monitoring than can safely or effectively occur when seeing an outpatient psychiatrist.
What are signs your teen may need more support than PHP?
Residential treatment or another higher level of care may need to be considered if:
- The teen cannot reliably remain safe at home without constant parent monitoring or supervision
- Suicidal behavior or self-harm is increasing
- Substance use or other unsafe behavior becomes increasingly difficult to manage
- Emotional or behavioral crises are occurring frequently throughout the day or night
- The teen is unable to use coping skills without significant adult intervention
- Family members cannot safely or realistically provide the level of supervision the teen needs
- Symptoms continue worsening despite intensive treatment
- Teen has recently required inpatient hospitalization
- Teen’s behaviors are becoming increasingly more risky and impulsive
- The teen’s symptoms are changing quickly enough that more frequent psychiatric observation may be needed alongside close monitoring of side effects
What are signs your teen may need crisis support?
There are times when a teen may need emergency psychiatric evaluation or inpatient hospitalization. If symptoms or behaviors cannot be safely managed in residential treatment, staff will complete a risk assessment and, if the teen meets criteria, they will facilitate a transfer to the hospital for a psychiatric hold.
If a teen is at home and not currently in the care of a residential treatment center, parents should not try to determine the appropriate level of care on their own when an immediate safety concern is present.
If you notice any of the signs below, we recommend calling 911 or taking your teen to your local emergency room for an immediate psychiatric evaluation.
- An immediate risk of suicide or serious harm
- A recent suicide attempt
- Severe self-harm requiring medical attention
- An immediate risk of seriously harming another person
- A sudden or severe change in your teen’s mental state or behavior that makes it difficult to keep them safe at home, such as extreme confusion, appearing disconnected from reality, severe agitation, or behavior that is highly unusual or unpredictable
- Symptoms that are becoming so severe or rapidly worsening that your teen cannot be safely monitored or cared for at home and needs immediate medical or psychiatric evaluation
How Do I Know if My Teen Needs a Higher Level of Care?
One of the clearest signs that a teen may need more support is that their current treatment is no longer enough to help them stay safe and function successfully.
Parents may want to consider a clinical assessment when they notice:
- Symptoms are becoming more frequent or intense
- Problems are affecting several areas of life instead of just one
- School attendance or performance is significantly declining
- The teen is withdrawing from family, friends, or activities
- Substance use is becoming more concerning
- Suicidal thoughts or self-harm are occurring
- The teen is experiencing repeated emotional or behavioral crises
- Parents need to provide increasing amounts of supervision
- Coping skills are difficult for the teen to use outside therapy
- Weekly therapy or the teen’s current level of care does not appear to be enough
- The family is unsure whether the teen can safely remain at home
You do not need to wait until your teen reaches a crisis to ask for help.
If you are noticing several of these changes, an assessment can help determine whether your teen needs additional support and what level of care may be appropriate.
Clinical Contributor and Reviewer: Megan Johnston, LMFT
Megan Johnston, LMFT, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Vice President of Admissions at Evolve Treatment Centers. With more than a decade of experience at Evolve, she has worked with adolescents and families across residential treatment, outpatient care, and clinical admissions. Megan is intensively trained in DBT and specializes in assessing teens’ clinical needs, helping families understand treatment options, and determining the most appropriate level of care. View Megan Johnston’s professional profile to learn more about her credentials, clinical experience, and areas of expertise.