The Hope & Resiliency Center for Youth

The Hope & Resiliency Center for Youth (the Center) is a clinic-based mental health program meeting at-risk adolescents’ unique mental health needs. The Center provides “step-down” treatment for adolescents discharged from inpatient or acute partial hospitalizations or “step-up” treatment when traditional outpatient services are not meeting the needs of an adolescent. The Hope & Resiliency Center for Youth offers a more structured level of intervention in both the frequency and the variety of services provided in traditional outpatient treatment. The Center offers a broad range of treatment services to meet the needs of adolescents and their families. This treat-ment setting allows adolescents to continue to attend their schools during the day and return to their homes in the evening while still receiving a high level of treatment, structure, and support.

Mission

The mission of the Hope & Resiliency Center for Youth is to reduce psychiatric issues and to improve the young person’s ability to function successfully at home, at school, and in the community. The goal is to initiate change promptly, principally through symptom assessment and individualized planning, interventions, and skill development.

Admission Process

Eligibility

Adolescents ages 13 to 17 with a DSM-V diagnosis or behavioral problems interfering with their ability to function optimally in family, school, or community settings are eligible. We consider children ages 11 to 12 years on a case-by-case basis.

Referrals/Information

Call the Access Center at 800.730.2762 extension 2 for more information or assistance with a referral. Referrals can be made by, but are not limited to, primary care providers, case managers, school personnel, and community agencies.

Evaluation and Assessment

Designed to serve as a comprehensive treatment center, the Hope & Resiliency Center for Youth offers a range of services to adolescents and their families. Before admission, a thorough evaluation occurs, focusing on psychiatric issues, emotional and social adjustment, family functioning, and school performance. We designed the Center treatment models to benefit most adolescents needing acute behavioral health interventions and supports.

The evaluation includes your child and family and needs to be completed at least seven days before your child’s admission. A licensed psychiatrist trained in adolescent treatment conducts your child’s admission assessment. The attending assesses psychiatric issues, substance use disorder, medical comorbidities, and other psychosocial factors so we can develop a treatment plan for your child.

Treatment Services

From the evaluation process, the treatment team, adolescent, and family collaborate on an individualized treatment plan. The treatment plan focuses on:

• Stabilization of the adolescent from 
the crisis leading to admission
• Medication evaluation and monitoring
• Developing individual and family 
problem-solving skills
• Identifying and changing negative behavior 
patterns through cognitive behavior therapies

The Hope & Resiliency Center for Youth provides group, individual, and family therapy for comprehensive treatment. The treatment team also offers psycho-educational skill groups, medication management and monitoring as part of our treatment services.

Staffing

The Hope & Resiliency Center for Youth uses a multi-disciplinary team approach to treatment. The team includes a medical director, program director, child psychiatrist, clinical nurse specialist, psychiatric social workers, and master-level specialty therapists.

Medical Director

Michelle Thorpe, MD, is a medical doctor specializing in psychiatry. She is double board-certified in general psychiatry and child/adolescent psychiatry. She has in-depth experience in treating children, adolescents, and adults in various settings, including outpatient clinics, inpatient psychiatric units, the emergency room, intensive outpatient programs, group homes, and partial hospitalization programs.

Program Director

Dr. Gagan Luthra is an accomplished and well-respected professional in behavioral health services. She has over thirty years of clinical and administrative experience developing and implementing several programs for patients needing interventions. Dr. Luthra has her doctorate in Educational Psychology and is a licensed professional counselor and certified social worker. She is a Certified Clinical Supervisor by the Certification Board of Addictions.