How to support parents of children admitted to intensive mental health treatment

Abstract

When children are admitted to intensive mental health treatment, whether it be inpatient or partial hospitalization programs, the entire family can be impacted, especially parents or caregivers. In our multidisciplinary experience on a med-psych inpatient unit, we often see that parents desperately want to help their distressed and ill children, but sometimes need to help themselves first. We, as a treatment team, have the opportunity to help them.