For the first time in Monterey County, teens facing severe mental and behavioral health challenges finally have access to local, around-the-clock treatment and support thanks to the new residential treatment service at Ohana, Montage Health’s youth and family mental health program.
A new residential mental health program for teens
In August 2024, Ohana opened this much-needed program dedicated to treating youth ages 12–17 who struggle with psychosocial issues including:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Suicidal thoughts
- Self-harm
- Trauma
- Parent-child relationship problems
“Our residential program cares for youth who are experiencing a mood disorder or anxiety and may have secondary issues like substance use or an eating disorder,” says Susan Swick, MD, Ohana’s executive director and Montage Health’s chief mental health officer. “Their symptoms are severe enough that they have trouble getting through a school day or may be chronically suicidal. Even when a young person is stabilized, they may come up against a challenge that causes them to unravel a bit. So, we support them during the day, evening, and weekends.”
Mental health professionals provide care in a healing environment
The voluntary program features an unlocked facility that houses 16 private rooms in a camp-like setting. Treatment is provided by a multidisciplinary team including:
- Doctors
- Nurses
- Therapists
- Registered dietitians
- Care managers (social workers who coordinate with outside services and communicate with the family)
A variety of therapies are designed to engage and heal residents during stays that typically last from two to six weeks. Therapies include:
- Occupational
- Music
- Art
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
DBT, a family-based psychotherapy practice focused on emotional regulation, distress tolerance, relationships, and mindfulness, serves as the primary treatment.
“Our approach focuses on regulating feelings, effective communication, self-care, and healthy habits around nutrition, screen time, sleep, movement, social connection, and time in nature,” says Jasmine Ebach, LMFT, Ohana’s residential program manager. “The ultimate goal is to help patients build mental fitness to foster a sense of well-being and learn skills to manage emotions.”
A continuum of compassionate mental health treatment
After treatment in the residential program, youth typically step down through Ohana’s lower levels of care, which include:
- Partial hospitalization: Therapeutic individual and group skill-building sessions and education with peers in lieu of attending a typical school setting
- Intensive outpatient: After-school treatment that includes group sessions with peers of similar ages and conditions
“Patients and their families learn how to identify, tolerate, and regulate feelings in ways that better serve them,” Swick says. “Instead of inviting people to surrender and give up agency to be taken care of, we engage patients in ways that are less intimidating and more hopeful.”
An award-winning youth mental health program
Named with the Hawaiian word that refers to family in all its forms — blood-related, adoptive, and chosen — Ohana was established in 2019 and places a premium on the involvement of family in the patient’s treatment.
In 2023 Ohana opened its award-winning Ryan Ranch campus, integrated with nature and art to create a healing environment unlike anywhere else. The unconventional building and innovative treatments work together to create an organic, comforting, and welcoming space, empowering patients and their families and engaging their senses of agency, curiosity, and possibility.
Contact the residential program
