01
In Group
A short taught practice with a pattern teens can remember, with staff watching for anyone who feels it is too much so we can stop.
Breathwork For Teens
We teach your teen a specific breathing pattern they can use in a school bathroom or a dark bedroom, and we assign it like any other skill in the treatment plan.
Clinically reviewed by Alejandro Alva, M.D., Medical Director.
- 30-90 days
- Ages 12-17
- 24/7
- Joint Commission accredited
- Family-owned since 2021
What this is
A Breathing Technique Taught Like Any Other Skill
This is a paced breathing pattern for panic, anxiety, and nights that are hard to start. It is assigned like any other skill, and it is not a wellness trend. Individual therapy still leads the treatment, and breathwork helps a teen's chest settle enough for the therapy itself to begin. We do not push anyone into an altered state, and we stop if breathing itself becomes a trigger.
When panic is faster than the therapy
- 01
Panic That Moves Faster Than Thinking
A racing heart and the urge to run may need to settle slightly before your teen can do any cognitive work in the room.
- 02
Nights That Are Hard To Start
A mind still scanning after midnight can use something to do without a screen and without a parent in the doorway.
- 03
Freezing Before A Hard Session
A family session or a difficult meal can use the same technique as a way into the hour rather than a way out of it.
- 04
Anxiety That Lives In The Chest
This is a skill for a body that feels stuck in high gear, and we teach it before we ask a teen to sit with a panic spike.
- 05
When Trauma Makes Breathing Harder
If focusing on the breath is itself a trigger, we stop and use grounding through the feet, the chair, or the room instead.
- 06
Parents Who Have Said Just Breathe
That phrase rarely helps on its own. We teach the actual technique, then show you how to prompt it without becoming their coach.
How it works
Where Your Teen Practices The Technique
A taught practice in group, the same technique before a hard session, and a dark bedroom where your teen uses it on their own.
02
In Sessions
The therapist uses the same technique before a difficult hour or after a panic attack, so your teen learns one method instead of three different ones.
03
Alone At Night
The goal is for your teen to use it alone in a dark room, because a technique that only works in a group setting is not yet a skill.
Our approach
One Technique They Can Use Alone
A single memorable pattern, adapted for trauma, and set aside when breathing is what feels like too much for your teen.
- Core of the plan
One Technique They Can Remember
We keep it to one pattern instead of stacking seven different exercises. One pattern your teen can use on their own after midnight is enough.
Adapted For Trauma
If the breath is a trigger, we use the feet, the chair, and the room instead. Pushing a teen past what feels okay is not the method.
Used For Panic, Anxiety, And Sleep
The same technique is used before a panic spike, in a sleepless bed, and in the hallway when panic builds in their chest.
Coached In The Moment
Staff prompt the technique while the panic is still happening, because a worksheet afterward comes too late to be useful.
- When needed
Set Aside When It Is Not Right
A medical reason, a dissociative episode, or a teen who feels more activated by breathing all mean we skip this and use grounding in a different way.
Your part
You Don't Have To Be Their Breathing Coach
Telling a teen to just breathe can leave you doing the skill for them. We teach you the technique, and then how to step back from doing it for them.
Just breathe.
Prompt The Technique, Then Wait
That phrase without an actual technique behind it can sound like dismissal. We give you the specific prompt and the quiet that follows it.
I'll do the count with them every time.
Handing The Skill Back
A short family practice shows you the prompt, and then you step back so the skill can belong to your teen.
They can watch a video later.
Planning For The First Bad Night
The first sleepless night at home is when the technique gets tested, so it is written down and practiced before your teen leaves.
Length of stay
30
days in residence, by progress
This is one skill inside a 30 to 90 day stay, and we do not call it automatic just because time has passed.
90
How This Fits Into A Stay
This skill is taught throughout a 30 to 90 day stay, in group, in sessions, and alone at night. It does not replace individual therapy, and we skip it when breathing feels like too much for a teen or a clinician advises against it. Aftercare means a next therapist who already knows the technique.
- The first two weeks are for finding a technique that works for your teen, and no one is pushed through it.
- Most teens leave in one to three months, and the technique has to work at midnight before we consider it learned.
- Aftercare means a next therapist and a written plan for the nights that your family can use at home.
When to call
Call Us. We'll Tell You If This House Fits.
If panic, anxiety, or sleepless nights are taking over your household and telling your teen to breathe has not helped, call us. Aaron Earnest and the admissions team will help you decide whether this stay can teach it, or whether a different level of care is the better fit.
Before you call
The Details Families Ask About First
- Who treats your teen
- Clinical care is led by Alejandro Alva, M.D., our Medical Director, and Stacia Ponce-Rodriguez, LMFT, our Clinical Director.Meet the team
- Cost and insurance
- We verify your benefits at no cost before anyone is asked to commit, with plans including Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Carelon, Cigna, GEHA, and Magellan. Benefits vary by plan, and verification is not a guarantee of coverage.How insurance covers treatmentWhat residential treatment costsHow admissions works
- How progress is tracked
- Your teen's treatment plan is reviewed as their progress changes, and the next step is planned around that progress instead of a set date.How long residential treatment lastsWhat to expect in the first weeks
- Where your teen lives
- Teens live in a boys' house or a girls' house, in Orange County or Riverside County in Southern California. Families can tour the homes by appointment through admissions.Residential treatment for teen boysResidential treatment for teenage girlsOur Orange County homesOur Riverside County homeTour the homes
FAQ
Questions About Breathwork For Teens
Answers to what parents often ask about breathwork in our program. If your question is not here, admissions can talk it through with you.
What does breathwork actually involve for my teen?
We teach one paced breathing pattern for panic, anxiety, and nights that are hard to start. Your teen practices it in group, uses it in therapy sessions, and learns to use it alone at night.
Who teaches breathwork, and how is it supervised?
In group, the practice is short, and staff watch for anyone who feels it is too much so we can stop. Your teen's therapist uses the same technique in sessions, and staff prompt it while panic is still happening.
Is breathwork a replacement for therapy?
Breathwork does not replace individual therapy, which still leads the treatment. It helps your teen's chest settle enough for the therapy itself to begin, and it is assigned like any other skill.
What if breathing makes my teen feel worse?
We stop if breathing itself becomes a trigger, and we use grounding through the feet, the chair, or the room instead. A medical reason, a dissociative episode, or a teen who feels more activated by breathing all mean we skip this. We also do not push any teen into an altered state during practice.
How can we help with this at home?
We teach you the technique and the specific prompt, and then how to step back so the skill belongs to your teen. The first sleepless night at home is planned for, with the technique written down and practiced before your teen leaves.