01
In Sessions
A licensed clinician meets with your teen most days, with enough time to talk about what feels hard beyond what they think you want to hear. The approach inside the hour is chosen for what your teen needs this week.
Individual Therapy For Teens
Private therapy is one hour, and the rest of the day can support that work. Your teen sees the same primary therapist most days, and that therapist shares the plan with our staff so the work carries into dinner.
- Most days
- Ages 12-17
- All day
- Joint Commission accredited
- Family-owned since 2021
What this is
One Therapist Who Knows Your Teen
Individual therapy here means a primary clinician, a private room, and a plan our staff already know. It is not fifty minutes once a week. The session is a place for what your teen may not feel ready to say in group, and the rest of the day is where they practice it.
What these sessions are for
- 01
A Private Place To Be Honest
Many teens find it easier to be honest behind a closed door, without worrying about protecting a parent or impressing a friend.
- 02
A Plan That Matches This Week
Goals can change as the weeks change. Your teen's plan follows what they need now rather than a group curriculum with their name attached.
- 03
A Focus The Staff Can Support
What your teen names at ten in the morning can be used at dinner, so the therapist and the house staff coordinate after each session.
- 04
Frustration With The Therapist Can Help
Conflict in the therapy relationship is often part of the work, and it is not a reason to move your teen to a new therapist.
- 05
Privacy That Feels Real
You receive the treatment picture and any safety concerns, not a transcript. Safety is the one thing that crosses that line.
- 06
A Bridge To Family Sessions
What your teen finds hard to say to you directly can often be worked out here first, then brought to a family session when they feel ready.
How it works
How The Private Hour Connects To The Day
A private room for honest conversation, a team that already knows the focus, and staff who support it after lunch.
02
Afterward
The therapist briefs family clinicians, the school, and the house staff, so the plan is still in place after lunch. Treatment is meant to continue after the session ends.
03
In The House
Our staff know what your teen is working on that week and coach it between activities. The relationship is the heart of the method, and the house is where it gets practiced.
Our approach
One Therapist, Not A Branded Method
The same clinician holds the thread across the whole stay, and what happens inside the hour is chosen for your teen.
- Core of the plan
One Therapist Throughout The Stay
Seeing a primary therapist several times a week means your teen's history does not reset every Monday with someone new.
Whichever Approach Fits This Week
CBT, DBT skills, trauma work, or motivational interviewing can all be part of these sessions. The room stays the same, and the approach changes with what your teen needs.
Confidential, With One Exception
You hear the plan and any safety concerns, and you do not hear the private details. Safety is the one exception.
Notes The Staff Can Use
Each session produces something the evening staff can reinforce. The door closes for privacy, and the work still carries into the rest of the day.
- When needed
Psychiatry When The Team Recommends It
The therapist and the prescriber talk directly when medication is part of the plan. Medication sits alongside therapy and does not replace it.
Your part
What You Will Hear And What Stays Private
A private room is how an honest conversation can start, and staying informed helps your family feel part of the plan. You hear about the plan, the risks, and the next step, rather than a play-by-play.
Tell me everything they said in there.
Ask For The Plan, Not The Details
You will know the goals, any safety concerns, and the focus for the week. You will not receive a transcript, because your teen's trust in that room needs to be real.
The individual hour should fix the house.
Bring Your Part To Family Sessions
What can't be said in the private hour often belongs in a family session. Family sessions are yours to attend, and your teen's individual hour stays theirs.
We'll figure out the weekend when they get back.
Planning The Weekend Together
The clinician writes the first weekend plan with you before your teen leaves, helping home feel less like the first test of anything.
Length of stay
30
days in residence, by progress
Most stays run one to three months, timed to the work rather than a package.
90
How These Sessions Fit Into A Stay
Your teen meets with the same clinician most days throughout the stay, and the relationship builds over thirty to ninety days. The rest of the day follows the same plan, and our staff already know the focus. Aftercare includes a warm handoff to the next therapist.
- The first two weeks focus on finding the right fit and building a plan, with no pressure for a breakthrough by session three.
- Most teens keep this schedule for one to three months, and some need longer.
- Aftercare means the next clinician, a family who already understands the picture, and check-ins at 30, 60, and 90 days.
When to call
Call Us. We'll Tell You If This House Fits.
If a weekly outpatient hour isn't enough, we're here to help. Aaron Earnest and the admissions team will be upfront about whether daily sessions are too much or not enough for your teen. CBT and DBT are both part of these sessions, depending on what the work needs.
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 admissions works
- How progress is tracked
- Your teen's treatment plan is reviewed as their progress changes, and discharge is planned around that progress instead of a set date. After discharge, we check in at 30, 60, and 90 days.
- 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 girlsTour the homes
FAQ
Questions About Individual Therapy For Teens
Answers to what parents often ask about individual therapy in our program. If your question is not here, admissions can talk it through with you.
What does individual therapy look like for my teen?
Your teen works with one primary therapist in a private room, with a plan our staff already know. The session is a place for what your teen may not feel ready to say in group. The rest of the day is where they practice it.
How often will my teen see their therapist?
Your teen sees the same primary therapist most days, several times a week, throughout the stay. Their history does not reset every Monday with someone new, and the relationship builds over 30 to 90 days.
What will I hear about my teen's private sessions?
You will know the goals, any safety concerns, and the focus for the week. You will not receive a transcript, because your teen's trust in that room needs to be real. Safety is the one exception, and it is the one thing that crosses that line.
How do we know if daily sessions are right for our teen?
Aaron Earnest and the admissions team will be upfront about whether daily sessions are too much or not enough for your teen. If a weekly outpatient hour isn't enough, we're here to help.
Will my teen need medication as part of this therapy?
Psychiatry becomes part of the plan when the team recommends it. When medication is part of the plan, the therapist and the prescriber talk directly. Medication sits alongside your teen's therapy and does not replace it.