01
In Sessions
DBT helps your teen with the urge in the hour it actually shows up, and individual therapy names the feeling the behavior was managing. The safety plan is updated as risk changes and stays a living plan, never something filed away.
Self-Harm Residential Treatment
If someone is in immediate danger, call 988 or 911 first. Many parents of teens ages 12 to 17 call us when keeping their teen safe at home has become more than a family can manage. We treat the distress underneath the self-harm in a live-in, home-like house in Southern California.
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
When Self-Harm Has Become A Way To Find Relief
Our treatment looks at what self-harm is doing for your teen, and we do not treat it as something done for attention. For many teens it brings a short drop in distress when nothing else does. We do not describe methods here, and we treat your teen's pain with care and respect.
What families notice first
- 01
Injuries Kept Out Of Sight
You may notice long sleeves in hot weather, an explanation that does not quite add up, or a teen who steers you away from looking closely.
- 02
An Intense Feeling, Then Sudden Calm
Rage, shame, or emptiness can fill the room, and then a sudden calm settles in. That calm can be worrying once you understand where it came from.
- 03
It Is Happening More Often
The same behavior may bring less relief than it used to and happen more often. Supervising your teen at home can start to feel like a second full-time job.
- 04
You Cannot Leave Your Teen Alone
Bathrooms, nighttime, and locked drawers may now shape your whole household's day. That level of monitoring is hard for any family to sustain, and you deserve support with it.
- 05
Shame Afterward
Promises, hiding, and a teen who feels deep shame about the one thing that brought relief are common. This is why shaming is not part of our treatment.
- 06
Something Underneath It
Depression, a traumatic memory, or a painful relationship pattern is often driving it, so the treatment plan reaches that too.
Safety, then skills
Where Your Teen Learns Other Ways To Cope
Therapy sessions, family time at the kitchen table, and staff present overnight all give your teen steady support when the urge shows up.
02
With Family
Parents learn how to respond in a crisis without panic and without a lecture that can push the behavior out of sight. Together, we write the plan for the first night home.
03
In The House
Staff are present through the night, and shared common rooms give your teen somewhere to go instead of being alone with the urge. Safety measures stay clinical and caring, not punitive.
Walk Through Shasta
Shasta is our girls' house in Orange County, with six beds for teens ages 12 to 17. It has a pool and a patio, and staff are in the house overnight.
You can also walk through Ridgeview and Richards, our other two houses.
Our approach
How We Treat Self-Harm Here
Skills for the hardest minutes, a safety plan that changes as risk changes, and treatment for the feeling underneath, not a lecture about stopping.
- Core of the plan
DBT For When The Urge Is Strongest
Distress tolerance and emotion regulation are practiced live in the house, instead of on a worksheet after the hardest moment has passed.
A Safety Plan That Gets Updated
The written plan includes your family and changes as risk changes. A plan written in week one and never revisited is not real care.
Treating What Is Underneath
Depression, trauma, or a relationship pattern is often the real driver. The stay reaches that too, because the urge can return if its cause is left alone.
Group Therapy With Peers Who Understand
Spending time with other teens who know this kind of pain can ease the isolation that makes the next episode more likely.
- When needed
Psychiatry When The Team Recommends It
Medication can help with the depression or anxiety underneath. We consult psychiatry when it is useful, and we do not use medication to try to remove a coping strategy.
Your part
How To Respond In A Way That Helps
Self-harm can turn a household into constant watching. Family work here teaches you a response that is calm and caring, neither panic nor a lecture.
Punish it or pretend you did not see.
Naming It Without Shaming Them
A lecture can push the behavior further out of sight, and ignoring it can be heard as permission. We teach you a response that does neither.
Leave them here and stay out of the work.
Learning How We Handle A Crisis
Family therapy and parent coaching are part of the same plan, because so much of this work is about how you respond to the next difficult moment.
Sort the first night home after they arrive.
Writing The First Night Home
A written safety plan covering the bathroom, the overnight hours, and Sunday is practiced here, well before anyone is in a crisis.
Academics
Keeping School On Track While Safety Comes First
Safety comes first, and it does not have to cost your teen the school year. Accredited classes run on site while staff stay close during the hardest hours.
Classes Matched To Your Teen
Classes run through Advantages School, our accredited school partner. We use your teen's transcript and current schedule to place them in the right courses, so credits keep building while the safety work happens in the same day.
Optional Tutoring
Tutoring is available alongside the clinical day. Your teen does not need to have a stable week before joining a class.
Preparing For The Return To School
Before discharge, we practice the locker, the question about long sleeves, and the first class, so none of it comes as a surprise.
Please send your teen's transcript, current schedule, and any IEP or 504 plan so their place in class stays theirs.
Length of stay
30
days in residence, by progress
Most stays run 60 to 90 days. Some finish closer to 30, and a few need longer.
90
How Long Treatment Takes
Some of this work fits in weekly DBT when home can still keep your teen safe. When monitoring has taken over the household, a 30 to 90 day stay provides staffed safety while new skills develop. Discharge is planned around a next therapist and a plan you feel able to follow at night.
- The first days focus on safety, shared language, and a plan, with no pressure for a confession in week one.
- Most teens finish in 30 to 90 days based on progress. Some stay longer when nights are still the hardest part.
- Aftercare includes a next clinician, a written plan for the overnight hours, and check-ins at 30, 60, and 90 days.
When to call
Call Us. We'll Tell You If This House Fits.
If you cannot leave your teen alone, or the behavior is escalating past what outpatient care can manage, we are here to help. If someone is in immediate danger, call 988 or 911 first, then call us once the situation is safe. Aaron Earnest and the admissions team will be honest about whether this is the right level of care. DBT is usually the core of the treatment. If your teen is talking about not wanting to wake up, please read our teen suicidal ideation treatment page first.
Is Self-Harm The Same As Suicidal Thinking?
Not always. Self-harming behaviors are often a way to get relief from emotional distress, but they still raise suicide risk and need a careful assessment by clinical staff.
The safety plan here is updated as risk changes, and our suicidal ideation page covers thoughts of suicide directly.
Self-Harm Residential Treatment Or A Psychiatric Hospital Stay?
A psychiatric hospital stay is for immediate danger and usually lasts days. Self-harm residential treatment is for when the immediate danger has passed but home still cannot keep your teen safe week to week.
Our homes are not a locked ward, and admissions will tell you if your teen needs a hospital first. Either way, getting professional help early matters more than waiting to see if it passes.
How Is Self-Harm Kept Safe In The House?
Staff are present through the night, and shared common rooms give your teen somewhere to go instead of being alone with the urge.
A written safety plan covers the bathroom, the overnight hours, and Sunday, and it is practiced well before anyone is in a crisis. Safety measures stay clinical and caring, never punitive.
How DBT Helps Teens Who Self-Harm
Self-harm treatment here leans on dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), which teaches coping strategies for the hour when the urge is strongest. Those skills help your teen tolerate strong emotions and calm the body.
Individual therapy names the feeling the self-harming behavior was managing. Psychiatry and medication management are available when the clinical team recommends them.
Can My Teen Keep Up With School During Self-Harm Treatment?
Yes. Classes run on site through Advantages School, our accredited school partner, and your teen's transcript is used to place them in the right courses.
Safety comes first in the early days, so school builds back as your teen settles into the house and the daily schedule.
Does Insurance Cover Self-Harm Residential Treatment?
Many health plans cover residential mental health treatment for teens, though benefits vary by plan and depend on medical necessity. We work with plans including Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Carelon, Cigna, GEHA, and Magellan.
We verify your benefits at no cost before anyone is asked to commit, and a verification is not a guarantee of coverage.
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 discharge is planned around that progress instead of a set date. After discharge, we check in at 30, 60, and 90 days.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 Teen Self-Harm Treatment
Answers to what parents often ask before calling about treatment for teen self-harm. If your question is not here, admissions can talk it through with you.
What should I do if my teen is in danger right now?
If someone is in immediate danger, call 988 or 911 first, then call us once the situation is safe. Aaron Earnest and the admissions team will be honest about whether this is the right level of care for your teen.
Is residential care the right fit for my teen?
Some of this work fits in weekly DBT when home can still keep your teen safe. If your teen is talking about not wanting to wake up, please read our teen suicidal ideation treatment page first.
How long does residential treatment for self-harm usually last?
Most stays run 60 to 90 days, and some finish closer to 30 while a few need longer. The first days focus on safety, shared language, and a plan, with no pressure for a confession in week one.
What does my teen's day in treatment look like?
DBT helps your teen with the urge in the hour it actually shows up, and individual therapy names the feeling underneath. Group therapy with peers who understand can ease the isolation, and staff are present through the night.
How will our family be part of treatment?
Family therapy and parent coaching are part of the same plan, and you learn to respond in a crisis without panic or a lecture. Together, we write and practice a safety plan for the first night home.
Sources And Further Reading
This page is reviewed by Alejandro Alva, M.D., our Medical Director. These free guides from public health agencies and medical groups cover the topic in more depth.
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine
SAMHSA