Inside Pine Rest’s Pediatric Center of Behavioral Health and the path back to stability for teens
When a child is struggling with their mental health, parents often find themselves asking the same question: What’s the next step, and will it help?
For many families, a day program (also known as a Partial Hospitalization Program or PHP) is the answer. Day programs offer more support than weekly therapy but without the need for overnight hospital stays.
At the Pine Rest Pediatric Center of Behavioral Health’s PHP in Grand Rapids, kids spend their days immersed in structured, therapeutic care and return home to their families each evening, where healing continues in real life.
Need to Know
- Our Pediatric PHP provides intensive daytime mental health care for kids aged 10 through high school completion
- Programs run Monday through Friday, with patients returning home each evening
- Focus areas include emotional regulation, coping skills, and stabilization
- Care is delivered by a collaborative, interdisciplinary team
- PHP bridges the gap between inpatient hospitalization and outpatient therapy
- In addition to a PHP for mental health, our Pediatric Center also has a program specialized for kids with eating disorders
Where PHP Fits in the Mental Health Journey
Mental health care isn’t one-size-fits-all. It exists on a spectrum, and PHP often sits right in the middle.
- Psychiatric Urgent Care: Same-day evaluation for escalating symptoms or distress that require prompt evaluation. Provides recommendations for next steps in care.
- Inpatient Hospitalization: The highest level of care, providing 24/7 monitoring for patients in acute crisis who require immediate stabilization.
- Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP): A step down from inpatient care, or a step up from outpatient care, offering intensive, structured treatment during the day while allowing patients to return home in the evenings.
- Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP): Less intensive than PHP, with fewer hours per week, often used as continued step-down support.
- Outpatient Care: Traditional therapy and psychiatry appointments, typically weekly or biweekly.
Think of PHP as a bridge, helping teens move from crisis stabilization back into everyday life, one step at a time.
What Does a Typical Day in PHP Look Like?
At the Pine Rest Pediatric Center of Behavioral Health, each day is thoughtfully designed to provide both structure and flexibility. Our Pediatric PHPs run Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 2:30 PM.
Here’s what a typical day can look like:
- Morning check-in: Review mood, safety, medication concerns and goals
- Group therapy sessions: The core of treatment; focuses on skill building, emotional regulation and peer interaction
- Skill-building activities: Therapeutic groups, psychoeducation and experiential activities such as art therapy
- Individual check-ins: Meetings with therapists, psychiatrists or nursing staff as needed
- End-of-day reflection: Reviewing progress and making a plan for maintaining safety and skills at home
That last piece is key: because teens return home each evening, they can practice new skills in real-world situations and come back the next day ready to reflect and adjust.
Who Makes Up the PHP Treatment Team?
At Pine Rest’s Pediatric Center, each teen is supported by a collaborative care team that may include:
- Psychiatry providers, including psychiatrists and specially trained physician assistants and nurse practitioners
- Physicians
- Psychiatric fellows and residents
- Nursing staff
- Therapists
- Dietitians
- Psychiatric technicians
- Unit coordinators
- Discharge planner
This team ensures comprehensive and holistic care addressing mental, physical and behavioral health needs.
Why is Group Therapy So Important for Teens?
For many teens, group therapy becomes one of the most powerful parts of PHP. Here’s why:
- Reduces isolation by connecting teens with peers. Group settings normalize kids’ experiences and reduce stigma.
- Builds social skills in real time. Youth practice communication, boundary-setting and conflict resolution.
- Encourages accountability and motivation. Seeing others work toward similar goals can increase motivation and engagement.
- Provides peer feedback and perspective. Hearing from peers can provide insights that differ from those of adults or clinicians.
- Mirrors real-world interactions. Group settings simulate real-world social environments, making it easier for kids to apply skills outside of treatment.
Individual support is still integrated throughout the program to allow for personalized care and ensure that each patient’s unique needs are addressed.
What Conditions are Treated in Pediatric PHP?
At the Pediatric Center, PHP supports adolescents facing a wide range of mental health challenges, including:
- Depression and anxiety
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Eating disorders
- Suicidal thoughts and self-harm behaviors
- Homicidal ideation
- Trauma and stress-related conditions
- School avoidance
- Personality disorders
- Medical trauma
- Substance use (when clinically appropriate)
Many patients enter PHP during periods of increased distress or emotional instability. The program is designed to help them stabilize, build coping skills and regain a sense of safety and control.
What Skills Will My Child Learn in PHP?
PHP isn’t just about getting through the day. The program focuses on practical, evidence-based tools adolescents can use daily:
- Emotional regulation techniques
- Distress tolerance strategies
- How to challenge negative thoughts
- Interpersonal effectiveness
- Mindfulness and grounding practices
Because kids return home each day, they can apply these skills immediately and receive feedback the following day.
What Makes Pine Rest’s PHP Stand Out?
For many in the Grand Rapids area and throughout Michigan, our PHP programs become a turning point in recovery—a place where progress begins to feel possible again.
Benefits of the programs include:
- Structured, consistent daily care
- No overnight hospitalization required
- Ongoing connection to family and home
- Real-time skill application outside treatment
- Strong step-down planning to IOP or outpatient care
How Does Pine Rest’s PHP Help Families?
When a child struggles with mental health, the entire family feels it. That’s why Pine Rest prioritizes making sure parents and caregivers feel:
- Informed about their child’s progress
- Supported through the process
- Equipped with tools to help at home … Because healing doesn’t stop when the day ends; it continues around the dinner table, in conversations and in everyday moments.
- Comfortable and convenient amenities including a Ronald McDonald House Family Room®, a café serving breakfast and lunch, a mediation chapel and a dedicated work area.
“I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside families across West Michigan during some of their most difficult moments. What I see every day is that no one is alone in this—mental health challenges are part of being human. Our goal in PHP is not just to stabilize symptoms, but to help each child and family rediscover hope, build practical skills and feel confident moving forward.”
— Britanni Hyde, LMSW, BCN, MBA
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Wondering whether one of our Pediatric PHPs could help your child? Reaching out is a powerful first step.
Our hospital Contact Center is staffed 24/7 with licensed social workers who can help you evaluate if one of our programs is a good fit for your child. Call us anytime at 800.678.5500.
Learn more about the Partial Hospitalization Programs at the Pine Rest Pediatric Center of Behavioral Health on our website.
