Seeking Help: When Is a Suicide Treatment Center the Right Choice for Your Teen?
In this episode, we explore the critical decision of whether a suicide treatment center like OASIS Ascent’s residential treatment is the right path for a teen struggling with suicidal ideation. Tiffany Silva Herlin, LCSW, is joined by experts Allison Jenkins, LCSW, and Reggie Wilson, LCSW, from OASIS Ascent to discuss the signs that indicate a need for residential care, what to look for in a program, and how to prepare both the teen and the family for this step. We also delve into the benefits of choosing OASIS Ascent, including their comprehensive evaluation process, insurance coverage details, and the support offered throughout and after treatment.
As a parent, navigating your child's struggle with suicidal ideation can be an incredibly overwhelming and heart-wrenching experience. The feelings of helplessness and confusion are all too common, and it’s natural to seek the best possible support for your teen. In this final episode of our podcast, we dive deep into understanding how to address these critical challenges effectively. We are joined by Allison Jenkins and Reggie Wilson from OASIS Ascent, who share their expertise on when residential placement might be necessary and how their program can offer the stabilization and comprehensive evaluations your child needs. Whether you're considering various levels of mental health care or looking for ways to find the right resources, this episode provides valuable insights and practical guidance to help you through this difficult time.
In this episode, therapist Tiffany Herlin, LCSW, along with Clinical Directors and therapists Allison Jenkins, LCSW, and Reggie Wilson, LCSW, from OASIS Ascent, will discuss:
- Educational Consultants: Discover how educational consultants can guide you through finding the right mental health programs and provide ongoing support.
- Levels of Care: Understand the different levels of mental health care available, from outpatient therapy to residential treatment, and which might be suitable for your child.
- Short-Term Residential Treatment: Learn about the benefits of short-term residential treatment at OASIS Ascent, including stabilization and comprehensive evaluations.
- Managing Suicidal Ideation: Explore how OASIS Ascent uses the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) and other safety measures to manage suicidal thoughts effectively.
- Transition and Support: Get insights into the transition process after treatment and the resources available to support both your child and your family.
If you are a parent of a teen who is experiencing a mental health crisis, we are here to help. OASIS Ascent provides a safe, structured, and therapeutic environment where teens can stabilize and begin their journey toward healing. With a team of experienced therapists and clinical staff, we offer individualized care designed to address the unique needs of each teen. To learn more about how you can help your child, call us at 855-701-2721.
Introduction
Tiffany: Welcome to our final episode. I'm Tiffany Herlin, a licensed clinical social worker. I'm both excited and a bit sad as we wrap things up today, interviewing Allison Jenkins and Reggie Wilson, both LCSWs from OASIS Ascent. OASIS Ascent is a short-term residential program offering stabilization and comprehensive evaluations for teenagers aged 12 to 17 who may qualify for insurance coverage.
Before we dive in, remember that this podcast is not a substitute for therapy, so please consult a mental health professional for your situation. Alright, are you both ready?
Reggie: Let’s do it.
Tiffany: Great. So, parents, if you've made it this far, you might be thinking, "I’ve found a therapist, but my child is still suicidal. I've asked the tough questions, but now what?" It’s a really difficult position to be in as a parent. Today, we want to discuss how to recognize when residential placement might be necessary and what exactly that entails.
Reggie: I think, as a parent with a struggling child, after you’ve explored various mental health therapies, understanding the different levels of care becomes crucial. This might include outpatient therapy, day treatment, or intensive outpatient programs (IOP). Maybe your child is already seeing a private therapist once or twice a week.
The Role of Educational Consultants
Reggie: If things aren’t improving—if your child is still suicidal and has been going back and forth to the ER for evaluations—one recommendation I have is to consult an educational consultant. They can guide you to the right programs and people who can offer help. Sometimes, this might lead to considering a residential treatment setting, whether short-term or long-term. At OASIS Ascent, we provide short-term stabilization, and many of our clients use educational consultants, which can be incredibly beneficial.
Tiffany: Can you explain what an educational consultant is?
Reggie: Sure. An educational consultant is someone who understands the mental health system and is very familiar with the different levels of care. They know what each level of care specializes in and how to help families with struggling children. These consultants often have relationships with various programs, built over the years, and can leverage these connections to find the right help for families in need.
Allison: Educational consultants are invaluable because they thoroughly vet the programs. If you’re considering residential treatment for your child, they can assess the situation and recommend appropriate programs based on their knowledge and experience. Since they've worked with these programs and sent multiple children there, they can ensure your child will be in a safe environment. They may even know specific therapists who could be a great fit for your child.
They’re also an ongoing support system for parents. Educational consultants are there for you during a crisis, help you problem-solve, and assist with planning once your child finishes residential treatment. They can even help you come up with a plan for when your child returns home. So, if you're new to this process and wondering where to start, reaching out to an educational consultant can be incredibly helpful.
Tiffany: Yeah, especially when you’re in crisis, feeling overwhelmed, and possibly even traumatized yourself, having someone on your team to guide you is invaluable. It’s much better than trying to do it all on your own—dealing with brain fog and the stress of the situation—while searching the internet. The world of residential care is vast and there’s so much to learn.
Allison: Absolutely.
Tiffany: We’ve been in this field for a while, so we understand it. But if I were a new parent in crisis, I know it would feel incredibly overwhelming.
Reggie: It’s comforting to have someone to guide you through the process, almost like holding your hand.
Allison: And to advocate for both you and your child. Someone who will fight for you.
Tiffany: One thing for parents to keep in mind is that you don’t necessarily need to hire an educational consultant. They’re a great resource, but if it’s not within your budget, there are other ways to find placements.
Reggie: You can search online.
Tiffany: Yes, there are plenty of online resources.
Reggie: For example, oasisascent.com is a good place for parents to learn about our program. But there are also other websites you can explore, and you can even call some programs directly for more information.
Allison: When you call, be sure to have all your insurance information ready. Make sure the program accepts your insurance. Most residential treatment centers will run a verification of benefits, letting you know what your out-of-pocket costs might be, how long your insurance might cover the stay, and how they will work with your insurance company to maximize your benefits.
Tiffany: Some places may not accept your insurance, so that might not always be an option. It’s a stressful time to sort through everything, but it’s helpful if your insurance covers some of the costs, which OASIS Ascent does.
Allison: Yes, we do. On average, we’re able to get about 66 days of coverage through insurance, which is why at OASIS Ascent, we provide a lot of treatment within that two- to three-month period when we have the students.
Choosing the Right Treatment Facility
Allison: We provide both treatment and psychological evaluations.
Tiffany: Let’s dive into that. Why would a parent choose a place like OASIS Ascent over other options? Can you tell us more about your program?
Allison: Sure. There are different levels of care, and it can be overwhelming to navigate. For example, inpatient psychiatric hospitals typically offer a short stay, around five to seven days. Then there’s residential treatment, which can last anywhere from three months to as long as 12 to 18 months. You also have Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP) or day treatment, where the child lives at home but attends treatment Monday through Friday, usually from 8 AM to 3 PM. There’s also intensive outpatient therapy (IOP), which is usually three days a week, often in the evening, for about three hours each session. Finally, there's traditional outpatient therapy.
At OASIS Ascent, if you're seeking a residential program but can't afford a long-term stay, or if your child has been in and out of inpatient psychiatric hospitals with little long-term improvement, we might be a good fit. For instance, inpatient care may stabilize them for five or six days, but once they return home, they might be fine for a week or two before their depression or sadness returns. A short-term residential treatment center like OASIS Ascent could be a better option in such cases.
From day one, we start treatment. We look at the family system, begin individual work right away, and immediately start preparing for the psychological evaluation. The psychological evaluation is included in the program cost, and as we provide treatment, we’re also continuously assessing to ensure we get an accurate diagnosis.
Comprehensive Evaluations and Diagnoses
Allison: That’s so important because many kids come to us with misdiagnoses. Often, clinicians aren’t sure what’s going on. When kids are struggling in multiple areas—socially, at home, and in school—sometimes removing them from their home environment and bringing them to a place like OASIS Ascent, where they can stabilize, is incredibly beneficial. We can start the work of truly understanding what’s happening. We begin family therapy in the first week because we don’t follow the "identified patient" model. OASIS Ascent isn’t the right place if you’re just looking to "fix" your child in isolation.
Tiffany: Which, by the way, doesn’t work.
Allison: It doesn’t work. We do intensive family therapy and focus on the entire family system, supporting everyone involved as we help the student.
Tiffany: Don’t you also focus on the whole child? You don’t just address their mental health—you also consider their physical health. They get a physical evaluation, and you have a nutritionist involved, right?
Allison: Yes, they meet with a nutritionist as part of the process.
Tiffany: And they get proper rest too, right?
Reggie: By the time most families come to us, they’re at a loss for where to turn next.
That’s why educational consultants often recommend OASIS Ascent—because of our focus on short-term stabilization and observation. When students come in, we conduct a series of assessments. We start with MAP testing to evaluate their academic level. Then, they receive a full evaluation from our nursing staff. They also meet with a psychiatrist or an APRN to review and manage their medications. We perform genomic testing, which involves a cheek swab, to determine how the body metabolizes medications. This helps us avoid the trial-and-error approach with meds.
In addition to this, they receive a full psychological evaluation, as Allison mentioned earlier. This evaluation clarifies their diagnosis and gives parents insight into how their child is functioning, how the child views the world, and the best ways to connect with them. For example, a child may have excellent verbal skills but be delayed in spatial or visual processing. The evaluation helps parents understand the most effective ways to communicate and bond with their child. Many parents have an "aha" moment when they realize, "This makes so much sense—now I can start building a better relationship with my child."
The evaluation is also valuable when the child returns to school. Schools can use the results to tailor services and accommodations, helping them support the child in the best way possible with the resources they have.
What’s also beneficial is that the evaluation includes recommendations for the future, and educational consultants play a key role in that process and it’s really helpful because our therapists are in constant communication with them, sharing clinical observations about the child. This information helps the consultants make informed decisions about what the best next steps are for the family.
Allison: It also helps us as clinicians. When we have an accurate diagnosis and a thorough assessment, we know exactly what we’re treating. And future clinicians can continue the work based on that understanding.
Tiffany: Right.
Allison: Another important aspect is medication. As Reggie mentioned, some students come to us on five, six, or even seven medications. We work on peeling those back to see what the child’s baseline is and then, if necessary, we add medications thoughtfully. So, if you’re a parent and you’ve been taking your child to different psychiatrists and doctors who just keep adding new medications—trying one after another—that could be a red flag. It might indicate that the diagnosis is inaccurate.
If those medications aren’t helping, it may be a sign that a higher level of care is needed.
Tiffany: You mentioned earlier that many females come in diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, but they have autism spectrum disorder. As therapists, we would treat these two conditions very differently, and their medication plans would also be quite different, even though both might present with suicidal ideation.
So, if parents are feeling like, "We've tried everything," it might be because they don’t have the right roadmap. And they don’t have a comprehensive evaluation that’s guiding them in the right direction.
Allison: Right. And keep in mind, in outpatient therapy, kids can mask their struggles. They might go to their therapist once a week and say, "Oh, I’m doing great," even when they’re not.
Navigating Suicidal Ideation
Allison: They’ll say, "Everything's great," even when they're hurting inside. In a residential facility, though, they can’t keep that mask up all the time. Eventually, they start letting it down, and we begin to see what’s going on, which allows us to support them better. It gives us a clearer view of what the child is truly experiencing.
Tiffany: Plus, you have an entire team working with them, and you're controlling and limiting outside variables.
Reggie: Right.
Tiffany: At OASIS Ascent, you’re able to observe how they're doing in different environments—school, the residential setting, and therapy. In outpatient therapy, we usually only hear from the child and the parent, so we miss how they're functioning at school, with peers, or in other situations. In a residential setting, there's so much more information to evaluate.
Reggie: Uh-huh.
Tiffany: How do you navigate suicidal ideation at OASIS Ascent?
Allison: One thing we’re proud of at OASIS Ascent is our approach to handling suicidal ideation. While many residential treatment centers train their staff on how to manage acting-out behaviors—like what to do if a child threatens another student or harms themselves by punching a wall or throwing a chair—we wanted to focus specifically on how to handle situations where a child expresses suicidal thoughts.
Tiffany: Most programs won’t accept children who are actively suicidal.
Allison: So, at OASIS Ascent, we train our staff to use the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS). We implement additional safety measures to keep students safe, such as one-on-one supervision or line-of-sight monitoring. We’re constantly checking in with each student to ensure their safety.
Tiffany: And the great thing is, you have a whole team working together. It’s not just the parents trying to manage everything on their own. You have a whole team managing safety measures and monitoring your child. Meanwhile, the focus shifts to addressing deeper issues, as we discussed in the last episode. There could be multiple underlying factors contributing to the problem. So, it’s not just about addressing the suicidal thoughts but also understanding what’s going on.
Reggie: Right.
Tiffany: It’s about figuring out how to help and equipping them with tools like Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).
Allison: In a safe environment where they can be secure.
Reggie: One of the benefits of this level of care is that, as a medium-secure facility, we have the resources to manage and monitor suicidal ideations effectively. For instance, we use protocols and everyone is trained on the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS). If a client cannot commit to their safety and demonstrate behaviors that show they are at risk, we may need to take them to the ER. After evaluation, they would return to us.
Sometimes, kids may say or do things just to get out, but we take every situation seriously. We’ll get them to the ER if needed, and once evaluated, they return to our safe environment. Trying to use these methods to escape won’t work, as they will be coming back to a secure setting.
Tiffany: You’re not going home.
Reggie: Right. You have to come back because you need to learn the necessary skills. We’re not going to just send you back to your parents and say, “We can’t handle this.” That’s not how we operate. If it takes three or four times for them to understand and improve, we’ll keep doing it. They do get better because sometimes their strategy is to try to run away to escape the pain.
Tiffany: They’re trying to get away from the pain.
Parental Relief and Support Systems
Reggie: They want to escape the pain. The other thing is, we have resources that parents often can’t provide on their own.
Tiffany: It’s such a relief for parents. Many parents feel a mix of guilt and relief when they reach the point of sending their kids to a program. They may think, "I’ve failed as a parent," but they also feel a sense of relief. Parents need to understand that they haven’t failed. They should allow themselves to rest and seek the help they’ve been missing while focusing on keeping their child safe. We have a whole team dedicated to ensuring your child’s safety and addressing the underlying issues. We don’t just react to suicidal ideation; we dig deeper to provide the skills and therapies they need, whether it’s DBT, CBT, or trauma therapy like EMDR.
Allison: We provide trauma therapy as well.
Tiffany: It’s a great resource. Plus, there’s insurance coverage, which isn’t always available with other programs. So not only do you offer comprehensive evaluations, but you also provide stabilization.
The Process of Stabilization
Tiffany: It sounds like the typical stay is about two to three months. Can you tell us more about what stabilization looks like during that time?
Allison: Sure. As I mentioned earlier, different levels of care can be important for parents to understand. Stabilization often starts with an inpatient psychiatric stay, which usually lasts five to seven days. During this time, students aren’t challenged significantly—they don’t attend school, and they mainly participate in journaling and group activities. There’s limited family therapy, and once they leave, they often go home for a few weeks before the thoughts and behaviors resurface.
Tiffany: So, it’s more like a band-aid solution?
Allison: Exactly, it’s a band-aid. They might get some medication and a safety plan, but it doesn’t address the underlying issues. When I worked in a hospital, one common concern from parents was that the short stay felt insufficient. They would say, “It didn’t feel like we made any real progress.” And they were right—it was just a temporary fix, providing some respite but not leading to lasting change.
At OASIS Ascent, our approach to stabilization is different. When students come to us, we start stabilizing them through various methods, including group therapy, individual therapy, and school integration right away. We monitor them closely, with one-on-one support if needed, and address daily challenges. Our goal is to help them manage day-to-day issues, family dynamics, and interpersonal relationships over a longer period. We teach them skills to handle real-life situations in real time, which provides a more comprehensive and effective stabilization process.
Tiffany: And you’re not just prescribing medications randomly; you’re ensuring they get the right meds and dosages.
Allison: We also assess their baseline without medication to determine what’s truly needed.
Tiffany: And you have more than just five days to figure this out.
Allison: Yes, we’re not rushing to create a safety plan and discharge them. We take a thoughtful approach, allowing ample time to address daily challenges.
Reggie: Additionally, we and the parents need to understand that when these kids come in, they’re often in a very unstable state. For instance, a child might come in having frequent tantrums and suicidal thoughts. Over time, we expect to see improvements—perhaps they’re having these issues less often. Our focus is on stabilizing them by establishing a consistent daily routine, such as regular bedtimes, mealtimes, and school schedules. This routine helps prepare them for when they leave, so they’re accustomed to a stable lifestyle. While we may not eliminate all problems, we work on managing them effectively.
Tiffany: What happens after they leave OASIS Ascent? Where do kids typically go next?
Transitioning After Stabilization
Allison: That’s a great question. Some students might need to transition to a long-term residential program if they require more extended support. Others might go home with wraparound services. We also offer a day treatment program at OASIS Ascent.
We’ve had success transitioning students from residential care to our day treatment program, where they continue to receive support. They see the same providers, though not necessarily the same clinician, and are surrounded by the same support team and teachers.
In day treatment, we monitor their progress to ensure they’re safe at home, using their skills, attending school, and participating in groups.
Another useful resource is a “parent coach,” which has become increasingly popular. Parent coaches, often retired educational consultants, help families plan the next steps, integrate their child back home, create home contracts, and navigate boundaries and support.
Reggie: I’d like to add that wherever the student goes next, it’s always done in consultation with their educational consultants and therapists. These professionals are experts in using the information from assessments to recommend the best support for the teen and their family.
Tiffany: Thank you.
Tiffany: You’ve shared so much valuable information. If you’re a parent looking for more details, feel free to visit their website for additional information about the program. It's crucial to remember that you're not alone—there are resources and help available. Educational consultants are excellent resources, and if you don’t have that option, you can still get a program by calling the staff, asking detailed questions, and even visiting the program.
Allison: Yes, definitely come visit us. We offer tours regularly for prospective parents. We also provide a list of parents whose children have been at OASIS Ascent, so you can reach out to them directly without admissions or myself being present. This way, you can get honest feedback—both the good and the bad—from other parents. Additionally, when parents tour our facility, sometimes current students are available to speak with them and share their experiences, like, "I feel safe here, I’m well-supported, and I like my therapist."
Tiffany: "The food’s great."
Allison: There are many creative ways to gather information about a program beyond just reading online reviews. Reviews can sometimes be mixed or misleading, so it’s important to dig deeper and explore other sources of information.
Success Stories of Healing
Tiffany: I’d love to circle back to our initial topic of suicide ideation and helping parents find hope and healing. To wrap up, could you share some success stories related to this that might inspire our listeners?
Reggie: Absolutely. I’d like to share a recent success story. We had a young man in our program not too long ago. His parents struggled for a long time to understand why he was so focused on devices and the things he accessed through them. He had difficulty connecting at school, was bullied frequently, and often acted out in ways that made him his own worst enemy. Despite their efforts, the bullying continued even after the school administrators took action.
At home, the situation worsened. He was very disrespectful to his parents and caused significant tension between them and his sister. His parents tried to manage the situation by removing his privileges, but this approach only led to his depression worsening and him becoming suicidal. They had already tried outpatient therapy and other programs before coming to OASIS Ascent.
Through our work at OASIS Ascent, including testing and evaluations, we discovered that he was on the autism spectrum. This diagnosis was a huge relief for both the parents and the student. It provided clarity on how to connect with him effectively and helped everyone understand his perspective better. It made sense of his behavior and allowed us to offer targeted support that made a difference.
Tiffany: Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder often struggle to connect.
Reggie: We used that information to develop a plan. We met with the school, shared our observations, and discussed what would work best for him in that setting.
This young man is now thriving. We couldn't be happier. The parents have given us wonderful feedback, and at his graduation, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room because he had made such remarkable progress. I’m very proud of that, and there are other similar success stories as well.
Tiffany: I can hear the emotion in your voice. You put a lot of heart and effort into helping that young man. It takes a team effort from everyone involved—the parents, the child, and the therapists—to achieve such positive outcomes. Thank you for sharing this story.
Allison: I remember a student who came in feeling very depressed. I always tell my clinicians that if I had to choose between a child throwing a chair or one isolated in the corner, I'd pick the child throwing the chair. Those internalizing depressives can be scary. This girl was particularly concerned. Every night, she'd try to choke herself, using anything she could find.
As we started therapy, we discovered she'd been sexually abused by a neighbor when she was younger. She'd never told anyone. This abuse, combined with her parents' high expectations, led to feelings of guilt, shame, and worthlessness. She believed she'd be better off not being alive.
We focused on understanding the function of her suicidal thoughts and then delved into the trauma work. Helping her tell her parents was a crucial step. We also worked with the family to help them understand how the trauma affected her.
Progress was slow, but we saw small wins. Sometimes it was simply a day without self-harm. Gradually, her suicidal gestures decreased. We were able to reduce her safety precautions and adjust her medications. With ongoing trauma therapy and family support, she was able to go home after about 75 days. She's now doing well and is even a cheerleader.
Initially, it seemed impossible that she would be ready to go home when she first arrived. But then, at her graduation, she walked out the door as a success story.
The reality for her was that while her suicidal thoughts could resurface during tough times, she had developed the resilience and skills to manage them. She was no longer a victim of her trauma; she had worked through it, and her family had healed as well. This kind of progress can be achieved in relatively short periods, and it’s truly rewarding to see.
A Message of Hope for Parents
Tiffany: Thank you both for sharing those beautiful stories. To all the parents listening who may be struggling, remember that there is hope, there is healing, and there is help.
Even if your child continues to face challenges for a long time, there is still hope and healing for you as a parent. It doesn’t mean you’ve failed. As we’ve discussed in these episodes, this issue is complex and challenging to navigate, but you are not alone. That’s the key message we want to leave with you.
Thank you so much for joining us today.
Allison: Thank you.
Tiffany: We appreciate it.
Allison: We appreciate you.
Tiffany: And a big thank you to our listeners for tuning in.