Download CATCH’s Mental Health Levels of Care PDF (English and Spanish)
Watch a Clip: You’re Not Giving Up. You’re Stepping Up Support(Read Transcript)
Watch a Clip: Three Signs It’s Time for More Support (Read Transcript)
Watch a Clip: Parent’s Guide From Outpatient to Residential (Read Transcript)
Watch a Clip: When Letting Go Feels Impossible (Read Transcript)
Watch a Clip: No Perfect Path: Finding What Works for Your Family (Read Transcript)
Watch a Clip: Overcoming the Stigma: Facing Common Challenges Together (Read Transcript)
On November 11, 2025, Josh Novick, LCPC, Trust and Grow Consulting, discussed how to know if your child needs additional support and what types of resources are available.
Josh stressed that many parents may need higher levels of care for their children beyond weekly therapy; it is not a sign of failure; rather, the goal is to add more support.
How to Know When Your Child Needs More Support
- Progress is stalled or symptoms worsen
- Functioning at school or home is declining
- Therapist recommendation (recommendations from physicians and therapists for more support are not made lightly, so take them into serious consideration)
Different Levels of Mental Health Care
Treat your child’s mental health like you would any other medical condition; if more care is needed, move to the next level of support:
- Outpatient Therapy: Includes individual, group and/or family therapy; typically 1 session per week
- Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)/Day Treatment: Typically 3-5 days per week; 3-4 hours per day; child is usually still able to attend school part-time
- Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP): Typically 5 days per week; 4-6 hours per day – not typically held at a hospital and does not include overnight stays
- Residential Treatment: typically live on site for 4-12 weeks; not all residential programs are held in hospitals
- Inpatient Hospitalization
Note that these options are not always linear; you may jump around on the ladder based on what is needed for your child.
How to Know What’s Right for Your Child
- Consider how your child is functioning, his/her safety and the support network
- Speak with your therapist and/or pediatrician
- Get an assessment from a program intake team
- Ask “what will success look like in 4-6 weeks?”
Navigating Barriers and Challenges
- Challenge: The most common challenge to increasing support is stigma.
- Suggested Solution: Frame it as “adding support” just as we would treat a medical condition that needs more care.
- Challenge: Disruption to school and activities:
- Suggested Solution: Use the school as an ally and recognize that without additional support, there may be larger disruptions to school and activities
- Challenge: Cost of programs, affording programs, limitations of insurance
- Suggested Solution: Communicate with your health insurance provider
How to Advocate Effectively for Increased Support
- Prepare questions in advance
- Take notes
- Ask questions
- Recognize that this can be a frustrating process
Making the Best Decisions for Your Family
- There is no “perfect” path; only the one that fits your child’s needs and the needs of your family
- Progress isn’t linear; symptoms may fluctuate as part of healing
- You can revisit and step down support levels as stability improves.
Speakers Recommended Resources
- NAMI Metro Suburban: Chicagoland IOP & PHP List
- SAMHSA Treatment Locator: National Treatment Center Locator
- Psychology Today: Treatment Centers Directory
The above links are also available on the CATCH Local Provider list on our website.
Contact Josh at: josh@trustandgrow.org
