Knoxville’s Adjustment Disorder Treatment Center for Teens

Learn more about adjustment disorder treatment at Village Behavioral Health near Knoxville, TN

An adjustment disorder is a stress-related mental health disorder that can cause a teen to become anxious or depressed. While most teens are able to adjust to changes within a few months, those with adjustment disorder continue to feel sad or self-destructive. When these teens are unable to adapt to changes in their life, they may become overwhelmed with their daily routines and make reckless decisions that can lead to serious consequences.

At Village Behavioral Health, an adjustment disorder treatment center in Knoxville, we have years of experience helping adolescents or teens with adjustment disorder learn to accept the changes happening in their lives. We understand how disruptive certain life changes can be for a teen and we will do everything we can to help them work through this emotional time. You do not have to go through this alone; our friendly and highly qualified staff are here to help.

Helping a loved one get treatment for adjustment disorder

As a parent, if you have an adolescent or teen who is having a difficult time getting through the day and seems to be overwhelmed with events in their life, this may be an indication of an adjustment disorder, especially if these symptoms began shortly after a particularly stressful change in their life. Since adjustment disorders vary from person to person, the symptoms can present very differently from one teen to the next, making it hard to identify. If you suspect your adolescent has an adjustment disorder, here are some signs to look out for:

• Lack of enjoyment
• Trouble sleeping
• Difficulty concentrating
• Crying spells
• Worry
• Anxiety
• Fighting
• Poor performance in school
• Skipping school
• Vandalizing property
• Socially withdrawing from family and friends

If you recognize these signs in your teen, talk to their primary care physician, who can complete an assessment that will rule out any medical reasons for their behavior and can provide you with referrals for a mental health professional. Before going to your teen’s doctor appointment, there are a few things you can do to provide the doctor with as much information as possible.

• Write down symptoms you have noticed in your teen and their duration
• Note any major stressful events or other changes that may have caused adjustment disorder
• Write down complete medical history
• Compose a list of questions you have for the doctor
• In addition to taking your teen to the doctor, encourage them to speak openly about their feelings. This will allow your teen the opportunity to express feelings of grief and allow you to reassure them that you are there to offer continuous support.

Why consider treatment for adjustment disorder at Village Behavioral Health near Knoxville, TN

When an adolescent or teen has an adjustment disorder, it affects how they feel and think about themselves and life in general. Additionally, it can affect all their actions and behaviors. When the symptoms of a stressful change do not go away, the event remains a part of your life and you are left continuously battling emotional struggles. Adjustment disorder can affect all areas of your life, causing you to be so stressed and hopeless that you can’t go about your daily life. Without proper treatment, you’re at an increased risk of developing long-term problems such as substance abuse or addiction, depression, and certain psychiatric illnesses like schizophrenia.

Most adolescents or teens with adjustment disorder find the treatment offered in a residential treatment center to be very helpful at reducing their symptoms. Through a residential treatment center, you’ll have your medication needs met and receive the psychotherapy you need. Individual and group sessions will allow you to learn why a stressful event affected you so much and provide you with the emotional support needed to return to your normal routine. Additionally, as you learn healthy coping skills, you will be better prepared to deal with other stressful events that occur in life.

Village Behavioral Health philosophy and treatment benefits

At Village Behavioral Health, an adjustment disorder treatment center in Knoxville, we provide troubled youth a structured, caring, and supportive environment that aids in healing emotional and cognitive issues and gives them the opportunity to learn adaptive problem solving skills in order for them to successfully rejoin their families and community. The goal of our residential adjustment disorder treatment center is to help teens make better choices by helping them understand how their choices have affected them.

Types of adjustment disorder treatment offered at Village Behavioral Health near Knoxville, TN

At our treatment center, located in Knoxville, our residential adjustment disorder treatment provides teens with 24-hour supervision and intensive therapeutic services. Each teen receives an individualized adjustment disorder treatment plan designed around their specific needs. After a thorough assessment used to create a treatment plan, each child will be assigned to a cabin group. This group will provide teens with positive support from peers and allow each patient to mature during their stay. At The Village, we use a phase system approach that focuses on treatment instead of behaviors. Each phase focuses on problems, goals, and objectives that were previously identified in the master adjustment disorder treatment plan.

The treatment method at our adjustment disorder treatment center is a combination of medication and therapeutic approaches. Some of the methods we use may include:

Medication: Certain medications may be used alongside therapies to help teens who are feeling nervous or depressed, or having trouble sleeping control their symptoms. Once these symptoms are under control, an adolescent or teen is better able to engage in the therapeutic process. After a period of time medications may be eliminated as the adolescent is better able to control their emotions and equipped with healthier coping strategies. We have an in-house psychiatrist and nurse practitioner who oversee medication management.

Individual therapy:  In one-on-one talk therapy, held at least once a week, we use methods like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help identify and change responses to life stressors. Additionally, during individual therapy you’ll go into more depth about your feelings and learn more helpful thoughts and behaviors.

Group therapy: Groups are held multiple times a day within your cabin starting with morning meeting to set goals for the day. Some of our groups focus on distorted thinking and how to change those thoughts, the importance of being able to take control of one’s own actions, and problem-solving techniques.

Family therapy: Family involvement is very important for creating a lasting change in the adjustment disorder treatment process. We believe that family must be active participants in the treatment process. Family therapy is held at least once per week and focuses on issues within the family dynamic. Additionally, family visitation is allowed after a child has been in our adjustment disorder treatment center for at least two weeks, starting with on campus visits and progressing to overnight visits. This allows you to practice using newly-learned skills before you’re fully integrated back into your family unit.

In addition to the traditional therapy methods, The Village, an adjustment disorder treatment center, offers a number of wonderful experiential programs. These include:

• Music
• Crafts
• Sports
• Recreational therapy
• Drama
• Adventures program
• Mindfulness
• Relaxation

Continuing care and levels of treatment for adjustment disorder

At Village Behavioral Health, an adjustment disorder treatment center in Knoxville, our aftercare planning begins as soon as you’re admitted. You and your family will work directly with your therapist to identify potential step-down options that will best suit your continuing adjustment disorder treatment needs. Several weeks before discharge, your adjustment disorder treatment team will make a recommendation based on your needs. We will set up the intake session for the next phase of treatment. You may step-down into an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) or a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) or you may be ready to return home with referrals to traditional outpatient therapy. Whatever your continued needs, our adjustment disorder treatment center will ensure everything is in place before you leave our care.