With suicide the second leading cause of death for ages 15 to 29 in the United States, and 50 to 75 percent of anxiety, mood, impulse control, and substance use disorders emerging between the ages of 14 to 24 years, Butler Hospital, a member of Care New England (CNE) Health System, is stepping forward to do something to address this health crisis. On November 18, 2015, a ribbon-cutting for The Hall @ Center House celebrated the opening of the Hospital’s Young Adult Partial Hospital Program. The program, located in newly renovated space, is designed specifically for people ages 18 to 26 years old.

Butler Hospital opens The Hall @ Center House and officially launched its new Young Adult Partial Hospital program to serve women and men age 18 to 26 years old who are suffering with anxiety, depression, mood disorders or psychosis. Pictured left to right: Program Manager Erin Ursillo, LMHC, Medical Chief Michael Wolfe, MD, Senior Vice President Chief Medical Officer James Sullivan, MD; President and Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Price, MD, Foundation Board Member Allen H. Cicchitelli, Director of Operations Partial Hospital Sheila Russell, LICSW and Medical Director Child and Adolescent Services Joel Solomon, MD.

Lawrence Price, MD, president and COO of Butler Hospital and executive chief of the CNE Brain and Behavioral Health Service Line, said, “We are extremely pleased to offer specialized care to a segment of the community that has unique experiences during this transitional period of life. With the support of our specially selected multidisciplinary team, The Hall offers a place to come together for people addressing the complexities of life situations impacted by depression, anxiety, mood disorders or psychosis.”

The program opened to a soft launch in mid-October and is already seeing the benefits it’s able to deliver. “Our goal is to create and provide a community of support and respect to help this group of young people better navigate this transitional time in their lives with mental illness. We are already seeing from the feedback to date that this program is filling the unmet need of creating a safe and accepting space for people in this age group,” said Program Chief, Michael Wolfe, MD.

The Hall @ Center House is designed to feel like a campus student union or dorm lounge. The space is a brightly painted hall that connects comfortably furnished shared and private rooms, including a group waiting area, a quiet room, two group therapy rooms and a series of private offices for the program manager, psychiatrists and team of therapists.

The program offers weekday, day-long treatment sessions that allow for individual, group and family therapy and medication management to support understanding and skill development to address emotional and behavioral health. People admitted to the program have problems that are hindering a healthy daily life at school, at work or with family and friends. The Hall accommodates up to 21 individuals at a time, with each person assigned a psychiatrist, an individual therapist, group therapists and occupational therapists. Open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., patients are scheduled for five to eight treatment days, depending on health concerns and progress in the program. Each day consists of customized individual and group therapy sessions that draw on several types of evidence-based therapies, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and acceptance & commitment therapy (ACT).

Director of partial hospital programs Sheila Russell said the ability to provide a more specialized program will make a difference in how the therapies are received. She said, “We have been caring for this group within Butler’s Adult Partial Hospital Program, but more and more we are seeing the life events of this age are drastically different from those of patients in their thirties and forties. It is a challenge for someone in their early twenties to relate to and fully benefit from the group therapy environment when someone is talking about life events that are not relevant.” The stories of this group are more often about how to move out of their parents’ home, hold a job, succeed in college or make friends in the face of depression or the onset of a psychotic illness – all common diagnoses for this demographic.

The introduction of this program creates a cascade of increased capacity in the entire partial hospital service, which is seeing increasing patient volume, as are all Butler Hospital service areas. The Young Adult Program increases Butler’s general Adult Partial Hospital Program capacity by 50 percent. Butler also offers specialized partial hospital services for addictions, women, and integrated therapies. Annually, Butler Hospital reports approximately 20,000 partial hospital days treating approximately 3,500 people each year.

Referrals from a health care provider, school counselor or parent are not required to enter the Young Adult Program. Self-referrals are common. Services are covered by most health insurance plans, with assistance provided to review coverage options. Call the Partial Hospital admissions team at (401) 455-6223 to determine if the program is appropriate or visit the Young Adult Partial Hospital Program pages of this website for more information.

About Butler Hospital

Butler Hospital, a member of Care New England, is the only private, nonprofit psychiatric and substance abuse hospital serving adults, seniors and adolescents in Rhode Island and southeastern New England. Founded in 1844, it was the first hospital in Rhode Island and has earned a reputation as the leading provider of innovative psychiatric treatments in the region. The Major Affiliated Teaching Hospital for Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Butler is recognized worldwide as a pioneer in conducting cutting-edge research.