Parents looking for higher-level mental health care for their child now have additional options. Hillside®, a longstanding leader in the field of youth and family mental health services in Atlanta, is offering both intensive in-home and virtual intensive outpatient therapy in Savannah and Macon.

Both options provide greater clinical structure than regular once-a-week outpatient therapy. Hillside clinicians utilize components of dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), a type of psychotherapy focusing on building skills for mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.

“Hillside strives to meet the needs of our clients and their families where they are,” says program manager Kendra Phoumivong. “Being able to offer in-home and virtual therapy allows us to do just that.”

Hillside has been providing community-based mental health services since 1998 and Intensive In-Home Therapy since 2015. Intensive In-Home Therapy is an individualized therapeutic wraparound for ages 5 to 25, and the goal is to stabilize the client by working with them in the home, community, and school. This typically includes four hours of customized therapy per week. Additionally, the therapist provides 24-7 phone support and coaching. Hillside works to ensure each family is connected with an outpatient provider of mental health services and will work in tandem with them.

The Virtual Intensive Outpatient Program is designed for participants ages 13 to 17. This six-week program consists of 12 hours of online group work each week, occurring 3 to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Clients also receive weekly individual and family therapy, psychiatric consultation, and medication management. Participants have access to 24-7 crisis calls and coaching.

“Hillside specializes in working with young people who need more than standard outpatient therapy,” explains Phoumivong. “After researching the youth mental health needs in our state, we’re thrilled to be able to offer services previously unavailable in both Savannah and Macon.”

For more information regarding Hillside’s therapeutic services in Savannah and Macon, call 404-875-4551.

As many of us have navigated this period of stress and uncertainty, our mental wellness is probably not top of mind. Yet, maintaining mental well-being is crucial to getting ourselves through the current situation and what is yet to come.

On May 5th, Kimberly Young, a Board Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and Assistant Medical Director at Hillside Atlanta Foundation, lead an online discussion through TEDxAtlanta. The talk went over healthy coping mechanisms and techniques to manage stress and answered questions about mental health and mental well-being.

Kimberly  has devoted the majority of her career working with children struggling with mood disorders such as severe depression and anxiety, bi-polar disorder, self-harming behaviors, impulsivity, and mood dysregulation. Check out the full video below!

News regarding Hillside’s passion for youth and young adult behavioral health appears in a recent article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the city’s major daily newspaper. Reporter Gracie Bonds Staples explains how Hillside Atlanta Foundation assists patients financially by providing scholarships for continued therapy not covered by health insurance. Hillside CEO and president Emily Acker, lead residential program therapist Christina Fiddes, and former patient Maya McNairy share their thoughts. Read the article here.

In the midst of pandemic concerns, National Public Radio’s (NPR) flagship evening news magazine “All Things Considered” welcomes Hillside assistant medical director Kimberly Young on the program. Local host Jim Burress speaks with Young about how young people are dealing with this unknown from a mental health perspective. Listen to the segment here.