Mental Health and Dual Diagnosis Treatment Centers for Teens and Families
Center for Families, a valued member of the Newport Healthcare family of programs, provides guidance, awareness, and education for families in local communities around mental health and substance use struggles. We lead teens and families to sustainable healing through a continuum of care that includes our Therapeutic Day Program/PHP, Intensive Outpatient Program, and Outpatient services.
Each of our treatment programs, located in Malvern and West Chester, PA, and in Minneapolis, MN, encompasses evidence-based and solutions-focused components. Through support groups, clinical therapy, and psychoeducation, we involve the entire family in the healing journey—creating connection, cultivating compassion, igniting hope, and generating lasting change.
The Power of Family Involvement in Care
Parent engagement in treatment is the single highest positive outcome indicator. As a teen goes through one of CFF’s programs, parent involvement strengthens the family dynamic and creates mutual empathy—restoring trust and communication. When a teen completes the program, the family takes away a roadmap for continued positive movement, along with the tools that have yielded industry-leading treatment outcomes.
Our philosophy of care recognizes that in order to successfully heal and maintain recovery, parents and teens need a shared set of tools for effective communication, trusting connection, and compassionate listening. That’s why Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT) is at the heart of our treatment model.
ABFT is designed to:
- Reduce adolescent and young adult depression and suicidality by strengthening the caregiver-child relationship
- Establish family as a strong support system for young people, so they can turn to them when struggling
- Repair attachment wounds between a teen and their parents/caregivers, which may have occurred in childhood or that developed as a result of mental health issues or other traumas
What Makes Center for Families Different?
We do more than simply manage symptoms—we get to the bottom of what teens and families are experiencing and address those underlying issues. Our comprehensive treatment takes into account all aspects of a teen’s well-being.
Each client has an individualized treatment plan facilitated by a multidisciplinary team that can include licensed clinicians, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, registered dietitians, and teachers.
Moreover, our Partial Hospitalization Program encompasses a Therapeutic Day School, to ensure that teens in treatment with us continue to make progress academically.
After spending time in family therapy at Center for Families, I was finally able to talk to my daughter again.
—Robert, CFF parent
Group Therapy at Center for Families
In addition to weekly individual and family therapy sessions, each client participates in group therapy sessions run by licensed clinicians. Our groups include:
- Anxiety Management
- Nutritional Support
- Adventure Therapy
- Stress Management
- Social Media Awareness
- Team Building
- DBT Skills
- Executive Functioning Skills
- Mental Health Awareness
- Family Support Groups
- And more
Buildingconnection, self-esteem, resilience, and executive functioning skills
Our Therapeutic Modalities
CFF’s licensed clinicians provide trauma-informed adolescent care, using a variety of skill sets and expertise. Upon hire, CFF clinicians receive advanced training in:
- Attachment-Based Family Therapy
- Dialetical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- EMDR
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Relational Trauma Repair
- CPI Nonviolent Crisis Intervention.
Meetingteens where they are, with a variety of evidence-based therapeutic approaches
Specialized Treatment for Teens with Neurodivergence
Center for Families prioritizes creating a safe environment that can support kids with a diverse set of emotional and learning needs. Our small groups, small classrooms, and high staff-to-client ratio are ideal for kids who require extra attention and flexibility to feel safe and engage with the mental health treatment they so deserve. And our focus on team building, socialization, social media awareness, and executive functioning skills is key to supporting our neurodiverse kids.
Improvingself-awareness, social skills, and confidence, in the classroom and in daily life
Our Nourish Program for Teens with Mental Health Challenges Accompanied by Disordered Eating
Our newest PHP program is specialized for teens experiencing mental health struggles that are accompanied by disordered eating. Located in West Chester, PA, the Nourish program treats primary mental health concerns while ensuring teens get the care they need to improve their relationship with food, eating, and their body.
Nourish provides the same gold-standard PHP treatment that our community has come to expect at CFF, with an accompanying emphasis on dietary assessment and monitoring, as well as groups focused on self-esteem and body acceptance.
Academic Support in Our Therapeutic Day School
CFF’s 3.5-hour Therapeutic Day School, part of our PHP, provides strengths-based education led by our lead teacher, who holds a master’s degree in special education, and a dedicated staff of specialized teachers and tutors.
Our dynamic academic team ensures that teens don’t fall behind in their academic progress while in treatment. We set weekly goals and send progress reports to parents.
Exploringstrengths, sparking new interests, and enhancing academic engagement and motivation
Our Experiential Therapies
At CFF, we understand that for many adolescents, some of the most impactful therapeutic experiences happen outside in nature, through artistic expression, shared activity, and play. CFF programs combine our skills-based individual and family therapy with experiential activities, including:
- Movement: Dance, team building, sports, and games
- Mindfulness: Yoga, meditation, and nurturing the mind-body connection
- Creative expression: Art, music, improv theatre and writing
- Outdoor Adventures: Hiking, tubing, field trips, and community service projects
Learningto relate better to peers, express emotions skillfully, and build the courage to overcome fears
Hear from CFF Adventure Therapist Jan Bookwalter on the Roadtrip Nation Podcast!
Our Industry-Leading Treatment Outcomes
As part of the Newport Healthcare family of programs, Center for Families tracks and analyzes our treatment outcomes. Our results, reviewed by a third-part academic institution, show that our outpatient and residential programs create significant improvements in patients’ anxiety, depression, well-being, and family connection.
Our Programs
How do families know which level of care is right for their child?
CFF’s Admissions team conducts an in-depth, in-person assessment of each client, consults with referring providers, and recommends an appropriate level of care. Each child is matched with the therapist that the clinical team believes will best meet their needs.
Our Facilities
Amidst the meadows and rolling hillsides of the Pennsylvania countryside, the Center for Families facilities in West Chester and Malvern provide peaceful refuges where parents and teens can find healing and hope. Close to Philadelphia, but a world away from the hustle and bustle of the city, these Chester County towns are both convenient stops on the SEPTA lines.
In Minneapolis, our Center for Families location is close to beautiful Bde Maka Ska Park, named for the gorgeous lake at the center of the recreational area. It’s an ideal location for outdoor activities like kayaking, canoeing, and biking, all facilitated through a therapeutic lens. Our location is conveniently located on the 6 line.
CFF’s tranquil locations and home-like facilities are a key part of our specialized adolescent dual diagnosis treatment—and have contributed to making Center for Families one of the top mental health treatment centers in PA and MN.
