Primary treatment programs for teens are essential to an effective mental health recovery process. However, mental health issues are often chronic. This means that primary treatment alone may not suffice to meet teenagers’ needs. In addition, they may require access to longer-term recovery resources. Such resources can be found in an alumni program. Programs of this type provide crucial, ongoing access to trained professionals. They also give your teen access to the many potential benefits of continuing peer support.
 At Imagine Spokane, we feature an alumni program among our full slate of options for teen mental health care. With our help, you can maximize the odds that your child will continue to make progress following primary treatment. Contact us at 888.384.3143 to learn more.
What Is a Mental Health Alumni Program?
When your child completes primary mental health treatment, they’ve achieved a significant milestone. This achievement is shared by all other teens who have graduated from that program. That’s true regardless of participants’ life experiences before entering treatment.
For these reasons, program graduates form a distinct peer group. As a rule, these peers:
- Know how hard they’ve worked to make progress toward sound mental health
- Understand that they must maintain that progress and improve even further
- Realize that they need support to keep their recoveries going
An alumni program builds on this shared knowledge. It does so, in part, by providing your teen with vital peer support. It also makes it easy to stay in touch with doctors and other mental health experts.
Benefits of Peer Support in an Alumni Program
The symptoms of mental illness often have an isolating effect. That can be true before your child seeks treatment. To an extent, it can also be true during and after treatment. On their own, teens in recovery may find it hard to find someone who understands their experiences.
An alumni program provides a ready group of peers who know what your teen has gone through. It also gives your child a forum to:
- Talk about the particular challenges they have faced during their recovery
- Hear about the challenges facing their peers
- Learn how others have dealt with those challenges
This give-and-take helps create a healthy community environment. It may also provide teens with added motivation to keep their recovery routines going. That’s true in everyday life, as well as in moments of potential crisis.
Benefits of Professional Support in a Mental Health Alumni Program
Professional care is essential to the effective treatment of mental illness. It’s also essential to effective long-term recovery efforts when primary treatment ends. This care may take a variety of forms in an alumni program. For example, it may include periodic assessments of your child’s condition. It may also include any needed adjustments to your teen’s medication. In addition, it can include practical support through therapy, counseling, and skills training.
Beneficial services such as these are often provided in person. However, they may also be available remotely via smartphone or computer. In addition, your teen may have access to professional support in each of these settings.
Take Advantage of Imagine’s Teen Alumni Program in Spokane, WA
Need a teen mental health alumni program in Spokane, WA? The specialists at Imagine Spokane are here for you. With our help, your child can continue to receive crucial assistance that promotes their ongoing mental well-being. In turn, this assistance may play a significant part in a successful, long-term mental health recovery.
Alumni services are just part of Imagine’s comprehensive approach to teen mental health. For more information on our full range of options, just call us today at 888.384.3143. You can also reach us by completing our online contact form.