Washington’s youth mental health services include hospital programs in Seattle and Tacoma, residential care, and community services across several counties. This guide compares five providers by location and care setting. For outpatient treatment, a realistic travel and school schedule can be as important as the choice of institution.
1. Seattle Children’s
- Location
- Seattle, Washington
- Care format
- Hospital, partial hospitalization and outpatient services
- Who it serves
- Children and adolescents
Seattle Children’s provides several levels of psychiatric care. The Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit treats young people in psychiatric crisis, while the adolescent partial hospitalization program provides intensive daytime treatment for ages 13–17. Other outpatient clinics address specific concerns.
The hospital’s referral guidance explains that an inpatient admission follows an emergency evaluation and a clinical decision about the need for hospitalization. For planned outpatient care, ask which program is accepting referrals and what records are needed.
2. Newport Academy
Verified- Location
- Washington State residential campuses; Seattle-area outpatient
- Care format
- Residential and outpatient programs
- Who it serves
- Adolescents
Newport’s Washington residential programs address primary mental health and substance use concerns, with individual and group therapy, psychiatric care, family work, and academics. Its substance use programming includes recovery counseling and treatment of co-occurring mental health conditions.
For an admission involving both substance use and mental health symptoms, ask which condition the proposed track primarily treats. Confirm the campus, age group, family-session arrangements, and how outpatient care will continue after the young person returns home.
3. Behavioral Health Resources
- Location
- Olympia, Shelton, Hoquiam and Elma, Washington
- Care format
- Community outpatient and school-based services
- Who it serves
- Children, youth, families and adults
Behavioral Health Resources serves Thurston, Mason, and Grays Harbor counties. Its network includes children, youth, and family services, psychiatry, school-based programs, and first-episode psychosis services. It accepts Medicaid and lists local offices across the three counties.
This community model can help families connect treatment with school and local support. Ask which office or school team covers the home address, what referral is required, and whether case management and psychiatric appointments are part of the proposed plan.
4. MultiCare Tacoma General — Adolescent Behavioral Health
- Location
- Tacoma, Washington
- Care format
- Inpatient adolescent psychiatric care
- Who it serves
- Teens; confirm current admission criteria
Tacoma General’s adolescent behavioral health service provides inpatient care for teens facing serious psychiatric concerns. Pierce County’s resource directory identifies the service for conditions including depression, anxiety, psychosis, and bipolar disorder.
Ask the intake team or referring clinician about the current admission process and age criteria. MultiCare also has adolescent day-treatment resources, so clarify whether the referral is for an overnight hospital admission or a separate program where the young person returns home.
5. Sea Mar Adolescent Behavioral Health Clinic
- Location
- Seattle, Washington
- Care format
- Community outpatient behavioral health
- Who it serves
- Teenagers and young adults
Sea Mar’s Seattle Adolescent Behavioral Health Clinic provides assessment, individual, group, and family therapy, case management, and substance use services. Its youth-focused clinic is distinct from Sea Mar’s other medical and behavioral health locations.
Ask which services are offered by the assigned team, whether language support is available, and how primary care or substance use treatment will be coordinated when needed. Confirm the treatment address and the paperwork required for the initial visit.
Frequently asked questions
How intensive is MultiCare’s adolescent day program?
Pierce County’s resource directory describes MultiCare’s adolescent PHP as five hours per day, five days per week, for six weeks. It serves ages 13–17, with age 18 included when still enrolled in high school, and uses DBT with individual, group, and family work.
Participants go home each night. This is a separate option from Tacoma General’s inpatient unit, so confirm which service is named in the referral and verify the current timetable with the intake team.
Does Seattle Children’s offer a step between weekly therapy and hospital admission?
Yes. Seattle Children’s lists an adolescent partial hospitalization program for ages 13–17, alongside its inpatient unit and other outpatient services. A PHP provides concentrated daytime treatment without an overnight hospital stay.
Its referral guidance explains that inpatient placement follows an emergency evaluation and a clinical decision about hospitalization. A family seeking planned care should identify the specific outpatient program and referral requirements rather than assuming the hospital unit accepts routine bookings.
Where can families seek community care outside Seattle?
Behavioral Health Resources serves Thurston, Mason, and Grays Harbor counties, with offices in Olympia, Shelton, Hoquiam, and Elma. Its children, youth, and family services sit alongside psychiatry and school-based programs, and it accepts Medicaid.
Start with the office that covers the family’s county and describe the needed service. A school-based or local community team may be easier to attend consistently than a distant clinic, but the intake team should still determine whether its level of care matches the young person’s needs.
What should families compare when substance use is also a concern?
Sea Mar’s Seattle Adolescent Behavioral Health Clinic includes substance use services with outpatient assessment, therapy, and case management. Newport’s Washington residential programs also describe treatment of substance use and co-occurring mental health concerns.
These are different levels of support. Establish whether the proposed program treats both concerns together, whether the young person needs medical withdrawal assessment, and who will coordinate psychiatric and substance use follow-up. A provider offering both service types does not by itself establish which track is appropriate. Our guide to teen drug and alcohol treatment programs offers another comparison of age groups and care settings.