5 Best Mental Health Treatment Centers for Teens & Young Adults in Virginia

Virginia has rural as well as urban residents, but more mental health treatment centers across the US exist in cities than rural areas. There are 8.6 million people living in Virginia and nearly 22% are under 18 years of age, according to the US Census Bureau. Depression and anxiety have increased among teenagers and young adults as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, eating disorders and substance abuse have also increased. While some teens and young adults with mental health and substance abuse problems need inpatient treatment, others can respond well to partial hospitalization or outpatient treatment. Described below are the five best mental health treatment centers for adolescents and young adults in Virginia:

1) Newport Academy (VA residential program)

Residential treatment is provided in Virginia (VA) by this mental health center with numerous nationwide residential and outpatient sites. Gender-specific and age-specialized inpatient care is provided in a male residential program and a female residential program. Furthermore, both are located in a serene neighborhood with easy access to Washington DC’s transportation hubs – as well as close to an 800-acre park (and 300-acre nature preserve) along the Potomac River. Notably, Newport Academy specializes in providing mental health services to teens and young adults, and its primary focus is on psychological, behavioral, and/or substance abuse issues. Their treatment approach includes (but is not limited to) the following: a) individual and/or family therapy; b) substance abuse recovery lifestyle; c) music therapy; d) nutrition; and e) equine-assisted therapy.

Payment Options: Diverse types of health insurance are accepted (as well as self-pay).

2) University of Virginia’s Child and Family Outpatient Clinic (Charlottesville, VA)

The Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences (of the University of Virginia Medical School) operates an outpatient mental health clinic serving children, teenagers, and their families. Both evaluation and treatment are available for behavior difficulties, anxiety and depression, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders, adjustment issues (such as divorce or school problems), and other mental health issues affecting youth and their families. Besides medication management, treatment modalities include individual therapy, play therapy, family therapy, and parenting therapy. Medical students specializing in psychiatry and psychology Fellows may be involved in the provision of services, as well as experienced licensed clinicians and Department of Psychiatry faculty members.

Payment Options: Diverse types of health insurance are accepted (as well as self-pay).

3) Inova Fairfax Hospital’s Inpatient Adolescent Mental Health Unit (Falls Church, VA)

This 15-bed inpatient mental health center at Fairfax Hospital provides treatment to adolescents aged 17-17 who require stabilization and short-term treatment for emotional, behavioral and psychological needs. Fairfax Hospital is located near the Washington, DC metropolitan area, and 

its inpatient adolescent mental health unit opened in 2018. Some of the specific conditions in adolescents treated in this inpatient unit are:

• Suicidal or homicidal thoughts or behaviors;
• Aggressive behaviors;
• Schizophrenia;
• Psychological concerns related to trauma (such as nightmares and flashbacks);
• Need for diagnostic treatment services that can only be obtained in an inpatient setting

Payment Options: Diverse types of health insurance are accepted (as well as self-pay).

4) Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU Medical Center (Richmond, VA)

Mental health research, clinical care, teaching, and community service have been provided by 

the Department of Psychiatry at VCU Medical Center (including the Children’s Hospital) for decades, and mental health care to children and adolescents is one component. The mental health care provided to adolescents includes inpatient services, outpatient services, psychological services for youth with chronic illnesses, and mental health resources for families. Inpatient care (within a 32-bed facility) is provided for children and teens who need any (or all) of the following: crisis stabilization, psychiatric services, individual psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, family psychotherapy, nutritional services, educational services, and medication assessment or management. Some of the diverse issues faced by teens who seek outpatient mental health care (or need inpatient care) range from anxiety and mood disorders to depression and various mental health needs related to gender and sexuality or chronic illness. 

Payment Options: Diverse types of health insurance are accepted (as well as self-pay).

5) Centra Medical Group’s Piedmont Psychiatric Center (Lynchburg, VA)

Located at Centra Virginia Baptist Hospital, this outpatient mental health center provides comprehensive services for patients of all ages (including children, teenagers and young adults). Psychiatry, therapy, and clinical services are its three behavioral health service categories. The psychiatric clinicians at this center provide the following: clinical evaluation, and psychopharmacological treatment and support to clients with complex mental health issues (including mood disorders, psychosis, and substance use). Meanwhile, psychotherapy is offered as:

• Individual therapy;
• Group therapy;
• Couples therapy;
• Family therapy

Three of their varied therapeutic approaches include Dialectic Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing.

Payment Options: Diverse types of health insurance are accepted (as well as self-pay).

Depression and Eating Disorders – The Connection between Them

The National Eating Disorders Association reports that nearly 4% of young women will suffer from Anorexia Nervosa – an eating disorder in which the afflicted person’s self-perception is of being extremely overweight despite actually being extremely thin. While far more teenage and young adult females than males have this disorder, young men with a Body Mass Index (BMI) in the clinically-obese range can engage in extreme dieting with bulimia (forced vomiting) to acquire peer acceptance – so also experience an eating disorder. 

As described in an article in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, thinness as a societal ideal of female beauty is linked to the development of Anorexia Nervosa in both teenage girls and young adult women. Meanwhile, clinically-obese teenagers and young adults are more likely to be bullied for their body size than their “normal weight” counterparts. Consequently, depression and shame often accompany an eating disorder. Since eating disorders can be harmful to health and even fatal, seeking mental health treatment is important for you – or for your teenage offspring if a parent – if an eating disorder exists.