Premier Sub-Acute Inpatient Behavioral Health Center & Treatment Program for Children in Fort Smith, Arkansas

Children ages 4 to 10 and adolescents ages 11 to 17 whose lives have been disrupted by mental and behavioral health concerns can receive intensive personalized services in Valley Behavioral Health’s sub-acute inpatient program.

Our sub-acute program, which features round-the-clock care in a structured and closely supervised environment, is an optimal placement for young people whose needs are not severe enough to merit acute inpatient treatment, but who need more support than can be provided via outpatient programming.

Treatment at the sub-acute level may also be ideal for young people who have completed our acute inpatient program, which is a short-term experience designed to promote stabilization, and who can benefit from extended time in an intensive treatment environment.

The sub-acute treatment program at our treatment center can help children and adolescents who are experiencing symptoms associated with a broad scope of mental and behavioral health issues, including but not limited to the following:

• Anxiety disorders
• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Bipolar disorder
• Conduct disorder
• Depressive disorders
• Intermittent explosive disorder (IED)
• Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)
• Schizoaffective disorder
• Schizophrenia

All admissions decisions for our sub-acute inpatient program at our treatment center are made following a thorough assessment of each young person’s strengths, needs, and treatment goals. If we determine that Valley Behavioral Health System is not the best place for a child or adolescent, we will work closely with his or her family to make a referral to a more appropriate treatment provider.

When a child or adolescent enters our sub-acute inpatient program, his or her care will be guided by a personalized treatment plan that has been developed based on the thorough assessment. The personalized treatment plan will be implemented by a multidisciplinary team of experienced professionals. Depending upon the services that the young person receives, he or she may work with the following professionals:

• Board-certified psychiatrists
• Therapists
• Social workers
• Psychiatric nurses
• Therapeutic recreational specialists
• Nurse practitioners
• Mental health technicians

All young people who are receiving care at the sub-acute inpatient level at our treatment center will participate in individual, group, and family therapy. Those who can benefit from the inclusion of certain prescription medications in their personalized treatment plan may also receive medication management services throughout their time in our sub-acute inpatient treatment program.
The therapeutic interventions that are implemented at the sub-acute inpatient level incorporate or are based upon the principles and practices of a variety of therapeutic approaches, including the following:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)
• Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)
• Reality Therapy
• Motivational Interviewing

In addition to medication management, a wide variety of therapeutic activities, and round-the-clock supervision, our treatment center’s sub-acute inpatient program also provides academic services to school-aged patients.

All children and adolescents who are enrolled in school when they enter treatment at Valley Behavioral Health System in Fort Smith, Arkansas will attend school throughout their time in our sub-acute inpatient program, where they will receive expert instruction and support from professionals who have specialized expertise in providing an academic experience to young people in a therapeutic environment.
We will also coordinate our academic services with the young person’s home school to facilitate the transfer of all credits that the child or adolescent earns while he or she is in treatment with us.

For the majority of our patients and their families, the sub-acute inpatient program is just one step along the path of continued healing. Whether a young person enters our treatment center at the sub-acute inpatient level or transitions into this level of care from our acute inpatient program, we understand that he or she will likely need continued support following his or her time with us.
For this reason, we place great emphasis on conducting a thorough discharge planning process that begins the day a young person enters our program. This extended discharge planning process ensures that the final plan will reflect the young person’s progress throughout his or her time in treatment, and will best identify all areas of need that will be best served by some form of ongoing support.

When the young person completes his or her time at Valley Behavioral Health, he or she will leave with a detailed plan that identifies the professional referrals, community-based services, and other elements that will best support his or her efforts to maintain and build upon the progress that he or she made while in our care.