The Hope & Resiliency Center for Youth

The Hope & Resiliency Center for Youth (the Center) is a clinic-based mental health program meeting at-risk adolescents’ unique mental health needs. The Center provides “step-down” treatment for adolescents discharged from inpatient or acute partial hospitalizations or “step-up” treatment when traditional outpatient services are not meeting the needs of an adolescent. The Hope & Resiliency Center for Youth offers a more structured level of intervention in both the frequency and the variety of services provided in traditional outpatient treatment. The Center offers a broad range of treatment services to meet the needs of adolescents and their families. This treatment setting allows adolescents to continue to attend their schools during the day and return to their homes in the evening while still receiving a high level of treatment, structure, and support.

Mission

The mission of the Hope & Resiliency Center for Youth is to reduce psychiatric issues and to improve the young person’s ability to function successfully at home, at school, and in the community. The goal is to initiate change promptly through symptom assessment and individualized planning, interventions, and skill development.

Admission Process

Eligibility

Adolescents ages 13 to 17 with a DSM-V diagnosis or behavioral problems interfering with their ability to function optimally in family, school, or community settings are eligible. We consider children ages 11 to 12 years on a case-by-case basis.

Referrals/Information

Call the Access Center at 800.730.2762 extension 2 for more information or assistance with a referral. Referrals can be made by, but are not limited to, primary care providers, case managers, school personnel, and community agencies.

Evaluation and Assessment

Designed to serve as a comprehensive treatment center, the Hope & Resiliency Center for Youth offers a range of services to adolescents and their families. Before admission, a thorough evaluation focuses on psychiatric challenges, emotional and social adjustment, family functioning, and school performance. We designed the Center's group treatment model to benefit most adolescents needing acute behavioral health interventions and support.

A licensed psychiatrist trained in adolescent treatment conducts your child’s admission assessment. The attending assesses psychiatric challenges, potential substance use disorders, medical comorbidities, and other psychosocial factors in order to develop an individual treatment plan for your child.

Treatment Services

From the evaluation process, the treatment team, adolescent, and family collaborate on an individualized treatment plan. The treatment plan focuses on:

• Stabilization of the adolescent from the crisis leading to admission
• Medication management evaluation and monitoring
• Developing individual and family & problem-solving skills
• Identifying and changing negative behavior patterns through cognitive behavior therapies

Groups occur Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 4pm to 7pm. Each group is 60 minutes long and includes a psychotherapy, psychoeducation group, and recreational therapy group. The Hope & Resiliency Center for Youth provides additional individual and family therapy for comprehensive treatment. The average length of the program is eight to ten weeks, based on your child's individual needs.

The Body Positivity Program in the Hope and Resiliency Center for Youth 

We offer a new program, Body Positivity, focusing on healthy body image for adolescents ages 13-17. Body image refers to how individuals perceive their bodies and how it affects how they feel about themselves. The Body Positivity program aims to help adolescents create a new understanding of their changing bodies and concept of self. This also allows adolescents to feel more secure in sharing their feelings about themselves and their bodies, free of stigma and judgment. 

Our specialized program gives adolescents the tools to build healthy self-esteem, increase self-acceptance, and engage in healthier behaviors. In our program, we offer: 

• Groups promoting positive self-esteem and positive self-talk skills
• Safe scrolling and building healthy social media habits
• Psychoeducation groups with a nutritionist to educate on promoting a healthy relationship with food
• Medication management
• Family and Individual therapy
• Groups are facilitated Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 4pm - 7pm. 

Staffing

The Hope & Resiliency Center for Youth uses a multi-disciplinary team approach to treatment. The team includes a medical director, program director, child psychiatrist, clinical nurse specialist, psychiatric social workers, and master-level specialty therapists.

Attending Child Psychiatrist

Arturo Marrero-Figarella, MD, graduated from Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña School of Medicine in the Dominican Republic. He completed his Adult Psychiatry Residency and Child Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at the University of Puerto Rico. He is Board Certified in both Adult and Child Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Marrero-Figarella has been in practice since 1986, including Director of Child Psychiatry Services at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Hackensack Medical Center, and St. Joseph Medical Center. He is a Distinguish Fellow of the American Psychiatry Academy and a Fellow of the American Academy of Child &
Adolescent Psychiatry.