Partial Hospital Services

Our Approach

Brown Health’s adult partial hospital program takes an individualized, whole person approach to care. We believe no one is broken. Rather, it is often the systems around us and the stories we’ve internalized that require healing. With time, support, and intentional therapeutic work, people can reconnect with their natural resilience and move toward more fulfilling, meaningful lives.

As a team, we are grounded in compassion, humility, and shared humanity. We understand that the challenges our patients face are, in many ways, universal. This awareness drives our commitment to self-reflection, the use of the therapeutic tools we teach, and continuous learning to ensure that our care remains effective, inclusive, and aligned with the highest standards of clinical practice.

We are also committed to providing care within an inclusive and accepting environment. See our non-discrimination policy.

Treatments Offered

The Brown Health adult partial hospital program primarily uses evidence-based, third-wave therapeutic techniques –approaches that target core patterns and psychological processes that keep people stuck, rather than focusing solely on symptom reduction. These therapies promote psychological flexibility and the ability to adapt to life’s challenges in ways that reflect personal values and long-term goals.

Often called acceptance and mindfulness-based therapies, these treatments help patients:

  • Relate differently to difficult thoughts and feelings, rather than trying to avoid or eliminate them.
  • Be more present and engaged in daily life with openness and attention.
  • Build sustainable skills to navigate life’s challenges and not just manage symptoms.
  • Consider the full context of a person’s life, including identity, culture, family, social systems, relationships, environment, and life history.
  • Make lasting change through focusing on values and personal growth.

In other words, when caught in a storm, we help you balance the urge to fix the boat or control the weather by also learning how to navigate the winds and rough seas in the boat you have. The goal is to steer toward what matters, even when you can’t control the storm. 

In the program, our team of compassionate, experienced professionals supports you every day in practicing these skills, rebuilding structure, and re-engaging with your life.

Research supports the effectiveness of these treatments across a wide range of mental health conditions, particularly in helping people build resilience and improve quality of life. Our program values ongoing feedback from participants and offers the opportunity to participate in research that explores the effectiveness of these treatment approaches. We regularly share what we learn publicly at national and international settings, including journals and conferences.

We utilize a range of treatments that complement the third-wave, process-based approach:

  • Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
  • Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
  • Prolonged exposure (PE) and exposure therapy
  • Recovery and relapse prevention
  • Mindfulness based-cognitive therapy (MBCT)
  • The unified protocol
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
  • Psychoeducation
  • Behavioral activation
  • Interpersonal psychotherapy techniques (IPT)
  • Mindfulness-based therapy and meditation
  • Lifestyle assessment and modification
  • Medication assessment and management
Partial Hospital Program Options

We offer both general and specialty care options through five different tracks focused on providing the specialized care our patients need.

The General Track

The General Track offers care for adults with a wide range of presenting concerns, utilizing primarily acceptance and commitment therapy and integrating other third-wave treatments. 
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General Track: Building Emotional Acceptance and Regulation (BEAR)

Building Emotional Acceptance and Regulation (BEAR) offers group opportunities to focus on emotion dysregulation and related disorders (e.g., borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder) using dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and emotion regulation skills.
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General Track: Young Adult

The Young Adult Track offers a supportive group space for young adults ages 18 to 29 and older to connect with peers, share experiences, and build skills for navigating life’s transitions.
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Full Specialty Track: Trauma

The Trauma Track offers treatment for individuals ready and willing to target symptoms related to PTSD and trauma, utilizing DBT prolonged exposure.
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Full Specialty Track: Co-Occurring Disorders

The co-occurring disorders track offers treatment for individuals experiencing both mental health and addiction related concerns. It is based in DBT, with integrated skill building for recovery, relapse prevention, and community/peer support.
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A Typical Day in the Partial Hospital Program

The program runs daily, Monday through Friday. Daily attendance is expected, including attendance at all groups and individual appointments. Absences from the program will be discussed and coordinated with the treatment team. Choose a track above to see a detailed daily schedule.

Regardless of track, participants can expect to receive the following:

  • Group therapy: Skills training, psychoeducation and opportunities for interpersonal connection and support.
  • Individual therapy: Daily personalized sessions to help individuals apply therapeutic tools in ways that align with their values and support their specific life goals.
  • Medication management: Regular one-on-one meetings with a psychiatrist to discuss medication needs, diagnoses, lifestyle and biologic contributors to mental health, and make personalized adjustments.
  • Care coordination/after-care planning: collaboration with outpatient providers and support systems to ensure seamless, continuous care during and after the program. We work with patients to have a plan established for after-care at discharge.
Adult Partial Hospital Program