New Programs Offer Right Care at Right Time

Knowing where to turn for help and how to do so is often one of the hardest parts of grappling with a mental health issue. Today, a wide range of treatment options exists in the mental health care field, but navigating these options is not always easy or intuitive. Services often are fragmented and siloed among providers, leaving patients and families burdened with leaping wide gaps in care.

 

To ensure treatment is the most effective and efficient, it’s important to match one’s needs with the right care, at the right time. This is especially true for people with complex mental health needs, who may transition between multiple levels of care along the path to recovery.

 

To make the process easier, The Menninger Clinic has expanded our clinical services, offering more programs in our “continuum of care” that are helping to meet patients’ unique needs throughout their mental health journey. We also established contracts with insurers, including Aetna, Cigna and Magellan Health, to create programs that are accessible and affordable for more people. Partnerships with additional insurers are in the works.

 

Menninger’s President and Chief Executive Officer Armando E. Colombo explains, “These new initiatives are part of Menninger’s ongoing effort to provide seamless and coordinated mental health care to people in our communities. A full array of services is vital for our patients’ well-being.”

 

In practice, Menninger’s expanded continuum of care means patients can stay within the Menninger system for much of their treatment. This makes for a much less confusing and easier to navigate experience for patients, and it also allows treatment team members to collaborate and quickly respond to patients’ needs through different stages of recovery.

 

Take, for example, Ed (name changed for privacy), who came to Menninger with a history of depression, untreated anxiety and a decade of substance use. Ed started his recovery by stabilizing on The Clinic’s Comprehensive Psychiatric Assessment Service (CPAS), where he completed an in-depth assessment and identified core issues impacting his mental health.

 

Then, Ed stepped down to Menninger’s new Bridge Residential Program located directly on The Clinic’s campus. The Bridge program offers a relaxed therapeutic community that is unlocked except during sleeping hours. Patients receive treatment and support as they increase their personal accountability for wellness and nutritional choices, resume work tasks and build coping skills.

 

After three months at the Bridge program, Ed transitioned to living off-campus and began participating in Menninger 360, a program for assertive community treatment (PACT), which provides wraparound support with a focus on healthy relationships and reengagement with society.

 

“The Menninger team saw Ed through his recovery step-by-step, even taking him to a baseball game so he could experience it sober, which was a big turning point in his recovery,” says Bridge Program Director Elissa Bauer, MEd, LPC-S. Supported by the 360 team, Ed made incredible progress and started volunteering in the community. “He is just a great example of how every part of Menninger’s continuum played a role in his recovery.”

 

As we near our centennial in 2025, we're dedicated to strengthening our continuum of care and providing more opportunities for patients like Ed to achieve success. Thanks to our supporters who share our vision, we will ensure a better mental health care journey for those we serve.

 

In partnership with Texas Children’s Hospital, the Short-term Stabilization Service helps adolescents who are experiencing a behavioral or mental health crisis.

 

In the Adolescent Day Treatment Program, tailored support continues for teens after inpatient care or for those needing more structure. The program actively involves teens in therapy, fostering growth and life skills development.

 

The Recovery Intensive Outpatient Program offers an eight-week program for adults addressing substance use and co-occurring mental health challenges. It combines therapy to build life skills and supports those transitioning from other treatment programs.

 

The Bridge Program for Adults is a residential treatment program on Menninger’s campus and is tailored for those moving down from inpatient treatment or up from outpatient services. Within a therapeutic community of up to 21 patients, the program provides structured, patient-centered treatment while fostering personal responsibility and skill development.

 

The Center for Addiction Medicine and Recovery opened in February 2024 to meet the growing need for quality addiction and recovery care. The center provides personalized treatment to patients, and it also serves as a clinical training site for addiction professionals, a hub for research and a collaborative touchstone for organizations in the addiction field.