Transitioning from intensive crisis care
If your child is in or leaving intensive mental health care for a serious issue, you probably have a lot of questions. Where will we get care next? How do I keep my kid safe? What resources are available?
The answers to these questions will be different for every family. One thing will remain the same — you’re not alone. Many families have experienced a mental health emergency. There are people ready to help you and resources to support your child.
What you should know when leaving crisis services
When your child has experienced a mental health emergency or other serious issue, the next step is hard for everyone. It’s OK, and even necessary, to ask for help.
It’s important to know that the next step in your care journey may not be your last. If you go to your next level of care and it’s not the right fit for your kid, advocate for them and ask for suggestions for alternatives.
Create a plan with your child’s intensive care team
No one knows your child’s medical needs better than you and the providers who have already cared for them. As you’re preparing to leave emergency or inpatient mental health care, connect with your child’s providers to help determine the best next step.
This could be inpatient mental health treatment, a partial hospitalization program, outpatient mental health care or a different kind of support. What’s most important is that you find a level of care that works best for your child. It will be different for everyone, but if they are leaving emergency or intensive inpatient care for a mental health crisis, they will need support to keep them safe and help them feel like themselves again.
Disposition coordinators, care navigators and social workers are valuable caregivers who commonly work in emergency and inpatient mental health care settings and can help you create a plan for when your child leaves their care. You should receive a post-visit summary from your care team that has resources for your family. If you don’t get a summary like this, ask for one.
Before you leave intensive care, consider taking the following steps:
- Talk with your child’s therapist about a safety plan for your child. Some questions you may ask are:
- What are your child’s stressors?
- Whom do they feel they can turn to?
- What is your backup plan in case their coping skills fail?
- Double check your child’s medicine if they are taking any.
- Make sure you have an appointment scheduled to continue your child’s therapy once you leave the hospital.
- Ask your child what makes them feel unsafe and limit or remove your child’s exposure to these factors as best you can.
- Safety proof your home by getting rid of firearms, ammunition, medicines, alcohol, knives, razors and other weapons. If getting rid of these things isn’t an option, make sure to keep them in a secure safe or locked away where your child can’t find them.
Keep crisis lines handy
After your child leaves intensive mental health care, they might find themselves in a mental health crisis again. It doesn’t mean that they or you have done anything wrong. Your child’s mental health journey might not follow a straight path because that’s just the nature of mental health. Try to look for the signs that your child might be approaching crisis and don’t hesitate to call Colorado Crisis Services if your child needs help.