Individual, Group and Family Therapy
Every child admitted to RiverValley’s Children’s Hospital gets individual, group and family therapy from licensed therapists, as part of the treatment plan.
Each kind of therapy does a different job, and most children need all three.
Individual therapy is one-on-one time with a therapist. Depending on the child, that might mean Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) or Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), to work through trauma, handle strong emotions and change patterns of thinking and behavior.
Group therapy is where children practice with each other. Groups are sorted by age and cover emotion regulation, conflict, communication, coping skills and relapse prevention. A lot of what gets learned in group is simply that other kids are dealing with the same things.
Family therapy brings in parents, siblings, guardians or whoever else matters at home. The work is on communication, on family patterns that feed the child’s problems, and on what caregivers will need to do after discharge.
Therapists are trained in relationship-based approaches to safety and crisis prevention, which means de-escalation first. The full treatment team reviews each child’s plan regularly.
Call the Children’s Hospital at (270) 689-6800. The Walk-In Clinic is open 24/7, no appointment necessary.
What to Expect
Therapy starts within days of admission. The therapist meets your child individually first, then contacts you to schedule family sessions. Group therapy is part of every day’s schedule.
Before discharge, the therapy team works with you on an aftercare plan: outpatient therapy recommendations and community resources for home.
Other Children’s Hospital Services
Inpatient Services
Inpatient psychiatric care for children and teens ages 5 to 17 at our 80-bed Owensboro hospital, with an on-site school, family therapy and discharge planning.
Acute Psychiatric Inpatient
Short-term inpatient care for children and teens in psychiatric crisis: immediate safety, 24/7 monitoring, and a plan for what happens next.
Specialized Therapeutic Activities
Art, music, movement, games and recreation, built into every child’s daily schedule as part of treatment.
Medication Evaluation Management
Medication evaluation and management by child and adolescent psychiatrists, with parents in on every decision and daily monitoring during the stay.
Nursing Care Crisis Support
Registered nurses and behavioral health associates on the unit 24 hours a day, handling medications, health needs and de-escalation.
Behavioral Intervention Services
Behavior support planning led by a board-certified behavior analyst: find what a behavior is for, teach a better way to get the same thing, and coach the family on it.
Specialized Therapies
The STATE Program for autism spectrum disorder, the BIRCH long-term program for boys 12 to 17, and TF-CBT, EMDR and DBT across the hospital.
