Residential Treatment Center

The Residential Treatment Center at Adventist Behavioral Health Rockville provides intermediate-term care for adolescents ages 13-17 and a half who have serious behavioral and emotional problems. Adolescents who are admitted into the program frequently display a pattern of disruptive behavior, which can include aggressive acts toward self and/or others, running away, truancy or school refusal, trauma and abuse. There is also a dual diagnosis component for adolescents whose psychiatric problems are complicated by substance use and/or abuse. The treatment program consists of daily, structured therapies, educational services, and recreational and leisure activities that provide adolescents continuous opportunities to assume responsibility for their behaviors, develop positive coping skills, explore values and learn effective communication techniques. Family involvement in both therapy and activities are expected in order to help the adolescent reach their treatment goals.

Residential Programs

Cypress Unit

A program for adolescent males with sexualized behavior problems

The Cypress Unit at Adventist Behavioral Health Rockville offers a unique program that helps diagnose and treat adolescent males with sexualized behavior problems. Directed by an internationally recognized expert on sexual trauma and perpetration in adolescents, the program helps adolescent males age 13 to 17 and a half years gain understanding and control over their sexual behavior and successfully return to community living.

Our assessment and treatment protocols are research- based and represent the latest scientific thinking about the etiologies and various manifestations of sexual behavior problems in adolescents.

The residential treatment program is holistic in design and recognizes that sexual behavior problems in adolescents are typically accompanied by an array of related psychopathologies, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and social anxiety disorder (SAD). Treatment is individualized, permitting residents to complete the program in 6 to 9  months.

Indigo Unit

A short-term residential treatment program for adolescent boys and girls age 13 to 17 and a half years

The Indigo Unit at Adventist Behavioral Health Rockville has been redesigned to offer short-term residential treatment for adolescent boys and girls who have a primary mental health diagnosis and meet criteria for admission to a Residential Treatment Center (RTC). We believe that adolescents are strongly connected to and dependent upon family; therefore, our psychiatric treatment model for the Indigo Unit includes a family participation component that is integral to the overall treatment plan. The residential treatment program is designed to effectively treat a variety of psychiatric problems, including more complex cases of mood disturbance and PTSD. The program also aims to address the aggression and self-injurious behavior many of these adolescents display. Our clinical team will help residents transition to community-based care in a seamless manner as soon as clinically feasible, typically between 90 and 120 days.

Make a Referral

Referrals to the Residential Treatment Center may be made by acute care hospitals, private practitioners, managed care organizations, social service and juvenile justice agencies, schools, other treatment programs and by the adolescent's family. To make a referral, please call the admissions office at 301-251-4545 or 800-204-8600. There is no charge for initial assessment or to make referrals.