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Unconditional Positive Regard
Be Open Hearted and Open Minded
North Carolina Teen & Adolescent Mental Health Treatment
Teen and adolescent mental health treatment in North Carolina addresses depression, anxiety, trauma, and behavioral health conditions for adolescents ages 12-18. Bright Path provides comprehensive teen mental health care through programs designed by licensed marriage and family therapists. Our mental health treatment philosophy centers on working with the teen rather than on the teen.
Our facilities hold CARF accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services awarded us state licensing, authorizing partial hospitalization and day activity programming. These licenses allow the delivery of treatment across our Wake Forest and Hillsborough locations.
Bright Path offers four developmentally appropriate teen mental health treatment tracks tailored to adolescent needs. The Summit Path serves adolescents ages 15-18 requiring intensive daily support. The Meadow Path serves adolescents ages 12-15. The Virtual Path: virtual intensive outpatient program. The Horizon Path: intensive outpatient program.
Our clinical team integrates Dialectical Behavior Therapy to strengthen emotional regulation and distress tolerance skills. Attachment-based therapy addresses relationship patterns and the development of secure connections. Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants evaluate every teen weekly regardless of medication status.
Our admission process provides multiple opportunities for new clients to begin treatment. The facilities are located in Wake Forest at 203 Capcom Avenue, Suite 104, and in Hillsborough, offering convenient access for families statewide.
One in six U.S. youth aged 6-17 experiences a mental health disorder each year. North Carolina reports 128,000 adolescents aged 12-17 have depression, yet 53.2% of these teens did not receive any mental health care in the last year. Seven in ten youth in the juvenile justice system have a mental health condition. These statistics demonstrate the critical treatment gap facing North Carolina adolescents requiring professional mental health intervention.
The benefits of choosing Bright Path for North Carolina teen mental health treatment are listed below:
- Evidence-based DBT protocols
- Weekly psychiatric provider meetings
- Developmentally appropriate track assignments
- Age-specific programming (12-15 and 15-18)
- Weekly family therapy for PHP
- School coordination and homebound services
- Music therapy integration
- Horticulture therapy programming
- CARF accreditation
- NC state-licensed facilities
- Two convenient locations (Wake Forest and Hillsborough)
How Bright Path Works with Teens
What Types of Teen Mental Health Treatment Programs Does Bright Path Offer in North Carolina?
Program
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
- Meadow Path: 12-15 years old
- Summit Path: 15-18 years old
Description
Bright Path’s Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) is our most intensive outpatient support—focused on stability of symptoms and coping skills. The daytime program brings teens into a supportive, therapeutically intensive environment 5 days a week (Monday through Friday), 6 hours a day (9:00 AM to 3:00 PM), for about 5 weeks.
What to Expect
Our PHP brings together four core clinical components working in concert: group therapy, individual therapy, family therapy, and psychiatric services. Add in dedicated academic support and aftercare coordination, and you have a team that actually holds the whole picture together.
Group therapy is the heartbeat of the program. This is where teens learn the tools, skills, and real-world strategies they need to stabilize, cope, and start moving forward — not in theory, but in practice, alongside peers who get it.
Individual therapy with a primary therapist goes deeper, helping each teen apply what they're learning to their own life, on their own terms. Sessions flex to fit how each teen works best — because one size doesn't fit anyone here.
Family therapy brings caregivers into the process, not just as observers, but as active partners. Families learn the same skills teens are building in Group, so home can become a place of support rather than friction.
Psychiatric services go beyond medication management. Our psychiatry team looks at the full picture — sleep, nutrition, movement, and overall physiological wellbeing — because mental health lives in the whole body, not just the mind.
School doesn't fall through the cracks either. Daily classroom time, dedicated Education Liaisons, and school re-entry planning mean teens stay on track academically and are set up for a smooth return to full-time attendance — not just handed back and hoped for the best.
And when it's time to transition out, we don't just wave goodbye. Most teens step down to our Intensive Outpatient Program, and our aftercare coordinator works to make sure that landing is a soft one — because the growth that happens here deserves to keep going, not fall off a cliff the moment discharge happens.
Advantages of Working with Bright Path for Teen Mental Health Treatment in North Carolina
Just for Teens — and We Mean It
From the way our spaces are designed to the way our clinicians talk, from the curriculum we've built to the silly traditions that somehow become the thing teens remember most — every single detail at Bright Path was made with one person in mind: your teen. We serve adolescents ages 12–18 and nobody else, which means nothing here is watered down, retrofitted, or borrowed from an adult program. Teens are grouped by developmental stage, so they're always alongside peers who are navigating the same season of life. Nobody's sharing space with adults.
Nobody's an afterthought. This place was built for them.
A Whole Team, Not a Rotating Cast
The size of your teen's care team shifts depending on which program they're in — but the way that team operates never does. Whether your teen is in PHP with a full clinical team or IOP with a more streamlined one, everyone involved is talking to each other, coordinating behind the scenes, and working from the same page. You won't be the one holding it all together. You won't be playing telephone between a therapist, a psychiatrist, and a school counselor who've never met. And your teen won't have to tell their story over and over again to a new face every time. From the very first day, we handle the logistics so you don't have to — because you've already been doing enough.
We Handle the School Stuff
Our Education Liaisons coordinate directly with your teen's school throughout treatment — managing homebound status, keeping assignments from piling up, and running re-entry meetings so that going back to school feels like a next step, not a cliff.
Real Partnerships with Families
You're not waiting by the phone here. After weeks, months, or years of holding your breath for the next hard call, we want you to be able to exhale. Our scheduled, intentional family check-ins mean you always know when you'll hear from us — and when you don't, that's usually a good sign. PHP families receive weekly family therapy and regular therapist communication. IOP families get consistent check-ins and practical coaching. And every Bright Path family is welcome at our weekly caregiver support group, open throughout treatment and for up to six weeks after discharge. No news is good news — and we'll always make sure you know where things stand.
Spaces That Actually Work for Teens
Our physical spaces, our creative and expressive therapies, our music and horticulture programming — none of it looks like a waiting room or a hospital hallway. Teens can show up as themselves here. That's not an accident. It's the whole point.
We Hold Ourselves Accountable
Doing the right thing when no one is looking isn't just a value we put on paper — it shapes how we build our programs, train our team, and show up every day. We actively seek feedback, welcome outside scrutiny, and are always looking for ways to grow. CARF accreditation is one expression of that commitment — a rigorous, internationally recognized standard that holds us to a level of quality we'd be striving for anyway. It also means we're equipped to work with most major insurance providers, so getting your teen the help they need doesn't have to mean shouldering the whole financial burden alone.
From First Call to First Day
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First Day of Care
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Carter's Journey with BrightPath
Our Team
Bright Path’s team includes licensed therapists, psychiatry providers, educators, and other professionals who are both skilled and passionate about adolescent mental health
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Shantel Sullivan - Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Sullivan brings extensive experience to her role as Bright Path’s Chief Executive Officer. She has been a clinical leader in residential adolescent treatment, adult outpatient services, and academia. With more than a decade of experience as a licensed social worker in New York and North Carolina, Dr. Sullivan has collaborated broadly with individuals, families, and the community. Dr. Sullivan earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from the State University of New York at Potsdam in 2006, a Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW), and a graduate certificate in addictions counseling in 2008 from the University of New England. She went on to complete a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership with a concentration in transformational leadership also from the University of New England in Portland, Maine in 2017. She served as a faculty member for the State of New York Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services Bureau of Workforce Development where she provided regional education on adolescent co-occurring disorders. She moved to North Carolina in 2016 to work in academia as an assistant professor of social work at Western Carolina University. In 2020, she moved to Raleigh to be closer to family and became an adjunct professor at North Carolina State University School of Social Work, where she still teaches part-time. She is a seasoned national speaker, social worker instructor, clinical field instructor, and member of the National Association of Social Workers. In addition to Dr. Sullivan’s clinical work, she edits all of the content on the Bright Path Teen Mental Health Blog to ensure accuracy and accessibility to all of our readers. Dr. Sullivan is committed to increasing access to evidence-based, compassionate, mental health care for adolescents. She further understands the challenges ALL members of a family experience when their loved one is suffering.
Jennifer Hoffman - Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
Jennifer is a licensed and nationally board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner who provides psychiatric care including assessment, diagnoses, medication management, and therapeutic treatment for teens admitted to PHP programming. She is a graduate of Duke University with a Master of Science in Nursing, with 13 years of experience in health care including but not limited to pediatric inpatient psychiatry and perinatal care. Jennifer believes in patient and family-centered health care, collaboration, and integrative care. She is passionate about spreading access to quality mental health care and responding to mental health crises with effective treatment, empathy, and support. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys crafting with her children. She also loves to create a comfortable and relaxing space in her office at Bright Path!
Abigail Krieck - Director of Strategic Impact and Outreach
Dedicated to the cause of mental health and well-being, Abigail is a compassionate Clinical Outreach Specialist at Bright Path Behavioral Health. She plays a pivotal role in bringing support, hope, and healing to individuals and communities in need.
With 10 years of experience in mental health, Abigail is an advocate for those who may otherwise go unnoticed. Her work as a Clinical Outreach Specialist revolves around ensuring that no one is left behind, that everyone has access to the resources and care they deserve.
At Bright Path Behavioral Health, Abigail plays a central role in connecting individuals to the vital services they require when stepping down from programming. She specializes in community engagement, and is known for resource coordination that bridges the gap between need and assistance.
Abigail is committed to fostering partnerships and collaboration within the community. She actively engages in other mental health providers and programs, schools, youth groups, government agencies, and extracurricular programs, working tirelessly to expand access to mental health support.
Abigail holds her role at Bright Path Behavioral Health with distinction, ensuring that the program’s mission of making quality mental health treatment accessible is realized every day. She is instrumental in breaking down the barriers and stigma associated with mental health, making it easier for individuals to seek help when they need it.
Outside of her role at Bright Path, Abigail enjoys hiking with her dogs, cooking, baking, and raising carnivorous plants, which provide a well-deserved break and contribute to her own mental well-being.
Abigail is driven by the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to lead a mentally healthy life. As a Clinical Outreach Specialist, she embodies this principle and works tirelessly to ensure that help is just a call or conversation away.
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Jalecia Beatty - Regional Clinical Director
Jalecia is a licensed clinical mental health counselor associate (LCMHC) and serves as the Clinical Director. She started at Bright Path as a graduate student intern and is an instrumental part of the program’s growth and development.
Jalecia attended East Carolina University for undergraduate and graduate studies; and has a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition with a concentration in science, and a master’s in clinical counseling in mental health and substance abuse.
She is passionate about expanding access to intensive and quality mental health care for adolescents. As someone who has navigated their own journey towards healing and self-acceptance, she personally knows how important it is to have a safe space during your healing journey and how limited the options are for teens. It’s her goal, as one of the psychotherapists and as the PHP program manager, to provide that for teens who are struggling as well as work towards increasing the resources that are available.
In her free time, she loves traveling and spending time watching Supernatural with her dogs!
Ari D’Alessandro - Teen Care Advocate
Ari graduated from NC State in 2024 with a B.A. in psychology and minors in philosophy, cognitive science, and dance. She spent two years working as a research assistant with a focus on ethics of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and serves as an editorial intern for the American Journal of Bioethics Neuroscience. She has also volunteered as a crisis counselor with Crisis Text line since 2021, which sparked her interest in crisis intervention and providing empathetic mental health care to those in need.
Ari is enthusiastic about providing empowering mental health care to teens and young adults, particularly through teaching dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills, and is interested in the application of creative therapies, such as dance movement therapy (DMT). She hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology with an interdisciplinary research focus on personality disorders and the development of novel personality assessments at the intersection of psychology and philosophy. In her free time, Ari enjoys writing, dancing, and spending time with friends.
Michele Jones - Education Liaison
Michele is a native of Fayetteville, N.C. She attended and graduated from Hampton University with a bachelor’s in social work (BSW). Working in various positions before settling in New York to work for a Non-Profit Foster Care Agency as a Social Worker, where she learned of her love for working with adolescents and their families. Ms. Jones then decided to further her education to learn how to effectively help individuals and families deal with the many struggles they faced and went on to earn a master’s degree in social work (MSW) from Hunter College School of Social Work.
Upon moving back to North Carolina and continuing to work with young people as a North Carolina Board Certified Special Education Master Teacher. Ms. Jones taught in North Carolina Public Schools for 18 years as a Special Education Teacher for students with various Learning Disabilities at the Elementary and High School level.
She believes students must be healthy to be educated and educated to be healthy. She uses a collaborative approach and various treatment modalities that have helped strengthen family units, also identifying and treating the core of any diagnosis or issue is essential when working with individuals.
In her spare time, Ms. Jones enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, and enjoying her happy place, the North Carolina Beaches.
You can do hard things.
Read our reviews!
Choosing a teen mental health treatment center in North Carolina means selecting a facility trusted by adolescents, families, schools, and referring clinicians.
Scout O’Brien
This place is awesome!!!! From my experience as a patient here, all the staff are really kind and patient and have helped me through my crisis and my therapy journey. They also have snacks!!! I highly recommend this place for anyone who needs it. :D
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Ben Pfotenhauer
Bright Path Behavioral Health offers exceptional anxiety treatment for teens in Wake Forest. Their tailored treatment plans and compassionate staff helped my teen manage their anxiety effectively. Highly recommend their comprehensive approach to anxiety treatment!
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John Doe
Ride The Wave!
- Tony
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CROAXER
Changed my life forever. Put me on a Brightpath :)
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Lesley Ireland
I don’t typically leave reviews but I do not want any other child or family to struggle when there is an amazing resource like Bright Path in our community. My daughter is still a patient in the PHP and has also been in the IOP. I can’t say enough wonderful things about the program, the staff and most importantly, the significant improvement in my daughter’s symptoms. It is not an exaggeration when I say she is a different person and for the better. She was suffering with symptoms she didn’t understand and the team at Bright Path has given her the tools to continue her mental health self care throughout her life. I wish every teen had this opportunity. I can’t thank BP enough and I wish I could give a million stars rather than 5!
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K Farnsworth
My child went through the PHP program and it was a major turning point in their recovery. It was Bright Path or residential, and having that option for PHP at a place that felt safe with practitioners who truly care was a godsend. I can’t say enough good things about how my child did. The bonus was that my child also liked going! They made some true friends there.
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Tiffany Munro
I can't say enough good things about Bright Path. They are so different than other PHPs in the Raleigh area. The staff genuinely cares about the clients and their families. From intake to graduation from the program we felt care and professionalism every step of the way. Positive attitudes, willingness to look deeper into issues, communication is excellent, and always willing to listen to find solutions or just be the support we needed. I wish they could train other PHPs in the state, because they are doing it the right way.
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North Carolina Teen Mental Health Treatment FAQ
North Carolina reports 128,000 adolescents ages 12-17 have depression, according to NAMI's 2021 Mental Health in North Carolina study. Nationally, one in six U.S. youth aged 6-17 experiences a mental health disorder each year.
Your teen needs mental health treatment when symptoms persist despite outpatient interventions. Teens may also have multiple life domains impacted, such as school, friendships, or family. If your teen is experiencing suicidal ideation, self-harm behaviors, has school refusal, or has had a recent psychiatric hospitalization, your teen likely needs more support.
Confidentiality is an important factor for anyone who participates in therapy. Your teen's therapy sessions are confidential and will not be shared with anyone else without their permission. There are some limits to confidentiality that teens are made aware of in sessions. Those limits include hurting themself, hurting others, and others hurting them. Therapists share treatment progress and general information with parents through weekly caregiver check-ins; however, the purpose of those check-ins is to share updates on treatment, not the contents of the therapy session.
We recognize that school can have an influence on whether people decide to seek support and begin treatment. While at Bright Path, your teen may receive different types of support for their academics. Teens in PHP will temporarily pause attendance in school, but will focus on mastery assignments that our Education Liaisons coordinate with the school. Your teen participates in a minimum of one hour daily in the classroom. Pre-discharge school re-entry meetings prepare teens and school personnel for successful return to regular attendance.
Bright Path provides medication services to all teens participating in treatment. Teens meet with psychiatric providers weekly regardless of whether they take psychiatric medications. Medication remains optional rather than required for program participation. The medication philosophy prioritizes working with your teen and with you to make an informed choice. Psychiatric providers also take a holistic approach and incorporate alternative paths to address symptoms and facilitate conversations around sleep hygiene, nutrition, and physical activity.
Bright Path is one of the few teen-exclusive treatment centers in North Carolina. Our program was intentionally designed to meet the developmental needs of adolescents. Our approach is grounded in working with the teen, not on the teen, creating a more collaborative approach.
Caregiver participation is a vital piece of your teen's treatment. While in PHP, families participate in weekly family therapy sessions addressing communication barriers, relationships, and safety planning. In PHP and IOP, caregivers receive weekly check-ins with their teen's primary therapist. These check-ins are separate from family therapy sessions. Caregivers can also participate in the Caregiver Support Groups offered throughout the week. Your teen's Aftercare Coordinator will also support you and your teen in ensuring that you have the resources you need as you discharge from Bright Path so that you are not left to find support on your own.
Teens may be resistant to treatment initially. It can feel overwhelming and uncomfortable at first for some teens to buy into treatment. If your teen is refusing treatment or even expressing some hesitancy, our Admissions Coordinators are there to help walk alongside you in getting them to treatment. As a way to become more comfortable, teens can take a tour of the building and even meet some of the staff. They will have the opportunity to ask questions that they have and express their worries. Many initially resistant teens become engaged once meeting staff and peer group members.
The starting question for aftercare isn't "what's the matter with your teen?" It's "what matters to your teen?" We want them stepping into a life that actually feels worth showing up for — one with real outlets for joy, connection, movement, and the kind of identity exploration that's supposed to happen when you're a teenager.
That said, we want to be honest with you: completing PHP or IOP doesn't mean your teen is "all done." It means they've built a real foundation — the skills, the self-awareness, the tools — to engage in regular outpatient therapy in a deeper, more meaningful way than before. This is a chapter in the story, not the last page. Continued care matters, and we'll make sure they don't leave without a solid team to walk beside them next.
And the path doesn't end at discharge. Our alumni program is open to all Bright Path graduates and creates real opportunities for social connection, Teen Mental Health First Aid training, and continued growth. Because we believe in walking beside people — even after they've left our doors.
It varies. For some, insurance covers 100%, while others have to meet their deductible before insurance assists. There is no one-size-fits-all answer because the honest answer is that cost depends on a multitude of factors, including level of care, your specific insurance carrier, and where you are in your plan (how much of your deductible you've met, what your out-of-pocket maximum looks like, and more).
What we can tell you is that you won't have to figure it out alone.
Our admissions coordinators and family financial coordinator work together to get you the most transparent, conservative cost estimate possible — no surprises, no runaround. And whether you're in-network or out-of-network, our utilization team handles all the billing and insurance coordination on your behalf. That's a burden we carry, so you don't have to.
You're already doing the hard work of showing up for your teen. Let us handle the paperwork.
Bright Path works with teens experiencing co-occurring conditions, which may include ADHD or ASD. At Bright Path, our primary goal is to address the primary symptoms that are impacting your teens' day-to-day lives. While we do not directly treat ADHD or ASD, we can address some of the symptoms that are associated with them and prepare resources for your teen after discharge that will allow them to continue to address those needs in a specialized approach.
Bright Path's teen-centered philosophy creates an affirming environment for LGBTQIA+ adolescents. The clinical team prioritizes identity exploration and acceptance for each teen in treatment.
Bright Path operates two North Carolina locations in Wake Forest and Hillsborough. Both locations offer similar high-quality and developmentally appropriate care for teens in need of PHP or IOP. There may be variations between sites with certain groups. This is because Bright Path partners with community members to bring different specialties, allowing for a variety of group topics and approaches.
Insurance Providers We Work With
Bright Path accepts major commercial insurance and Tricare for teen mental health treatment throughout North Carolina.
- Bright Path is in-network with the following providers
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Aetna
- Cigna
- Medcost
- Tricare
Bright Path can bill other major commercial insurances for out-of-network coverage and can advocate for insurance exceptions through Single Case Agreements and Network Gap Exceptions with the following insurances:
- United Healthcare (including UMR)
- Ambetter
- Beacon
Don’t see your insurance listed? Call and ask one of our admissions coordinators!
We serve the mental health needs of teens throughout North Carolina
Bright Path has two physical locations in North Carolina offering in-person PHP and IOP programs — each one designed specifically for where a teen is in their journey and their stage of life. Can't make it to one of our locations? Our Virtual IOP brings the same quality of care to teens across the state.
Wake Forest
Our Wake Forest location sits at 203 Capcom Avenue, Suite 104, Wake Forest, NC 27587 — close enough to actually be convenient for families across Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill, Apex, Holly Springs, Garner, Clayton, Knightdale, and the greater Wake County area. We're proud to be a part of this community, not just operating in it.
Hillsborough
Our Hillsborough location sits at 980 Corporate Drive, Hillsborough, NC — right in the heart of a community we're proud to call home. Conveniently accessible for families across Chapel Hill, Durham, Carrboro, Mebane, Burlington, and Orange County, we're here for the northern Research Triangle and Piedmont region — and we're genuinely invested in the people who live here.
Virtual
Good care shouldn't depend on your zip code. Bright Path's Virtual IOP serves teens and families across North Carolina - bringing the same teen-centered, evidence-based programming as our in-person locations through a secure, HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform. No commute. No geographic barrier. Just real support, wherever you are.
Take A Look Around
Bright Path doesn't look like a hospital — and that's intentional. Our group therapy rooms are warm, comfortable spaces built for doing hard things — not sterile environments that make you feel like a patient the moment you walk in.
Individual therapy offices are private and confidential — a dedicated space each week for teens to do the deeper work with their primary therapist.
For PHP students, our classroom space blends the therapeutic and academic in a way that actually works — supporting daily self-directed, clinically supervised schoolwork while giving teens and their Education Liaisons a chance to explore options that might make the school experience a little easier going forward.
Our creative therapy spaces reflect something we believe pretty deeply: teens don't always process through words. Music, horticulture, art — these aren't extras. They're real, evidence-informed ways teens engage authentically when traditional talk therapy isn't quite enough.
Can't get a feel through pictures? Call one of our admissions coordinators to set up a tour.
We Work With Teens Navigating…
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Licenses, Accreditations and Awards
Families choose Bright Path because they've done their homework — and because when they walk through our doors, it actually feels like what it said it would be. We hold ourselves to a high standard — not because we have to, but because your teen deserves nothing less. Our CARF accreditation and state licensing aren't just credentials on a wall. They're proof that what we say we are, we actually are.
