Short-Term Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (pRTF)

Short-Term Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (pRTF)

The short-term psychiatric residential treatment facility (pRTF) offers children and adolescents a transition to family living with community-based services over an average period of 60 days.

The pRTF is a 10-bed unit at LECOM Medical Center and Behavioral Health Pavilion for children ages 7-17.

With a 1:4 staff-to-youth ratio and 24/7 supervision, the pRTF program provides a supportive environment that promotes success through the delivery of therapeutic intervention in the least restrictive environment. Individualized schedules include daily routine, positive behavior reinforcement, educational groups, and treatment planning.

At the heart of the PRTF is a therapeutic framework built to help kids feel safe, supported, and understood.

Therapeutic Framework includes: 

• Each day follows a structured and predictable routine, giving the program participants the consistency they need to feel secure.
• Care is trauma-informed, meaning the program recognizes the impact of past experiences and creates space for healing, while giving youth a voice and choice in their treatment and daily activities.
• Care is delivered by a full team of experts- psychiatrists, therapists, and educational specialists, working together to meet each child’s unique needs.

And when it’s time to transition home, pRTF overlaps services and partners closely with community supports, like Family Based Mental Health teams, so progress continues and families feel confident carrying skills forward.

Daily Programming: 

Each day at the pRTF is thoughtfully designed to balance structure, growth, and connection.

• Positive behavior supports — Coaching, redirection, and reflection are paired with reinforcement and fair consequences to guide youth toward healthier choices.
• Therapeutic and educational groups — Children and teens build real-life skills through coping strategies, problem-solving, mindfulness, and wellness activities that strengthen both mind and body. Along the way, they learn to connect and interact with others in positive, meaningful ways.
• Collaborative treatment planning — Care is a team effort. Through goal-setting and motivational approaches, youth explore their values, identify what matters most, and chart their own path toward progress. Families are invited to take part whenever possible, reinforcing support both in and beyond the program.

Referral Process:

Providers: To see if your referral may be a fit for the pRTF program, please fill out a short pre-screener questionnaire.

This brief pre-screener helps determine if a referral is appropriate for the pRTF program. It focuses on safety, service alignment, and logistics. Because the program is designed for short-term stabilization (an average stay of 60 days), making a good referral is especially important. 

By answering these questions first, time can be saved for both the person completing the referral and the team reviewing it, ensuring that only appropriate referrals move forward to the full form. 

Please answer the following questions to see if the full referral form is the next step. 

Ideal Program Participants:

• Age: Children and adolescents aged 7 to 17.
• Treatment Duration: Individuals requiring short-term stabilization, averaging 60 days.
• Diagnosis: Patients with a primary psychiatric diagnosis necessitating intensive residential intervention.
• Functionality: Youth capable of participating in a structured program that includes therapeutic and educational activities.
• Family Involvement: Cases where family engagement is feasible and encouraged, as this program emphasizes reintegration into family and community settings.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Age Limit: Individuals 18 years or older are not eligible for admission.
• Medical Needs: Patients requiring acute medical care beyond psychiatric services.

Contact Information:

LECOM Medical Center and Behavioral Health Pavilion Phone – (814) 868-8286
LECOM Medical Center and Behavioral Health Pavilion Email – lecomprtf@mch1.org