Finding the right support for a child struggling with emotional or behavioral challenges is often one of the most stressful tasks a parent can face. You want to ensure that your child receives high-quality care that is close to home, allowing for family involvement and a sense of connection during the healing process. Ascend Behavioral Health is dedicated to bridging the gap in mental health services across California’s Central Valley. We have established multiple facilities designed to provide a safe, structured environment where young people can stabilize and learn the skills necessary for a healthy future.
Our network of treatment centers ensures that families in Fresno, Kern, and Tulare counties have access to evidence-based care without needing to travel to major metropolitan areas like Los Angeles or San Francisco. By offering a continuum of care that ranges from round-the-clock residential supervision to flexible outpatient support, we meet families where they are in their journey. Whether you are looking for crisis stabilization or ongoing therapeutic support, our locations are equipped to help your child thrive using proven methods like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and family therapy.
For decades, the Central Valley has been underserved regarding specialized adolescent behavioral health. Parents often found themselves driving hours for appointments or facing long waitlists for local providers. We recognized this need and built a network of facilities that allows teens and children to receive top-tier clinical care within their own communities. This local approach is vital because it allows for consistent family involvement, which is a cornerstone of long-term recovery for conditions like anxiety and depression.
Navigating the landscape of treatment options can be confusing. It involves understanding the difference between various levels of care and finding a facility that accepts your specific age group. We serve families from Lemoore, Tulare, Selma, Madera, and Clovis, acting as a regional hub for healing. By positioning our centers strategically in Fresno, Visalia, and Bakersfield, we ensure that high-quality mental healthcare is accessible to the vast majority of families living in the heart of California.
Our Fresno location serves as a comprehensive hub for pediatric and adolescent mental health, offering a full spectrum of services from inpatient stabilization to outpatient maintenance. This facility is designed to support children as young as 9 years old up to adolescents aged 17. By offering multiple levels of care in one region, we can seamlessly transition a child from a high-intensity program down to a lower level of support as they show progress, ensuring continuity in their treatment team and therapeutic approach.
The services in Fresno include a robust Residential Inpatient Treatment program for those requiring 24/7 supervision. For families who need structured support but want their child to sleep at home, we offer both a Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) and an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP). This flexibility allows us to treat a wide variety of conditions tailored specifically to the developmental needs of both pre-teens (9-12) and teenagers (12-17).
Located to the south of Fresno, our Visalia facility provides a vital resource for families in Tulare County and the surrounding areas. Like our Fresno location, Visalia offers a comprehensive path of recovery for children and adolescents. We understand that younger children have different emotional needs than older teens, which is why our programs are segmented to provide age-appropriate care for the 9-12 age group as well as the 12-17 demographic. This ensures that a 10-year-old is interacting with peers at a similar developmental stage, rather than older adolescents.
The Visalia mental health services cover the full journey of recovery. A child may begin in our residential program to address immediate safety concerns or severe emotional dysregulation. As they stabilize, they can step down to our outpatient programs, allowing them to reintegrate into their schools and homes while still receiving substantial therapeutic support. This location focuses heavily on building resilience and social skills, utilizing modalities like play therapy for younger clients and talk therapy for teens.
Our Bakersfield location is specifically focused on providing high-level residential care for adolescents. This facility is tailored exclusively for teens aged 12 to 17 who are facing significant mental health challenges that require a safe, immersive healing environment. Because this location focuses on residential inpatient care, it is optimized for high-acuity cases where safety and stabilization are the primary goals.
The Bakersfield mental health services provided here are intensive and structured. The program is designed to help teens disconnect from the stressors of their daily lives—whether that be negative peer influences, academic pressure, or family conflict—and focus entirely on their well-being. The clinical team at Bakersfield utilizes evidence-based practices to help teens manage conditions like bipolar disorder and severe anxiety.
Deciding which location is best for your child usually depends on two main factors: your geographical location and the specific needs of your child. Generally, we encourage families to utilize the facility closest to them to make family therapy and visitation easier. However, clinical needs also play a role. For example, if you live in Kern County and your teen requires residential care, Bakersfield is the natural choice. If you live in the same area but require outpatient support, our admissions team might discuss how our other locations or virtual options could support you.
Furthermore, the age of your child is a determining factor. Families with children in the 9-12 age range will find specific programming tailored to this younger demographic at our Fresno and Visalia locations. These programs differ significantly from teen tracks, incorporating more behavioral modeling and developmental play. Ultimately, you do not have to make this decision alone; our clinical intake coordinators will review your child’s history and recommend the facility that offers the most appropriate environment for their specific diagnosis and age.
We know that asking for help takes courage. Getting in touch is the first step. We’re here for you, no matter what. Once submitted, our admissions team will be in touch within 24 hours.
Or call us directly to get started: 559-472-3371
Parents often struggle to distinguish between “normal” growing pains and signs of a serious mental health condition. Adolescence is naturally a time of change, but when shifts in mood or behavior begin to disrupt daily functioning, it may be time to seek professional help. If your child’s grades are dropping significantly, or if they are withdrawing from friends and activities they once loved, these are red flags.
Other warning signs include severe mood swings, changes in sleeping or eating habits, and expressions of hopelessness. In more severe cases, you may notice signs of self-harm or substance abuse. Trust your instincts; if you feel like you are “walking on eggshells” around your child or if the atmosphere in the home has become unmanageable, an assessment is a proactive step toward safety. Early intervention is key to preventing these issues from escalating into long-term struggles.
We understand that when you are in a crisis, the last thing you want to do is navigate a phone tree or call multiple offices to find an open bed. To make the process as simple and stress-free as possible, Ascend Behavioral Health utilizes a single, combined office and admissions team for all our facilities. You do not need to look up separate numbers for Fresno, Visalia, or Bakersfield to start the intake process.
When you contact us, you will be connected with a compassionate admissions specialist who has visibility into the availability and programming at all three of our locations. They will guide you through the insurance verification process, conduct a preliminary assessment, and help handle the logistics of getting your child into the right program. This centralized approach ensures that you get immediate answers and that your child is placed in the facility that best matches their clinical needs and your family’s location.
Taking the first step toward treatment is often the hardest, but it is also the most courageous thing you can do for your child. At Ascend Behavioral Health, we are committed to guiding you through every stage of this process, from the initial phone call to discharge planning. Our team is ready to answer your questions, verify your insurance benefits, and welcome your family into a community dedicated to healing. Please reach out to our admissions team today and find the right location for your child’s recovery.
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