Bradley Vista: Supporting Teens with Mental Health and Substance Use Issues
Substance use, drug overdoses, and mental health issues are intertwined crises that exacerbate the severity of each other, often with devastating results. As many as eight in ten teens who face challenges with alcohol or other drugs also struggle with mental health issues. This comorbidity is not surprising given that mental health concerns among today's teens are on the rise, outpacing those of previous generations and showing no signs of decline.
More teens are expressing increased levels of hopelessness, sadness, loneliness, and thoughts of suicide than ever before, and rates of suicide continue to climb. Turning to alcohol or other drugs to cope has become all too common, leading many youths down the path toward long-term struggles with addiction. While addressing both mental health and substance use at an early stage is the most successful treatment approach, there is a persistent shortage in our community and nationwide of specialized care for these youth.
Robert Miranda Jr., PhD, ABPP, directs Vista at Bradley Hospital. This specialized intensive outpatient program provides comprehensive evaluation and treatment for adolescents who face a variety of mental health and substance use issues. Vista, established in 2017 and federally recognized as a model treatment program, was created to bridge a critical treatment gap in our community and deliver exceptional care to adolescents and their families. Vista at Bradley Hospital is a clinical service that utilizes the best available research and takes a holistic approach to addressing substance use while promoting psychological health and family wellness. In addition to Vista, Dr. Miranda is a professor of psychiatry and human behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, where he directs a federally funded research program on the treatment of young people with substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders, with a particular focus on testing new pharmacological and behavioral interventions.
Dr. Miranda Answers Common Questions about Vista
What can teens and families expect from Vista?
Our main goal is to ensure teens and their families can access the most advanced clinical care. From behavioral interventions to pharmacotherapy, we want families to feel confident knowing they are getting the best available care for adolescents with substance use and mental health issues.
Tell us about your approach.
We strive to build a collaborative and supportive relationship that lacks judgment, emphasizes compassion, and explores each teen's thoughts about their use. We strongly believe teens experience the most success when receiving services in an inclusive and supportive environment. We help teens build motivation for change, acquire new skills to address substance use, improve wellness and mental health, and achieve initial abstinence. We also work to improve family functioning, support, and stabilize medications when indicated. Each teen and family are unique, with their distinct values, identities, needs, and goals. We are committed to helping them achieve their objectives. These objectives serve as catalysts for sustaining behavior change, improving psychiatric symptoms, and preparing adolescents for a lower level of care and longer-term success.
What services are available through Vista?
The program operates three afternoons weekly, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. This schedule provides youth with intensive services while allowing them to attend school and practice newly acquired skills in their daily lives. We deliver all aspects of the program online (telehealth), making our services more easily accessible for families.
Teens and their families have frequent access to a multidisciplinary team of specialists. The Vista team — psychologists, psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, nurses, and behavioral health specialists — will work collaboratively to provide the highest quality services.
Our services include individual, family, and group therapy, psychiatric care, and additional medical and school consultations, as needed. The length of the program varies depending on each teen's treatment goals.
Contact Us
For more information or to make an appointment, call Vista at 401-432-1695.