ADAMS TWP — MHY Family Services officials say while many organizations that serve at-risk youth are reducing or eliminating residential services for young adults with emotional and behavioral issues, MHY will re-launch their girls residential treatment facility program this fall.

MHY Executive Director Lisa Schiller recently announced that a glaring need was evident in the region for trauma-informed treatment programming for girls.

To fill the gap, Schiller said MHY is restructuring their previous residential treatment facility to offer a comprehensive, gender-specific program for girls ages 12 to 17.

The facility will provide a more intimate, targeted approach designed to help girls heal.

“There is no other program like this in the region,” said Schiller. “Our new girls RTF will not only provide gender-specific programming, it will provide the tools needed to recover from significant mental health and behavioral issues.”

She said area girls will not be shipped to a faraway location for treatment once the MHY program is in place.

“It will keep these girls close to home and near their families, hopefully making it easier to heal,” Schiller said.

The program is designed to be sensitive and attentive to the unique developmental needs of teenage girls, and will be based on trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy with a concentration on individual sessions, consistent meetings with psychiatrists and at-home family sessions, Schiller said.

The length of treatment will be six to 12 months, with the expectation that clients will reunite with their families, schools and communities successfully.

An existing building on the MHY campus on Route 228 will be remodeled in a $300,000 project, and will accommodate eight girls at a time.

Schiller said MHY is actively seeking partnerships to assist in the renovation.

More information is available online at mhyfamilyservices.org.