In the midst of a well-documented mental health crisis among young people—one that predated but was intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic—providing evidence-based, empirically supported treatment has never been more critical. Today, the nation’s leading treatment provider for teens and young adults with primary mental health disorders, Newport Healthcare, published its treatment outcomes report indicating significant, sustained improvement in clients’ mental health issues.
A full copy of the report can be found here.
Newport Healthcare offers residential and outpatient treatment programs for teens and young adults struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, and other mental health disorders, as well as co-occurring substance use and eating disorders. Its rigorous outcomes collection process, conducted in partnership with Drexel University’s Center for Family Intervention Science, includes a full spectrum of assessments and measures to support individualized care. Responses are collected at intake, at week 3, and at week 5 of treatment. The primary measurement tool used is the Behavioral Health Screen (BHS), which assesses multiple domains of symptoms and risk factors. The BHS is supplemented by industry-standard scales including the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Experiences in Close Relationships-Relationship Structures (ECR-RS), Working Alliance Inventory (WAI), and the World Health Organization’s Well-Being Index (WHO-5). In addition, three Newport-specific scales are used to measure treatment satisfaction and academic improvement.
Based on the BHS, 73% of Newport’s clients had more than one behavioral health condition when they arrived, and average anxiety and depression scores were higher at intake in 2021 than in 2020, potentially indicative of pandemic trauma. Outcomes data show that clients achieved meaningful decreases in anxiety and depression over the course of treatment, as well as clinically significant improvements in well-being, suicidality, academic skills and engagement, and family attachment.
“Our outcomes research makes it abundantly clear that a family-focused approach, which addresses the trauma and attachment wounds underlying mental health conditions, drives measurable and sustainable change for our young people and families,” said Newport’s Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Barbara Nosal. “These validated results, alongside our everyday experience with the teens and young adults in our care, demonstrate a positive impact on today’s youth mental health crisis.”
Newport surveyed over 1,700 clients in 2021, with 65% reporting moderately severe depression symptoms and 59% reporting clinically severe anxiety at intake. Well-being increased for all patients throughout treatment, including those with severe depression and anxiety. In addition, therapeutic alliance and treatment satisfaction were high.
“This data indicating the efficacy of our integrated treatment approach would mean little if not for our parallel emphasis on treatment accessibility and affordability,” said Newport Healthcare CEO Joe Procopio. “We are very pleased to announce these industry-leading outcomes as we continue to open new locations for young people in critical need of help, while also expanding our in-network insurance options to cover the cost of treatment for families. These efforts combined will make a significant difference in many lives.”
In addition to producing increasingly more robust outcomes analyses to inform program evolution and improvement, Newport’s internal and independent third-party research teams work to generate empirically supported best practice recommendations for the larger treatment community. The team is currently integrating two additional scales into the 2022 outcomes research process, to be included in next year’s report.