[Skip to Content]

Group Home

Group Home

Higdon Hill Group Home Program

Higdon Hill Group Home, a service of Hill Crest Behavioral Health Services, offers the opportunity for recipients that have completed the RTC program, or demonstrate a need for monitoring in a group home setting to refine or further develop basic living skills, to practice their skills in a more independent setting. Higdon Hill Group Home serves adolescent males and females ages eleven (11) to nineteen (19) who do not meet admission criteria for acute services. The goal of the program is to maintain and continue progress achieved through treatment in a more independent setting. There is an increased emphasis on the development and use of basic living skills, including cooking, cleaning, budgeting, completion of activities of daily living, and other skills to prepare recipients for increased independence in future settings.

The program maintains adequate staffing with rotating, awake staff available seven (7) days a week, twenty four (24) hours a day. The staffing ratio for the Higdon Hill Group Home level of care is one (1) MHT to every eight (8) patients from 0700 to 2300 and one (1) MHT to every ten (10) patients 2300 to 0700. Nursing consultation is available to recipients twenty four (24) hours a day. Therapists are credentialed at the Master’s level and service a caseload of 10 patients.

Treatment is individualized and focused on identifying and developing strengths specific to the patient. There is an emphasis on development of basic living skills and application of skills to manage social, behavioral, and emotional needs. There are frequent opportunities for community integration through outings. The program aim is to safely and promptly step the patient down to a permanent, less restrictive setting.

The Higdon Hill Group Home program is facilitated in compliance with the Alabama Department of Human Resources Minimum Standards for Residential Child Care Facilities. This includes training on psychotropic medications and the mental health and behavioral diagnoses served within the programs. Additionally, the program is licensed by the Alabama Department of Human Resources and certified by The Joint Commission/CMS.

Mental Health and Teens

The World Health Organization suggests that mental illness starts at a young age, with most beginning before the person turns 14. Early detection and an accurate diagnosis can be key in getting to the root of the issues and setting young people on the right path moving forward. 

Depression and anxiety tend to be the highest percentage of mental disorders in teens, and that number continues to grow each year according to studies done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Breaking the stigma surrounding mental health is extremely important to stop this trend, as is getting people who have mental health issues help from mental health professionals as early as possible. Getting your loved one help now could prevent a lifetime of mental health struggles.

Assessment(s) include:

Our treatment center for teens includes assessments that can determine the type of mental health disorders that need to be treated. No patient is the same, and specialized treatment is not one-size-fits-all. 

We offer several assessments, including: 

  • Psychiatric, with others as needed
  • Nursing
  • Psychosocial
  • Educational

Individualized services include:

Psychiatric care for teens often includes individualized services to get to the root of the patient’s mental health issues. Our group home for teens can include individualized services, including: 

  • Weekly individual therapy sessions
  • Family therapy sessions when appropriate
  • Psychiatric care
  • Monthly treatment team meetings
  • Master treatment plan reviews
  • And discharge planning

Group services:

Teen treatment that includes group therapy services can benefit patients through building social skills, comfort, a support system and more. Our group therapy sessions covers such topics as:

  • Anger management
  • Conflict resolution
  • Stress management
  • Goal setting
  • Recreational therapy
  • Independent living skills
  • Community-based outings
  • And more

School/Curriculum features:

Your loved one’s education is important – and so is their mental health. At Hill Crest Behavioral Health Services, we understand this, and offer a school curriculum in order to balance both out and make sure that they are not left behind in school while they work on the very important goal of improving their mental health. 

Your loved one’s mental health should not be ignored, but neither should their education. Our Higdon Hill Group Program recognizes that through school/curriculum features, including: 

  • Licensed private school with state support services
  • Master’s-level teachers
  • Facility and community-based instruction

Locations

Higdon Hill
6865 5th Avenue South
Birmingham, AL, 35212
Phone: 205-833-9000

Bessemer
1631 2nd Avenue North
Bessemer, AL 35020
Phone: 205-428-8046

Help is Just a Phone Call Away

Hill Crest Behavioral Health Services’ professional staff are here to help. Call 205-833-9000 or 800-292-8553 for a no-cost, confidential assessment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you need immediate medical assistance, contact 911 or seek the nearest emergency room.