With a background in sports and football coaching, Patrick Van Amburgh has a degree in school guidance and worked as an in-school suspension teacher at Wallkill Senior High School in New York. In 2009, Patrick Van Amburgh also served in a psychological healthcare role at a residential center for adults with mental health disorders.

1. The Benefits of
Residential Care for
Mental Health
Patrick Van Amburgh

2. Introduction
With a background in sports and football coaching, Patrick Van
Amburgh has a degree in school guidance and worked as an in-school
suspension teacher at Wallkill Senior High School in New York. In
2009, Patrick Van Amburgh also served in a psychological healthcare
role at a residential center for adults with mental health disorders.
Mental health disorders are common in the US, affecting an
estimated one in four people. Residential care is an option for people
who have disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder,
schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, or psychological issues
that are combined with substance use. Residents live in home-like
settings with others in a range of different structures, the type
depending on the issues addressed and the population being served.

3. Mental Health
Residential care can often achieve better clinical outcomes than
shorter-term hospital stays, for a number of reasons. Hospitals can
be isolating, and without a consistent structure of care and a
supportive community, individuals may not benefit as much as they
could from their treatment. When people leave the hospital, they
may not continue to reach out for help from outpatient resources.
Some may leave the hospital and return to isolation, and others may
return to family structures that are likely to trigger a psychological
relapse.
Every individual is different and will have different treatment needs.
The best residential care programs acknowledge this and offer
diverse, individualized treatment plans for residents. Psychological
disorders can be complex and severe, and a structured environment
providing consistent support from experienced professionals is very
important for healing.