Our sister program, Dunwoody Behavioral Health Center, is a residential mental health treatment program that allows the time, space, and support needed for clients to recover from a mental health crisis. Our inpatient mental health facilities in Atlanta, GA can help you recover safely and effectively without fear of triggers or relapse. Within this program, clients learn how to manage their diagnoses and the skills to cultivate long-term mental wellness. We are one of the most comprehensive residential mental health facilities in Atlanta, Georgia.
What is Residential Mental Health Treatment?
Residential treatment is a step down from inpatient mental health care and usually takes place in a more home-like facility. It provides clinical care as well as a continuum of care. This approach offers individuals the necessary tools to better cope with mental health disorders. Typically, residential treatment involves round-the-clock support, as well as various forms of psychotherapy. Treatment also includes individual and group sessions. Residential programs can provide a safe, secure environment, allowing individuals to focus on their healing without having to worry about external stress or distractions. With regular support from therapists and other healthcare professionals, as well as a strong community of peers, residential treatment can be an effective way to manage mental health. Additionally, residential treatment centers often offer unique activities and opportunities for personal growth.
Mental Health Disorders We Treat
- Anxiety disorders
- Depression
- Bipolar disorder (types 1 and 2)
- Schizophrenia
- Schizoaffective disorder
- PTSD
- OCD
- Personality disorders
- Suicidal thoughts
- Self-harm
- Eating disorders
- Dual diagnosis

What are Residential Mental Health Facilities in Atlanta, GA Like?
Residential mental health facilities in Atlanta, Georgia are an effective solution for those dealing with ongoing mental health disorders. These can include major depression or bipolar disorder. Additionally, residential treatment is beneficial for individuals who are struggling with suicidal thoughts and other mental health disorders that require more intense care and monitoring than our outpatient programs. Our residential treatment program is unlocked and voluntary. Clients share a room with one other patient, as opposed to an acute hospital setting. As such, they are in a much smaller and more intimate program and living style. By providing both structure and freedom in a supportive environment, our residential program is designed to help individuals feel empowered while managing their mental health disorders. All of our residential mental health facilities are licensed by the state of Georgia.
How Long is Residential Treatment?
Our residential treatment program is unlocked and voluntary. The best level of care for individuals leaving a hospital or acute care facility is often a residential program. The average length of stay for residential is four to six weeks before stepping down to a PHP or IOP. Treatment hours are approximately eight hours a day for psychiatric and therapeutic sessions.
Therapies We Use During Residential Treatment
Mental health treatments are methods used to help individuals with mental health disorders manage their symptoms and improve their well-being. These treatments can include evidence-based therapies as well as medications. A doctor or a psychiatrist can prescribe medications that support an individual’s mental health related to their diagnosis. Alternative treatments such as yoga, meditation, and mindfulness may also be helpful for some individuals. Each person is unique and what works for one person may not necessarily work for another. Therefore, people should talk to a mental health professional about appropriate treatment options for them. Southern Live Oak Wellness offers a wide range of mental health treatment modalities and services.Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a psychotherapeutic approach that focuses on helping individuals identify and modify maladaptive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors to improve their overall well-being. CBT typically involves exploring the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and actions. It emphasizes that individuals have the power to change their thoughts, feelings, and behavior to improve their physical and psychological health.Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
DBT is a form of CBT that focuses on helping individuals better regulate their emotions by developing skills related to mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotion regulation. Further, it incorporates elements of meditation with cognitive-behavioral approaches to help people gain a better understanding of their emotions and how they interact with others.Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR is a therapeutic technique that pairs feelings, emotions, and thoughts with bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements, for clients to effectively work through disturbing memories. Therapy sessions focus on decreasing emotionality and lowering the vividness of imagery associated with traumatic incidents. EMDR focuses on and utilizes the brain’s ability to learn to reorganize previous experiences and develop a new healthier perspective.Brain Mapping
Using a diagnostic tool called a Quantitative Electroencephalogram, or QEEG, brain mapping helps to provide crucial information on an array of brain-based disorders including anxiety and depression.Medication Stabilization
Southern Live Oak Wellness provides a secure, structured, on-site medication stabilization setting. Accordingly, our psychiatrist is on-site 40 hours a week to monitor medications and make patients aware of potential side effects. Also, our RN runs medication education groups to help clients understand the symptoms, causes, and necessity of medication.Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
This non-invasive technique uses magnetic fields to activate nerve cells in the brain to relieve symptoms of depression. TMS is usually used when other depression therapies have not been successful. TMS is offered at all levels of care, including on an outpatient basis.Alpha-Stim Therapy
The Alpha-Stim electrotherapy tool is helpful and safe in the treatment of pain, anxiety, sleeplessness, and depression. There are no long-term negative effects, no risk of addiction, and no drug interactions.
We understand balance is an important part of every person’s life. This is why during non-clinical times, clients can relax in the game room, play video games, watch TV, utilize the music studio, or participate in art projects. Also, we offer additional services including, but not limited to, cooking classes, gym services, job skills, and other types of therapeutic activities.

Benefits of Residential Mental Health Treatment
All components of our residential treatment connect to our Southern Live Oak Wellness mental health programs. This comprehensive approach helps our clients continue healing while rediscovering who they are. By helping people define who they are and who they want to be, we give our clients the best chance at long-term success. In addition, they learn the practical skills necessary for managing their mental health. Overall, residential mental health treatment offers an individualized approach to managing mental health disorders. Our compassionate professional team provides support and guidance throughout the process. Often, people will have co-occurring mental health disorders leading to a dual diagnosis. A mental health disorder can co-occur with a substance use disorder. Because of this, Southern Live Oak Wellness works to help manage mental health, while also protecting clients from self-medication or relapse. Southern Live Oaks Wellness also offers an array of complementary therapies which include:
- Nutrition and in-house chef
- Life skills
- Outdoor recreation
- Red light therapy
- Animal-assisted therapy
- Music therapy
- Reiki
Residential Mental Health Treatment in Atlanta, GA
The goal of residential mental health treatment is to assist people in learning how to handle their mental health issues and develop positive coping strategies and life skills for the future. After completing our residential program, clients can step down to the next appropriate level of care. This approach provides continued healing and restoration in a safe and supportive environment. Ultimately, our comprehensive programs are what make Southern Live Oak Wellness one of the best residential mental health facilities in Atlanta, Georgia. To learn more about us and our approach to mental health treatment, contact our mental health professionals today.