Provider Referrals
to Embrace U

Refer teen & pre-teen patients needing more mental health support to Embrace U’s IOP & PHP programs.

Refer a Patient
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Specialized Mental Health Treatment for Adolescent Patients (Ages 10-18)

Embrace U offers structured IOP and PHP programs across Tennessee for teens and pre-teens who need a higher level of care than one-on-one therapy or have completed an inpatient program. We partner with therapists, primary care physicians, and crisis teams to bridge the gap in care. Our parent support groups help families understand treatment, healing strategies, and expectations.

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Who Embrace U Serves

  • Adolescents from ages 10–18
  • Diagnoses treated: anxiety, behavioral disorders, depression, mood disorders, PTSD, trauma, school avoidance, suicidal ideation
  • Neurodivergent adolescents (10-18)
  • Teens and pre-teens who need more than 1-on-1 therapy
  • Adolescents who’ve completed an inpatient program and need a step-down in treatment
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Refer a Patient


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When to Refer a Patient

Consider referring a patient to Embrace U when they’re experiencing: 

  • Symptoms that aren’t improving with weekly outpatient therapy
  • Increasing impairment affecting daily life (school avoidance, social withdrawal, declining academics, outbursts/disruptions, loss of interest in hobbies or activities)
  • Recent ER visit or inpatient hospitalization needing step-down support
  • Emerging or active suicidal ideation requiring more frequent monitoring
  • Medication management needed alongside intensive therapy

There are only a few diagnoses that rule out our program:

  • Acute psychiatric emergencies requiring inpatient stabilization
  • Primary diagnosis: eating disorders, substance use disorder, thought process disorder, OCD
  • Safety concerns
  • Patients under 10 or over 18
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Our Programs

Embrace U offers two programs to help adolescents build coping and communication skills – Intensive Outpatient (IOP) or Partial Hospitalization (PHP). Our psychiatric specialist determines the appropriate level of care after a free 60-minute assessment.

Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) 20+ Hours per Week

Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) 10+ Hours per Week

Best for Adolescents Who:

  • Miss school or extracurricular activities due to symptoms
  • Experience physical symptoms such as stomach aches, nausea, headaches or unexplained pain
  • Recently visited an emergency room or
    completed inpatient treatment

Best for Adolescents Who:

  • Need more intensive treatment than one-on-one therapy
  • Haven’t seen symptom improvement in regular care
  • Were referred to IOP by a provider

What to Expect

  • 5 days per week M-F
  • 1-2 hours of education & therapeutic assignments
  • 3 hours of group therapy daily
  • Weekly individual or family therapy
  • Weekly psychiatric nurse check-ins

What to Expect

  • 3 to 5 days per week (M-F)​
  • Group therapy focused on coping skills​
  • Bi-weekly individual or family therapy​
  • Monthly psychiatric nurse check-ins​
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Continuity of Care Promise

Embrace U is a short-term, intensive intervention for adolescents and teens who need more mental health support. It’s not a long-term care relationship, and we refer patients back to you after treatment is complete. Here’s what you can expect when you partner with us.

  • Most participants complete our program in 6-10 weeks
  • Discharge planning begins at admission, with the goal of returning the patient to their existing therapist and care team
  • Embrace U coordinates with the referring provider throughout treatment through a letter of admission, transfer of care, and discharge summary
  • Discharge summaries and treatment notes are shared with referring providers
  • Warm handoff back to ongoing outpatient care

Refer a Patient

Every journey to healing starts with a conversation. If your patient needs more support than weekly therapy or after an inpatient program, our care team is here to help through short-term, intensive support.

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How Referrals Work

If you have a patient who needs more treatment to manage symptoms of a mental illness or is stepping down from an inpatient setting, Embrace U can help.
Here’s how our referral process works.

  1. You refer your patient to us.
  2. The patient meets with a psychiatric nurse practitioner during an intake appointment.
  3. The patient enrolls in an IOP or PHP program.
  4. We refer the patient back to you after successful program completion.
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Our Referral Partners

What Sets Embrace U Apart

  • Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval
  • Board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist on staff
  • Licensed therapists and PMHNPs at every location
  • Evidence-based modalities: CBT, DBT, ACT, and RO-DBT
  • Most participants continue to attend school during treatment
More About Us

We Care About The Outcome

Our participants report feeling better in a few weeks of starting programs, with:
Increase in Academic Success
79%
Decrease in Depression Episodes
73%
Decrease in Anxiety
82%
Satisfaction
100%
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Insurance & Payment

Embrace U accepts most major insurance plans and works with families who are out-of-network or need financial assistance.

  • In-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, Optum, United Healthcare
  • Self-pay/sliding scale options for out-of-network families
  • Insurance verification provided as part of intake
  • Clear breakdown of costs before services begin

Conveniently Located Across Tennessee

Help your patient find hope and healing through our short-term, intensive intervention. Embrace U provides evidence-based outpatient mental health care for teens and pre-teens across the state. 

See Our Locations

Refer a Patient Today

Embrace U helps adolescents live healthier, happier lives by managing mental illness symptoms through healthy coping mechanisms. We also provide parent support groups and family counseling. 

If your patient is struggling, we’re here to help them find short-term, intensive support.

Refer a Patient
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FAQs

Yes, we accept all commercial insurance policies. We currently don’t accept TriCare or TennCare. Payment plan options are available for families who are out of network or don’t have insurance.

We accept patients from 10- to 18-years old, as long as they have not started college.

Yes, our groups consist of boys and girls.

Our groups are open. We have rolling admissions and discharges.

We use components of CBT, DBT, ACT, and RO-DBT. Some of our locations include art therapy.

Yes, absolutely. Once a patient admits to the program, a letter of admission is sent to the therapist, medication provider, and primary care doctor. When a patient is admitted into our PHP level of care, a transfer-in-care letter will be submitted once they step down to IOP. This letter will include progress made in PHP and expected goals for IOP. Once a patient discharges from Embrace U, the therapist, medication provider, and primary care doctor will receive the discharge summary.

Yes, we encourage patients to return to their prior providers once they have completed our program. If the family decides to change providers, Embrace U will, as a courtesy, send you a letter explaining that the family has decided to move forward with a different provider.

PHP typically has 20 sessions and lasts about four weeks. IOP typically has 30 sessions. Patients in IOP attend a minimum of three days per week, and can come up to five days a week to complete programming sooner.

No. Our psychiatric nurse practitioner will complete the intake to determine the level of care (PHP or IOP) and diagnosis. At the time of intake, the NP can recommend medications. If the patient is already under the care of a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner, we will collaborate with those providers. We do offer Genomind (or DNA) testing.

This depends on the school system and how they prefer to work with our clinics when patients are admitted to our program. Some schools will ask the patient to be placed on homebound services, and some prefer patients to attend as much of the school day as they can. Our staff will help guide parents through the process of connecting and working with the school system to ensure the patient’s educational and mental health needs are met.

We offer both, but as part of a full program, and not as a stand-alone treatment. Our programs combine individual, group and family therapy with medication management and family support.

We want every patient to receive an intake within four days of their initial inquiry or your referral. In most cases, intakes can take place within one business day of a referral. Patients can typically be admitted the day after intake.

Patients are checked in by staff, and attend three hours of group therapy a day with a five- to 15-minute bathroom/snack break between each group session. Our therapists have a rotating schedule for leading groups. PHP patients have an hour of individual processing time to focus on activities or work assigned by their therapist and an hour of educational time to focus on schoolwork.

Throughout the week, patients will see the nurse practitioner for medication check-ins and have a family or individual session with their therapist. PHP patients are seen weekly for medication management, while IOP patients are seen monthly.

No, a family can call us directly at 833-733-4325. Our intake coordinator is available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. to speak with families, answer their questions, schedule an intake, and guide them through the process.

We do encourage providers to reach out and make a referral for a few reasons. We would like to get your perspective on what is going on with the patient and what their needs are. We also understand families can be overwhelmed and busy. We are happy to contact the family during a time of day that is most convenient for them.

There are only a few diagnoses that would rule out our program. A primary diagnosis of an eating disorder or substance use disorder, thought process disorder, or OCD would be outside the scope of our practice. We also take into consideration the safety of the other patients and staff when determining if a patient is appropriate for our program.

There are a variety of providers who refer to our program. We receive referrals from psychiatric hospitals and residential treatment programs when patients are discharging home and need a high level of continued support and care. We also receive referrals from therapists, psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, school counselors or social workers, primary care doctors, and family or friends. When a provider feels that a patient’s symptoms are preventing them from progressing in traditional outpatient therapy (weekly or biweekly), and the patient needs more support or care than they can provide, Embrace U is a good option.

We serve patients who are struggling to manage the symptoms of their mental health diagnosis. Some symptoms and signs include patients who:

  • Have outbursts in the home or at school
  • Become disruptive
  • Shut down
  • Refuse to attend school or other activities
  • Stop performing daily hygiene
  • Have declining grades
  • Have lost interest in activities or hobbies once found enjoyable
  • Become easily dysregulated

These patients would benefit from our program because they would have the opportunity to learn and use coping mechanisms to manage their symptoms while still being able to function in their home, in school, and in the community.

Patients in our PHP program will see the nurse practitioner weekly, while patients in IOP will see the NP once a month.

Patients will have either an individual therapy session or a family therapy session each week.

Patients will have either an individual therapy session or a family therapy session each week.

Many Embrace U patients experience social anxiety. Our programs help build their confidence and manage the symptoms that are keeping them isolated. We take things at the patient’s pace and try not to force them into anything, but guide them.