Questions
Everything people ask us, answered in one place.
Grouped by who is asking. Every answer here is the same one you would get on the phone. If your question is not on this page, call or text and ask it.
Parents of teenagers
- Will my kid hate me for this?
- Some are angry on day one. Almost none are angry on day thirty. Teens who arrive furious usually settle within the first week once they realize the house is calm, the rules are consistent, and the adults are not going anywhere. Family therapy is where that anger gets worked through, with a therapist in the room.
- What if they refuse to go?
- Call us anyway. A parent or legal guardian can consent to treatment for a minor in Nevada, and we have admitted many teens who did not want to come. We will talk you through how to say it, what to expect at drop-off, and what we do in the first hours to lower the temperature. If the situation at home is unsafe right now, we can also help you decide whether the emergency room should come first.
- Can they keep their phone?
- No, not for the first stretch. Phones are secured on arrival. Contact with family happens through scheduled daily calls and visits, and phone privileges are reintroduced as part of the treatment plan. Every parent worries about this. Most tell us later it was the single most helpful rule.
- Will they fall behind in school?
- There is a school block every weekday. We contact the home school in the first days, receive assignments, and send work back. Credits continue. If the school has been part of the problem, that is something we can plan around together.
- How often can I visit or call?
- Scheduled phone calls daily and visits on set days each week, adjusted with the treatment team. You also have a family session with the therapist weekly and a named point of contact with a direct line.
- How long will they be there?
- Most adolescent stays run 30 to 90 days. Length is clinical, not fixed. We set an estimate in the first week and review it with you and the insurer regularly.
- Is it locked? Is it safe?
- It is a licensed home in a residential neighborhood, not a locked unit, and we say that plainly. Staff are awake overnight, medications are nurse-managed, and there is a written protocol if a teen tries to leave. See the safety section below for the specifics.
Adults seeking care for themselves
- Will I lose my job?
- Most people do not. If you have worked for a covered employer for at least a year, the Family and Medical Leave Act protects up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave for treatment, and your employer is not entitled to know the diagnosis. We complete the paperwork with you in the first days. Many people also use short-term disability. Ask us before you say anything to HR.
- Do I have to detox somewhere else first?
- Usually not. Our adult program is certified for clinically managed residential withdrawal management, with nursing oversight and a physician directing the protocol. If your history includes seizures, delirium tremens, or serious medical conditions, we may arrange hospital-level detox first and admit you directly from there.
- Can I keep my phone?
- Phones are secured on arrival and returned in stages as part of your plan. You have daily phone windows from day one and can make arrangements for children, pets, or work before you come in. We are honest that this rule is hard for the first few days, and honest that it works.
- What does it cost?
- With in-network insurance, your cost is your deductible and copay or coinsurance up to your out-of-pocket maximum, and we tell you those numbers before you admit. With Nevada Medicaid it is usually nothing. Without insurance, we give you a written private-pay quote up front. No surprise bills.
- How long is a stay?
- Typically 30 to 90 days, then a step-down to partial hospitalization or intensive outpatient. Insurers authorize in blocks and review progress; we handle those reviews and tell you where things stand every week.
- Is this a 12-step program?
- It is an evidence-based clinical program: DBT, CBT, motivational interviewing, trauma-informed care, and psychiatry. Twelve-step and SMART Recovery meetings are available because they help many people. They are not a requirement.
- What if I relapse after?
- Relapse is a signal, not a verdict. You leave with a written plan, a therapist and psychiatrist at Sai Mental Health, and a number to call. People come back. We do not make them start over.
Family and friends
- They won't admit there's a problem. What can I do?
- For an adult, treatment cannot be forced except through a court process, and we will tell you honestly when that applies. What you can do is call us and describe what you are seeing. We will help you plan a conversation, tell you which words tend to land and which slam the door, and be ready the hour they say yes. For a minor, a parent or guardian can consent.
- Can I call and talk to them?
- With the resident's consent, yes, during daily phone windows. Adults control who is on their contact list under federal privacy law. For teens, parents and guardians have scheduled calls and visits from day one.
- Will you tell me how they're doing?
- For an adult, only with their written permission, which most residents give to at least one person. For a minor, parents and guardians receive regular updates from a named point of contact and join weekly family therapy.
- What is my role while they're there?
- Family sessions when the treatment team and the resident invite you, honest participation in them, and a discharge plan you help shape. Many families use this time for their own support: Al-Anon, Nar-Anon, NAMI Family-to-Family, or individual therapy through Sai Mental Health.
- What if they leave early?
- Adults can leave against clinical advice; we tell them clearly what we recommend and stay in contact afterward. For a minor, staff follow a written protocol and notify the guardian immediately. Either way, the door back is open.
- Should they go to the ER first?
- If there is an overdose, a suicide attempt, a plan to attempt, seizures, or violence, yes: call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room now. We admit directly from emergency rooms and hospitals. Call us from there.
Referring professionals
- What do you need to accept a referral?
- Demographics and insurance, a current medication list, the most recent H&P or discharge summary if there is one, and a brief clinical picture including safety history. A phone call is enough to start; documents can follow by fax or secure email.
- How fast can you admit?
- Same day when a bed is open and safety requires it; otherwise within a few days once benefits are verified. Call for current availability. We admit directly from emergency departments and inpatient units seven days a week.
- Which levels of care are you certified for?
- Adults: ASAM 3.5 clinically managed high-intensity residential, ASAM 3.2-WM clinically managed residential withdrawal management, and ASAM 2.5 partial hospitalization. Adolescents 12 to 17: residential treatment. Intensive outpatient and outpatient psychiatry are provided by our sister practice, Sai Mental Health.
- Exclusion criteria?
- Acute medical instability requiring hospital-level care, active psychosis or mania not yet stabilized, imminent suicidality requiring a locked unit, and predatory or violent behavior that cannot be safely managed in an open home. We will tell you quickly if a referral is not a fit, and where to send it instead.
- Will you communicate during treatment?
- Yes, with a signed release. Referring providers receive an admission confirmation, a treatment plan summary, and a discharge summary with the aftercare plan. Court and probation officers receive attendance and progress documentation as authorized.
- Do you take Medicaid?
- Yes. SilverSummit, CareSource, and Anthem Medicaid, plus fee-for-service Nevada Medicaid where applicable. Prior authorization is handled by our team.
Safety and accountability
- Is someone awake at night?
- Yes. Staff are awake and on the floor overnight, every night. Bedroom checks happen on a set schedule, more often for anyone on a safety watch.
- Who handles medications?
- Nurses. All medications, including over-the-counter ones, are stored securely and administered by nursing staff according to the psychiatrist's orders. Nothing is self-managed.
- Is the home licensed and inspected?
- Yes. Sai Residential Treatment Center is licensed and certified by the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health, and is subject to state inspection and complaint investigation. We would rather you ask us about our record than wonder.
- What happens if a resident tries to leave?
- This is a home, not a locked facility, and we say that plainly. Staff follow a written protocol: verbal de-escalation first, immediate notification of the family or guardian, and coordination with local authorities when a minor's safety requires it. Elopement risk is assessed on day one and again whenever circumstances change.
- How are staff screened?
- Every employee passes a state background check and fingerprinting before working with residents, and completes training in crisis de-escalation, suicide prevention, medication safety, and mandated reporting.
- How do I reach my person, or reach you about them?
- Families get a named point of contact with a direct line. Residents have scheduled phone windows daily. If something happens outside those windows, we call you. We do not wait for you to call us.
Admissions
Four steps. Usually within 48 hours. Same day when it has to be.
Getting someone into residential care should not feel like a second crisis. This is exactly what happens when you reach out.
- 01
Call, text, or request a callback
You reach a person who does this every day. Tell us what is going on. We listen first.
- 02
A short clinical screening
Twenty minutes, confidential, by phone. We confirm residential is the right level, and that we can genuinely meet the need. If we cannot, we tell you who can.
- 03
Benefits verified and explained
Usually within 24 to 48 hours. You hear the deductible, the out-of-pocket limit, and whether authorization is required, before you commit to anything.
- 04
Admission
A scheduled arrival, or same-day when safety requires it. We admit directly from emergency rooms and hospitals.