We offer effective intensive treatment to manage depression, anxiety, trauma, or other serious mental health conditions.

ARMOR Day Treatment for Teens is a community-based program that provides a step up in care for a teen who has regressed or plateaued in the traditional outpatient counseling setting – an important step up before symptoms escalate and inpatient, hospital-based treatment is required. It is also appropriate for teens stepping down from inpatient programs.

We have multiple ARMOR treatment options in Minnesota and Wisconsin, both in-person and online via telehealth. Our online ARMOR program is appropriate for teens who do not live near a clinic, or for those with transportation or scheduling concerns. You can read more about the ARMOR online treatment experience here.

ARMOR stands for Assertive Relationships, Mindful Openness, and Regulation. These are the results teens can experience when they enroll in the ARMOR program.

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What issues does day treatment address?

• Aggressive behaviors
• Self-injurious behaviors
• High-risk behaviors
• Emotional outbursts
• Authority defiance
• Relational conflicts

About ARMOR programming:

• Ages 13-18 accepted
• Gender-specific groups
• Trauma-informed and DBT-inspired therapy
• 3 hours per day of group therapy, plus individual and family therapy
• Groups run Monday through Friday
• Typical duration is 5 days a week for recommended average length of treatment of 3 to 5 months

Current program days and times:

All ARMOR programs currently accepting referrals

Appleton, WI ARMOR
Now accepting referrals

The STRONG Milwaukee Center ARMOR
Meets in-person Monday-Friday, 8-11 am and Monday-Friday, Noon-3 pm
Meets online Monday-Friday, 9-11 am

Mankato, MN ARMOR
Female group meets Monday-Friday, 8:30-11:30 am
Female group meets Monday-Friday, 1-4 pm
Male group begins July 10, Monday – Friday, 1-4 pm. Currently accepting intake appointments.

Wisconsin Online ARMOR
Meets Monday-Friday, 9 am-11 am

Minnesota Online ARMOR
Meets Monday-Friday, 9 am-11 am

Our team works with parents and schools

For many of the clients we serve, their mental health diagnoses are affecting their lives to the point where their functioning and performance at school is suffering. We understand that many parents worry about whether their child will be able to catch up when they return to school full time after ARMOR.

We encourage school counselors who support admission to the ARMOR program to work with parents to ease these worries and create a plan for how their child will attend the ARMOR program without a negative effect on their school experience. We are happy to work with school staff to create this plan as needed.

The teen experience in ARMOR:

• Teens are assigned a therapist who is trained in evidence-based care and will work with teens on their specific goals.
• Teens spend much of their time learning and growing in group therapy.
• Teens will be excused from class to participate in group therapy for 3 hours each day.
• Teens may meet with a prescriber to see if medication might be helpful.
• Teens may meet with a psychologist to review comprehensive psychological testing.

The parent/guardian’s role in supporting teens in ARMOR:

• Parents/guardians are asked to come in for an hour each week to meet with their teen and their teen’s therapist.
• Parents learn new parenting skills to meet the needs of their teen and understand their teen better.
• After the teen completes treatment, the ARMOR team will work with parents to create an appropriate aftercare plan.

What is the cost of day treatment?

• Most services are covered through commercial insurance policies and state-sponsored insurance. In Minnesota, ARMOR is a CTSS qualifying service.

How to refer a teen to ARMOR:

• Teens can be referred by their parents, school, primary care, county social worker, or outpatient providers.
• Call 800-438-1772 to speak to our Intake Team. They will ask more about the teen and schedule a diagnostic assessment to determine if day treatment is the best fit.
• Prior to beginning a teen day treatment program, a parent or legal guardian will need to meet with our staff to review program expectations. A separate meeting will also be scheduled to sign consents for treatment.