What to Expect During Inpatient Treatment | Valley Springs Behavioral Health Hospital

Preparing for Your Stay

It’s normal to feel anxious about inpatient treatment; however, our goal is to help you feel comfortable and focus on what’s truly important – taking control of your mental health and living your life to the fullest. We’re changing people’s lives every day by delivering high-quality, evidence-based mental health and co-occurring treatment. We encourage you to speak openly to your care team, ask questions, and participate fully in treatment.

What to Bring

All of the medications you are currently taking, including OTC meds and inhalers
Five sets of clothing/underwear/socks (no strings or ties). Washers and dryers are available on the units for washing clothes
Nightwear/pajamas
Eye-care items (contact lenses/cleaning solution/case/eyeglasses) and toiletries
Toiletries that do not include alcohol or aerosols

We provide personal hygiene items such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo and soap.

The following items are also allowed, but they’ll be held in a personal belongings locker and issued during times of supervision:

Electric razors
Musical instruments
Cosmetics
Curling irons, hair dryers, straighteners, and other electric items (as approved)

Dress Code

The patient dress code is casual and we want you to be comfortable. However, revealing attire is not allowed — no halter tops, tube tops, fishnet shirts, or short-shorts. And clothing may not contain offensive or controversial messages.

During Your Stay

Work With a Multidisciplinary Team

Psychiatrist or Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner	Responsible for coordinating your overall care, prescribing medication and other procedures that are appropriate components of your treatment. The medical staff makes all decisions regarding discharge.
Staff Nurse	Performs duties as prescribed by a physician, including administering medication, observing your behavior, and reporting on your conditions to treatment team members.
Patient Care Assistant (PCA)	Assists you through your daily routine.
Recreational/Activity Therapist	Provides therapy through games, crafts, leisure education, creative expression, relaxation training and more. Examples of this type of therapy are pet, music, art and yoga.
Therapist/Social Worker	Provides evidence-based group and individual therapy and acts as the liaison between you, your family, and the treatment team.

After Your Stay

Before you leave the hospital, you will meet with a therapist who will go over the discharge plan with you. This is a chance for you to ask questions about your medications and follow-up. In many cases, patients participate in one of our outpatient treatment programs to facilitate the transition back to everyday life.

Alumni Support

Our goal is to provide support and encouragement to those who have completed our treatment programs. The alumni support group is open to patients that complete their treatment programs and are looking to further their recovery, find support, and connect with others in the community with similar goals.

In these groups, patients can support each other in times of need, share their experiences, and create strength together. Many of our patients have testified to making new friends in their recovery process at Valley Springs. At the end of the day, it’s nice to be reminded that there are others like you, who understand your emotional process, have felt the same struggles, and take their recovery as seriously as you do.