Supportive Care After a Stay at The Retreat

Your time at The Retreat is transformative—but it’s only the beginning of your journey toward lasting better mental health. At our mental health retreat, we know that meaningful recovery requires continuity of care and a supportive environment. That’s why we offer extended treatment options that build on the personalized approach you experienced at The Retreat. Our step-down residences, Magnolia House and Ruxton House, provide structured, therapeutic settings where you can continue your progress with expert guidance and a sense of stability as you work to reintegrate into your everyday life.

Life after The Retreat: A structured, supportive next step

When you’re ready to transition out of The Retreat’s intensive environment, our extended treatment homes—Magnolia House and Ruxton House—offer a clinically guided bridge to living independently. Both residences provide a supportive, therapeutic, home-like setting where you can continue treatment on an outpatient basis while building the routines, skills, and confidence that sustain long‑term recovery.

Two step‑down options, one integrated continuum of care

Both Ruxton House and Magnolia House are designed as a “middle ground” between the around‑the‑clock programming of The Retreat and fully independent living. Residents continue their therapeutic work—such as psychodynamic therapy, art therapy, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and physical wellness—while gradually reintegrating into everyday life through work, volunteering, or school. Individual therapy with your treating doctor from The Retreat continues, preserving your momentum and continuity of care.

These programs are intentionally designed with a concentrated focus on independent living skills and practices that will support long-term well-being. Occupational therapy—which was founded at Sheppard Pratt by Dr. William Rush Dunton, Jr.—is embedded throughout daily programming to help residents practice and strengthen skills like planning and preparing meals, managing time and finances, applying for jobs or volunteer roles, and engaging in healthy communities. In addition, therapeutic offerings include DBT, psychodynamic groups, and movement/yoga, complementing your ongoing individual therapy.

Both homes are staffed 24/7 by experienced mental health professionals who support your treatment plan and provide consistent, real‑time support.

What to expect during your stay at Magnolia House or Ruxton House

You’ll participate in structured programming and therapy balanced with purposeful community involvement. Weekly resident meetings with clinical leadership build communication and problem‑solving skills and help residents shape the shared living environment. Core group therapies—such as ongoing psychodynamic sessions that extend work that you started at The Retreat—provide space to process symptoms, fears, and relational patterns with feedback from peers and clinicians. Beyond therapy, shared dinners, creative events, and weekend outings (such as rock climbing, equine therapy, and other activities) encourage connection and enjoyment in a casual environment.

Throughout your stay, our dedicated occupational therapists help you identify and pursue meaningful activities in the community—college classes, volunteer roles, hobbies, or employment. This blend of therapeutic structure and real‑world practice is central to preparing for life after The Retreat’s supportive structure.

Why consider continuing your residential mental health treatment?

Our step‑down homes are part of the same doctor‑led continuum of care you experienced at The Retreat, which means therapeutic relationships—and detailed understanding of your history and needs—carry forward seamlessly. Residents of Magnolia House and Ruxton House remain connected to their treating doctor for individual therapy, and group programming is clinician‑led and consistent with the multidisciplinary approaches used at The Retreat. The experience at our step-down homes is designed to maximize continuity and reduce friction when it comes to your recovery.

The houses are intentionally residential and community‑oriented, so you can practice skills in a realistic setting with 24/7 professional support. Our model for residential psychiatric treatment prioritizes rehabilitation, recovery, and improved self‑care as you reintegrate into the community. We offer far more than symptom stabilization—you will build the skills you need to face each day with confidence and joy.

Residents typically leave Magnolia House and Ruxton House with stronger daily routines, improved self‑care, and greater confidence managing independent living while healing. You can expect to make meaningful progress in engaging in daily activities, gain effective coping skills, and develop a clear pathway for ongoing outpatient care. These outcomes reflect both the clinician‑led continuity from The Retreat and the embedded, day‑to‑day practice of skills—an approach shown to support independence and participation for adults navigating mental health challenges.

Supportive care on your journey to better mental health