A lifeline for youth: Expanding mental health services

A lifeline for youth: Expanding mental health services

Adolescence may be one of the most complex and emotionally charged stages of life. From navigating academic and social pressures to establishing identity and self-esteem, the teenage years can be overwhelming.

This reality is illustrated by findings from the 2023 La Crosse County Youth Risk Behavior Survey (High School Version). Of the more than 3,400 teens who participated, 48% self-identified as having "significant problems" due to anxiety. 28% reported feeling "prolonged, disruptive sadness." 20% "engaged in self-harming behavior at least once," and 16% shared they had "seriously considered" suicide.

Numbers like these help underscore the need for comprehensive behavioral health services right here in our own community, which is why Gundersen Medical Foundation is proud to partner with Emplify Health by Gundersen to help fund additional options for care. In the Foundation's last issue of Pathfinders, it was shared that an EmPATH unit, which functions like an urgent care for patients experiencing a mental health crisis, would be opening this winter on the La Crosse hospital's campus.

Now, thanks to an outpouring of community support-including $120,000 raised at Children's Miracle Network's Miracle Gala last April-Emplify Health by Gundersen has also launched an Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP).

Closing a gap in care

As an outpatient therapist at Emplify Health by Gundersen for the past nine years, Trixie Murphy, LCSW, SAC, has worked individually with patients ages 12 to 18. She has also facilitated an adolescent dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills training group designed to help participants develop coping and problem-solving skills.

Over the years, Trixie has observed a "steady and concerning increase" in the number of teens facing mental health challenges, particularly in the areas of anxiety, depression, substance use and difficulty navigating social experiences. These teens often need more support than outpatient therapy can provide, but at the same time, do not meet the criteria for inpatient hospitalization.

This gap in care options led Trixie and other Behavioral Health staff to advocate for the addition of an Adolescent PHP in 2024. The department soon partnered with Gundersen Medical Foundation to raise the funds needed to remodel and furnish space in the annex building at Emplify Health by Gundersen in Onalaska. The space will be named Kaitlin's Table Day Center in honor of a significant gift from the Mahr family who lost their daughter, Kaitlin, in 2007.

"I am continually inspired by the many compassionate, visionary donors who want to ensure the youth in our community can reach their full potential," says Mandy Richardson, CFRE, director of Philanthropy. "Working with the community to support programs that expand the mental health continuum of care at Emplify Health by Gundersen is incredibly rewarding."

Expanding the continuum of mental health care

The intensive, three-week partial hospitalization program for adolescents (ages 13 to 18) opened to patients in November 2025. Participants of the program engage in 30 hours of weekly group-based therapy, along with daily individual therapy and a weekly consultation with a psychiatrist. The program also includes one family session per week. Referrals are not limited by geography, so participants from both inside and outside the Emplify Health by Gundersen system can receive care.

"This program offers a structured, intensive level of care that focuses on skill building, emotional regulation, family involvement and ongoing therapeutic support," says Trixie, who is now the program director and clinical coordinator. "It creates a safe space where teens can stabilize and learn coping strategies while remaining connected to their families and communities."

Until recently, accessing this kind of care often meant long commutes to larger cities like Madison, Wis., or Rochester, Minn.-a significant barrier that made it difficult for many families to get the support their teens needed. However, the recent launch of the Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program in the Kaitlin's Table Day Center marks a turning point for families in our community.

"Bringing this level of care closer to home," says Mollie McRae, LCSW, CST, clinical manager, "meets an important need in the mental health care continuum, which is something that benefits us all."

If you or a loved one is seeking help, complete the Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) interest form, and a program coordinator will be in touch.

You can make a difference

To support mental health services at Emplify Health by Gundersen, make a gift to the Adolescent Partial Hospitalization (PHP) Fund.