Newport Healthcare: Building a Continuum of Care

When a young person is struggling with mental health challenges, substance use, trauma, or co-occurring disorders, finding the right level of care can feel overwhelming for families and referral partners alike. At River’s Bend, one of our most trusted national partners is Newport Healthcare and its young adult division, Newport Institute—organizations that have built a reputation for providing comprehensive, family-centered treatment for adolescents and young adults across the United States.

For many River’s Bend clients, Newport serves as a critical next step when outpatient care alone is not enough. Through residential treatment, Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP), Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP), and specialized services for children, teens, and young adults, Newport offers a continuum of care designed to meet individuals where they are and guide them toward sustainable healing. Newport Healthcare provides treatment for children ages 7–11, teens ages 12–18, and young adults up to age 35 through residential and outpatient programs nationwide. Their model emphasizes mental health treatment, co-occurring disorders, family involvement, and evidence-based care.

According to Michael Dzwil, Senior Director of Clinical Outreach, Newport’s mission extends beyond symptom management.

“Our mission is to bring sustainable healing and help individuals find their authentic selves through individualized treatment and family support,” he explains. “That family component is really our bread and butter.”

That philosophy is deeply aligned with River’s Bend’s belief that lasting recovery requires more than treating an individual in isolation. Newport’s clinical model recognizes that healing often involves the entire family system.

“We can’t just treat the adolescent,” says Dzwil. “We have to treat the entire family unit for sustainable healing to happen.”

A Holistic Approach to Recovery

Founded in 2008, Newport originally focused on adolescent substance use treatment. Over time, the organization expanded its scope to address the growing mental health needs of young people, while continuing to treat co-occurring substance use disorders.

“Over the years we started asking, ‘What comes first—the chicken or the egg?’” Dzwil says. “We realized we needed to focus on the mental health piece and the trauma that often comes with it.”

Today, Newport’s treatment approach blends evidence-based therapies with experiential and holistic interventions. Depending on the program and location, treatment may include family therapy, art therapy, experiential therapies, life skills development, academics, career support, and trauma-focused modalities.

“Sometimes talk therapy isn’t always the best route, especially for adolescents,” Dzwil notes. “We’re showing them that mind-body connection and treating the whole person. It’s very patient-centered care.”

This individualized philosophy means treatment plans are never one-size-fits-all.

“We look at what has worked in the past, what hasn’t worked, and what the client actually connects with,” he says. “If a young person is benefiting more from art therapy than equine therapy, we adjust accordingly.”

Helping Young Adults Discover Their Authentic Selves

One of Newport Institute’s distinguishing features is its focus on emerging adulthood—a developmental stage that often comes with unique challenges around identity, independence, education, careers, and relationships.

Newport Institute’s residential and outpatient programs serve young adults ages 18–35 and incorporate clinical care alongside life skills, vocational support, and academic guidance.

Dzwil recalls one young woman who entered treatment struggling with borderline personality disorder and a deeply codependent relationship with her mother.

“She didn’t really know who she was outside of being her mom’s daughter,” he says.

Through Newport’s life-skills programming, therapists discovered her passion for cosmetology. Staff arranged a salon shadowing opportunity and helped her apply to beauty school.

“She eventually became a cosmetologist, moved into her own apartment, and built a life for herself,” Dzwil says. “She later reached out and told us she never would have been able to do those things without Newport.”

For Dzwil, stories like these demonstrate that treatment is about much more than symptom reduction.

“We’re helping young people find who they are in the world so they can build authentic connections and move forward.”

Collaboration That Supports Long-Term Success

One reason River’s Bend values its partnership with Newport is the organization’s commitment to collaboration before, during, and after treatment.

“I see my role as supporting the clinicians, the families, and the referral partners every step of the way,” Dzwil says.

When River’s Bend refers a client to Newport, communication does not stop after admission. Newport’s team works closely with referring providers throughout treatment and during discharge planning.

“We want to make sure that when a client comes home after 60 or 90 days, their outpatient provider knows exactly what happened during treatment,” Dzwil explains.

This continuity is particularly important because, as he points out, treatment success often depends on what happens after residential care ends.

“People make incredible progress while they’re with us, but what happens after Newport is often the deciding factor in how sustainable that progress will be.”

That commitment to continuing care mirrors River’s Bend’s own emphasis on seamless transitions between levels of care.

Listening Beyond the Symptoms

When asked about the impact Newport has had on patients and families, Dzwil shared a story that continues to stay with him.

The young man had been through several previous treatment programs and was repeatedly described as “unmotivated.”

“But when we really listened to him,” Dzwil recalls, “it became clear that what everyone thought was a lack of motivation was actually severe, unmanaged depression.”

That simple shift in perspective changed everything.

“Sometimes all it takes is taking twenty minutes to really listen,” he says. “That ‘I don’t care’ attitude was a defense mechanism—not a lack of desire to get better.”

For River’s Bend, that story captures what makes Newport such a valued professional partner. Their team looks beyond diagnoses, beyond behaviors, and beyond assumptions to understand the person underneath.

As Dzwil puts it, “We’re passionate about helping people find the best clinical fit—even if it’s not Newport. At the end of the day, it’s about doing what’s right for the client.”

In a behavioral healthcare system that can often feel fragmented, that commitment to collaboration, individualized care, and family-centered healing makes Newport Healthcare and Newport Institute an invaluable resource for River’s Bend clients and families seeking hope, healing, and a path forward.