Our Vision for Youth Mental Health
Dr. Simon shares more about her journey, values, and vision for youth mental health in her full letter.
Youth Behavioral Health Care—for All
About Us
Youth mental health is deteriorating at an alarming rate in New Jersey and nationwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data for 2021, more than 4 in 10 students felt persistently sad or hopeless and 29 percent experienced poor mental health. Yet, even as the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the teen mental health crisis, behavioral health services and facilities have remained scarce. While young people wait weeks for care, the missed opportunity for early detection, intervention, and treatment puts their futures at significant risk.
The Brandt Behavioral Health Treatment Center and Retreat provides exceptional, research-driven care for adolescents and young adults. Through a unique partnership between Rutgers’ behavioral health professionals and the communities they serve, the Center expands access to high-quality mental health services and promotes well-being across New Jersey.
Thanks to Rutgers alumna Marlene Brandt’s transformational gift, families in New Jersey now have access to the finest behavioral health care available close to home. The Brandt Center is just one way that Rutgers is shaping the future of mental health and helping to make the world well.
Why Choose the Brandt Center?
First-of-Its-Kind Resource in New Jersey
Currently, no New Jersey facility offers treatment exclusively for adolescents and young adults, backed by an academic health leader like Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care.
Comprehensive Care for Youth and Families
Our programs serve individuals ages 13 to 23 who are navigating emotional, behavioral, or psychological challenges. We also provide resources and guidance for families and caregivers—because healing happens best when it involves a strong support system.
Expert Support for a Wide Range of Mental Health Needs
We support adolescents experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, behavioral disorders, and other emotional or social challenges.
Therapeutic Approaches That Foster Lasting Change
Our approach may include individual, group, and family therapy, medication management, mindfulness, and more.
A Range of Payment Options
We accept most private and public insurance plans and can assist families with limited financial resources.
Take the First Step
Call us at 732-235-6888 to make an appointment.
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, call 988. If you are having a medical emergency, call 911.
A Letter from Our Medical Director:
A Letter from Our Medical Director:
Why Youth Mental Health Matters Now
New Jersey, and our country at large, is facing a youth mental health crisis.
Rates of anxiety and depression among children, adolescents, and young adults have risen dramatically over the past decade. Suicide is now one of the leading causes of death among adolescents and young adults.
Why the System Must Change
Rates of psychological distress among youth continue to rise, placing immense strain on a health care system that too often prioritizes crisis management over prevention and long-term recovery.
Whole-Person, Evidence-Based Care
At the Brandt Center, we take a fundamentally different approach to youth mental health. We recognize that meaningful recovery extends beyond medication and traditional psychotherapy.
Our clinicians bring deep expertise in treating anxiety and mood disorders, trauma-related challenges, neurodivergent presentations, and the emotional impact of life transitions, within a collaborative, evidence-based model that integrates psychotherapy, family involvement, skills-based interventions, and thoughtful psychiatric care.
Leadership Rooted in Experience
As Medical Director, I am proud to work with an extraordinary team of compassionate and dedicated clinicians in my home state. My clinical training and experiences fundamentally shaped how I practice psychiatry today, bringing a trauma-informed, relationship-centered lens to our work.
A World-Class Facility
The Brandt Behavioral Health Treatment Center and Retreat spans two state-of-the-art buildings on Rutgers University–New Brunswick’s George H. Cook campus, offering a serene and supportive environment for adolescents and young adults seeking care. Together, the Centers provide both residential and outpatient services. Each year, the facility will serve more than 2,000 patients.
The Brandt Retreat Center offers comfortable, on-site accommodations for individuals in need of around-the-clock care. Working closely with their physicians and treatment team, patients can design personalized care plans, free from traditional insurance plan limitations.
The Blau Wellness Center provides a full range of outpatient care, including diagnostic evaluations, individual and group therapy, intensive outpatient programming, and psychiatrist-delivered medication management. The Center accepts a wide range of private and public insurance coverage and is committed to assisting those with financial barriers to care.
Movement-based therapies use dance and mindful movement to strengthen the connection between body and mind, supporting mental health, cognitive engagement, and overall well-being
Learn commonly used terms you may encounter when beginning and navigating mental health treatment
Get to know Dr. Hannah Simon, Medical Director of The Brandt Behavioral Health Center and Retreat