Aurora Behavioral Health Center - Psychiatric Hospital in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, specializes in comprehensive mental health care services for children, adolescents, and adults with mental health and substance use issues. It provides 24/7 care on a serene 30-acre wooded campus, offering unique treatment programs and environmental benefits.
Committed to offering compassionate and evidence-based care, Aurora Behavioral Health Center provides a continuum of services, including inpatient, outpatient, and residential treatment programs. The hospital aims to support individuals on their journey to recovery from mental health and substance abuse disorders.
- Offers a unique school program called Kradwell School for students with emotional or psychological disorders.
- Employs a serene 30-acre wooded campus designed to promote healing and personal growth.
- Utilizes pet therapy dogs to enhance patient recovery and provide emotional support.
- Specialized programs available for both substance abuse treatment and various mental health conditions, including eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The hospital treats a wide range of mental health and substance abuse issues, including severe depression, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, anxiety, and self-destructive behaviors. It serves children, adolescents, and adults, providing tailored services to meet the needs of each demographic.
- 3+ Accreditations
- 4 Conditions Treated
- Insurance Accepted
- 9 Levels of Care
- Speaks English
- 29 Therapies & Programs
Accreditations
State License
SAMHSA

JCAHO
Staff
- Chelsea Vickers, M.A.CEOLeads the hospital's operations and strategic direction.
- Rebekah Francis, JD/MBACFOOversees the hospital's financial management and planning.
- Vicki Thomsen, SPHRSenior Director, Human ResourcesManages the hospital's human resources functions.
- Tariq Ghafoor, M.D.Medical DirectorProvides medical leadership and oversees patient care.
- Debra Marcus, M.ED, LMSWDirector, Special Needs ProgramLeads the hospital's specialized program for patients with unique needs.
- Jillian HarmickDirector, Patient ServicesEnsures high-quality patient care and satisfaction.
- Samantha Perez, MSWDirector, Assessment & ReferralOversees patient assessments and referrals to appropriate services.
- Shanika Hunter, LMSW, MPADirector, Social ServicesLeads the hospital's social services team and programs.
Conditions and Issues Treated
Substance Abuse + Addiction Treatment
The inappropriate use of any drug in Milwaukee, WI is substance abuse. This involves alcohol, medications, and illicit drugs. With a combination of physical and psychiatric therapies, drug addiction is successfully treated at Aurora Psychiatric Hospital. After Detox is complete, individuals follow-up with treatments treating the root cause of the addiction.
Opioid + Opiate Addiction Treatment at Aurora Psychiatric Hospital
Opioid addiction is known as a high-risk factor for future heroin addiction. Opioid withdrawal can be extremely uncomfortable and lead the user to continue to use. It is recommended to receive inpatient treatment and a medically supervised detox, Aurora Psychiatric Hospital in Milwaukee, WI offers treatment for opioids.
Dual-Diagnosis
A dual diagnosis is when someone deals with both alcohol and mental or emotional disorder. Emotional trauma, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression can be part of dual diagnosis therapy. It must happen simultaneously to get care for these conditions to handle any of them effectively.
Levels of Care
This center offers a variety of custom treatment tailored to individual recovery. Currently available are Aftercare Support, Detox, Drug Rehab, Dual-Diagnosis, Inpatient, Intensive Outpatient, Outpatient, Partial-Hospitalization, Residential, with additional therapies available as listed below.
Detoxification is a process that allows the patient to stop using opioids without experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms. This can be necessary for those who have been addicted for a long period of time or who are struggling with chronic pain. During this process, addicts will receive medication and psychological support from doctors and other medical professionals until they can control their cravings.
Intensive outpatient programs (IOP) comprise regular visits to the Wisconsin facility that provides the therapy. IOP is suitable for patients who have been treated in residential treatment programs. Aurora Psychiatric Hospital‘s patients gradually get back to their routine life.
In outpatient programs at Aurora Psychiatric Hospital, the Milwaukee resident can live with their family while continuing with their job or studies. Treatment includes educating the patient on drug abuse, medications, and counseling sessions at the individual or group level.
Partial hospitalization program (PHP) offered by Aurora Psychiatric Hospital is an alternate option for inpatient rehabs or residential programs. The patients stay in a Milwaukee facility closer to the Wisconsin treatment center and attend the different forms of therapy for several hours a day. Treatment duration varies from one to six months.
Residential treatment programs are those that offer housing and meals in addition to substance abuse treatment. Rehab facilities that offer residential treatment allow patients to focus solely on recovery, in an environment totally separate from their lives. Some rehab centers specialize in short-term residential treatment (a few days to a week or two), while others solely provide treatment on a long-term basis (several weeks to months). Some offer both, and tailor treatment to the patient’s individual requirements.
Treatment is just the first step to maintaining sobriety. After treatment, aftercare support at Aurora Psychiatric Hospital helps the individual adjust to a life without substances. This support may involve a sober living home in or near Milwaukee, WI, career counseling, or educational assistance. This is when a relapse prevention plan begins to take shape.
Therapies & Programs
Individual therapy involves one on one sessions between the patient and the therapist at Aurora Psychiatric Hospital. Individual therapy provides patients with a safe environment where they can openly discuss their problems with the therapist. The patients find the therapist as a person who they can trust. It helps them to open up and discuss personal and sensitive issues, which they may not be comfortable discussing in a group setting.
Individual therapy aims to identify the core issues that would have led the patient to substance abuse and address the root cause effectively. The therapist can develop patient-specific customized solutions through individual therapy, which aids speedier recovery.
Addiction and alcoholism always harm an addict’s relationships with others and none more than relationships with a spouse or partner. Couples therapy is an essential part of restoring trust and good communication to intimate relationships harmed by addiction. Couples therapy by Aurora Psychiatric Hospital helps repair the damage done to these important relationships.
Recovery can be more effective if the entire family’s involved. Family therapy hosted by Aurora Psychiatric Hospital brings in the addict’s family to explore genetic factors. It gives loved ones the tools for dealing with addiction and its underlying mental issues. It is a recommended step in helping addicts adapt to sober living.
Trauma is one of the most common causes of psychological disorders. It’s often found in people with addiction diagnoses. Trauma therapy addresses this by examining the emotions and thoughts people have formed due to past traumas. Traumas are complex but trauma therapy can reduce their ability to contribute to addictive behaviors.
Self-defeating thoughts and habits can limit your possible successes. Some examples of this are procrastination, unhealthy eating and angry outbursts. REBT is a method of specific counseling offered by Aurora Psychiatric Hospital that replaces negative and self-limiting thoughts.
Rehabilitation is not just limited to bringing an individual out of addiction and achieving sobriety. It is considered complete only when an individual starts leading a normal and balanced life. Life skill therapy focuses on the various skills that helps an individual to lead a normal life. Patients often do not take care of themselves, struggle professionally and withdraw from social interaction due to the physical and emotional disturbances caused by addiction.
Life skills therapy helps them to improve various personal, professional and social skills such as cooking healthy meals, maintaining proper hygiene, budgeting, decision making, time management, regulation of emotions and resolving the interpersonal conflicts effectively.
A 12-Step Program is a common method that is used to treat addiction. This format is used for both drug and alcohol treatment. It is extremely popular and successful for large numbers of people and the staff at Aurora Psychiatric Hospital are trained to assist in 12-step management.
The right diet can improve a person’s general outlook, sleep habits and thought processing skills. MNT also lowers the occurrence of chronic diseases such as adult-onset diabetes. Dieticians like those at Aurora Psychiatric Hospital in Milwaukee, WI believe that nutrition therapy is the key to making significant lifestyle changes.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) uses low dose nicotine products to ween smokers away from cigarettes. The products get nicotine into the bloodstream without smoking reducing addiction to the physical habit. It also allows addicts to adjust to lower doses to reduce withdrawal symptoms.
Patient Experience
Experiential Therapy at Aurora Psychiatric Hospital
Experiential therapy involves recreating or creating new experiences for the patient. Many people struggled with past issues such as memories or trauma. By creating a new experience, it allows people to work through the issues associated with those moments in a new experience. This can give them a new measure of control and can help them role play a new scenario. That can help push addiction into their past and help them begin the healing process.
Payment Options
For specific insurance or payment methods please contact us.
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Location & Contact

1220 Dewey Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53213
Phone Number
(414) 454-6600
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Milwaukee, Wisconsin Addiction and Treatment
Wisconsin has some of the highest rates in the United States for both adolescent and adult substance abuse. Since 2009, the state has been experiencing the same escalating rates of drug abuse and addiction as the rest of the country. The major concerns are the misuse of prescription painkillers and the escalating number of deaths due to alcohol-related liver disease.
Milwaukee, situated on Lake Michigan's shores, offers a variety of outdoor activities, cultural attractions, and a family-friendly vibe. The city's iconic landmarks include the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Public Museum's dinosaur exhibit. In 2020, Milwaukee County's opioid death rate was 44.6 per 100,000 residents, and fentanyl was involved in 80% of drug overdose deaths in 2022.
Treatment in Nearby Cities
- Kaukauna, WI (86.2 mi.)
- Richland Center, WI (121.6 mi.)
- Kewaskum, WI (34.6 mi.)
- Cudahy, WI (9.5 mi.)
- Prairie Du Chien, WI (158.4 mi.)
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