Struggling with your mental health can make every part of life feel heavier, especially when you are trying to figure out where to turn for help.
The Lakes is a behavioral health center in Lakeland, FL, offering in-person care for adults who are ready for more support than a brief appointment once a week.
We are not a locked psychiatric hospital. Instead, we provide structured day and intensive outpatient programs that combine evidence-based therapies, medication management, and compassionate care in a supportive environment. If you or a loved one suffers from depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, or any other related mental health problem, our multidisciplinary team is available to provide a clear path forward for mental health treatment in Lakeland.
Getting better is hard to do in the middle of the same noise, pressure, and triggers that wore you down in the first place. Lakeland offers a pace and setting that make it easier to slow down, reset, and actually stay engaged in treatment.
Here are a few reasons Lakeland can be an ideal place to focus on recovery:
The Lakes is at 420 W Magnolia St, Lakeland, FL 33815. We’re in Polk County, a short walk from Lake Mirror and downtown Lakeland. Clients come for daytime PHP and IOP sessions and return home each evening.
Compared to larger metro areas, Lakeland tends to feel less crowded and less chaotic, which can help your nervous system settle while you build stability.
Being outside your usual routines can create breathing room, while still keeping you close enough for family support and practical follow-through.
Recovery often improves when life gets simpler for a while, and Lakeland makes it easier to focus on sleep, meals, and a steady schedule.
Lakeland sits centrally within the state, so many people can access structured care without the anxiety caused by leaving Central Florida or traveling out of state.
Easy to reach from across Polk County. Our center sits on West Magnolia Street near Lake Mirror, about 15–20 minutes from Auburndale, 20–25 minutes from Bartow or Mulberry, and 25–30 minutes from Winter Haven, all without getting on I-4.
Lakeland works well for PHP and IOP because you can commit to structured treatment during the day and still think realistically about how you will carry those changes back into everyday life.
The Lakes is licensed by the Florida Department of Children and Families (LIC-1048608), accredited by The Joint Commission, and LegitScript certified.
Our campus is centrally located in Lakeland, making it accessible for adults and families across Central Florida.
If you have questions about getting here, scheduling, or how treatment could fit around your responsibilities, our admissions team can talk it through with you.
The levels of mental health care at The Lakes are intended to reflect your current needs. You and your treatment team agree on a particular level of structure based on your unique situation and can modify as necessary.
Mental health symptoms can show up in many different ways. When creating your treatment plan, we take into consideration your overall life situation and not simply the current diagnosis or your insurance card.
The Lakes might be beneficial for you, if you are dealing with:
These issues are often tangled up with physical health concerns, work stress, family tension, grief, or financial pressure. When we build your treatment plan, we look at your whole life, not just a diagnosis on paper.
You do not have to wait for a crisis to ask for help.
Every treatment plan at The Lakes is built around you, not a one-size-fits-all program. Our Lakeland clinicians draw on proven, evidence-based therapies. They often combine several in PHP or IOP, depending on your symptoms, history, and goals.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
For people whose anxiety, depression, or substance use is tied to past trauma, EMDR helps the brain reprocess painful memories so they lose their emotional charge. Trained clinicians deliver it in person at our center, at a pace you help set.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT teaches you to notice the thought patterns that feed anxiety, depression, and mood instability, and to replace them with more balanced responses. It’s practical and skills-based: you practice in session and then try it out at work or at home between visits.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT builds concrete skills for managing intense emotions, tolerating distress, and keeping relationships steady. It’s especially helpful for mood swings, impulsive behavior, or emotions that feel bigger than the moment.
Medication Management
For some clients, medication is an important part of feeling stable. Our psychiatric providers handle assessments, starting medication when appropriate, and close follow-up. That way, decisions about medication management are made with you and coordinated with the rest of your care.
These approaches are supported by individual, group, and family therapy. Family sessions can help loved ones from Lakeland and across Polk County understand what you’re working on and how to support it. If trauma is part of your story, our trauma and PTSD treatment program brings these therapies together in one plan.
Lakeland is set apart from the hustle and bustle of the touristy parts of the state. This separation makes it easier to build new routines during mental health treatment and recovery. Whether you’re reconnecting with yourself, spending time with supportive people, or simply looking for peaceful places to unwind, there are plenty of ways to feel grounded here.
Choosing to change your life is an act of courage, not a surrender. The Lakes provides a quiet, supportive refuge for mental health care right here in Lakeland.
Whether you are seeking help for yourself or someone you love, our team is ready to listen. We’ll help you explore your options and decide, without pressure, if our care is the next right step for your journey.
In Polk County, there are about 875 residents for every one mental health care provider. Residents also report an average of 5.1 poor mental health days each month.[1] For many people, that means long waits for a weekly appointment, or no ongoing care at all.
When support is hard to reach, symptoms can build until a crisis feels like the only option. More than 1,100 emergency room visits in Polk County were tied to mental health disorders between 2021 and 2023.[2] In 2023 alone, 7,560 people in Polk County were hospitalized for mental health needs.[3]
Structured care before it becomes a crisis. Programs like PHP and IOP fill the gap between a once-a-week appointment and a hospital stay. At our Lakeland center, you get several hours of therapy, skills groups, and psychiatric support during the day, then go home each evening. Our mental health PHP in Lakeland offers full-day support when symptoms are severe. Our mental health IOP in Lakeland fits treatment around work, school, or family. Both are available close to home in Polk County, so you don’t have to wait for things to get worse.
Lakeland offers several options depending on the level of support someone needs. Many people start with outpatient treatment centers like The Lakes, where they can access therapy, psychiatric services, and structured programs in a calm, supportive setting. If someone is in immediate danger or experiencing a crisis, emergency services or crisis hotlines are the safest first step before transitioning into ongoing care.
A mental health crisis may involve intense distress, overwhelming anxiety or panic, thoughts of self-harm, severe mood swings, confusion, or being unable to care for daily needs. A crisis can look different for everyone, but the common thread is that the situation feels unmanageable alone. In those moments, reaching out for professional help is the strongest next step.
If your symptoms are lasting, getting worse, or interfering with work, relationships, or daily functioning, it’s time to seek support. Many people reach out when they’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or unable to manage stress in healthy ways. You don’t need to wait until things hit a breaking point. Early support often leads to better outcomes.
The Lakes provides outpatient mental health treatment, including individual therapy, group therapy, psychiatric services, medication management, and specialized programs for conditions like anxiety, depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and more. Care is designed to be compassionate, evidence-based, and tailored to each person’s needs.
A mental health hospital provides a variety of services, usually including inpatient emergency admittance for crisis situations. Mental health treatment centers do not provide emergency room services.
Yes. The Lakes offers both a partial hospitalization program (PHP) and an intensive outpatient program (IOP) for adults at our center on West Magnolia Street in Lakeland. PHP is our most structured option, with full-day treatment, and you return home or to supportive housing each evening. IOP meets 2–5 times per week for part of the day, so you can keep working or caring for family. Many clients start in PHP and step down to IOP as symptoms ease. Learn more about our mental health PHP in Lakeland and mental health IOP in Lakeland.
Yes. Many of our clients live outside Lakeland and drive in for daytime treatment. Our center is about 20–25 minutes from Bartow and 25–30 minutes from Winter Haven, using surface roads like US-98 and US-92, with no I-4 required. Auburndale and Mulberry are similarly close. Because PHP and IOP are outpatient programs, you sleep at home each night and stay connected to your family, job, and routines. If transportation is a concern, our admissions team can talk through scheduling and options with you.
No referral is needed to contact The Lakes. You can call us yourself, or a family member can reach out for you. Every new client starts with a clinical assessment with our team. It looks at your symptoms, history, and current needs, and decides whether PHP, IOP, or another level of care is the right fit.
Some insurance plans require documentation of medical necessity or prior authorization before PHP or IOP. Our admissions team can assist with verification with your plan before treatment begins. To get started, contact our admissions team or verify your insurance.
The Lakes is a mental health treatment center located in Lakeland, FL. Our treatment services are in person, but we do not provide emergency or residential care. If it is determined that you or your loved one requires inpatient treatment, we can help connect you with a mental health hospital or provider that can handle this aspect of treatment before you seamlessly step down into outpatient care with us.
[1] DiFurio, D. (2024, January 19). What access to mental health care looks like in Polk County, Florida. Stacker. Retrieved from: https://stacker.com/stories/florida/polk-county-fl/what-access-mental-health-care-looks-polk-county-florida. Accessed on October 22, 2026.
[2] Emergency department visits. (n.d.). FLHealthCHARTS.gov – Florida Department of Health. Retrieved from: https://www.flhealthcharts.gov/ChartsDashboards/rdPage.aspx?cid=9834&rdReport=NonVitalInd.Dataviewer. Accessed on October 22, 2026.
[3] Hospitalizations from mental disorders. (n.d.). FLHealthCHARTS.gov – Florida Department of Health. Retrieved from: https://www.flhealthcharts.gov/ChartsDashboards/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=NonVitalInd.Dataviewer. Accessed on October 22, 2026.
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